Finally! I discovered a guilt-free way to cook sweet and sour pork that does away with the threatening calorie count. Instead of deep frying the pork cubes, I experimented with the Phillips air fryer tonight. Surprisingly, the end result was pleasing – there was not too much compromise in texture nor in taste. An added bonus is that you save the need for oil too! Scroll down for my “secret” recipe as to how to recreate the classic sweet and sour pork dish the ‘air-fryer’ wa.
INGREDIENTS (serves 4):
For the pork:
- 1 pound pork cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 egg white
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup corn starch
Vegetables:
- 1/2 medium red pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 medium yellow pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
For the sauce:
- 1 can (8 ounce) pineapple chunks in syrup (i.e. undrained)
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4-1/2 cup white sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
METHOD:
1) Wash and pat dry pork loin. Cut the pork into one inch cubes.
2) Place cubed pork in a medium bowl and season with the salt, sugar, and soy sauce. Mix in the egg white and green onions. Best to marinade for an hour in the fridge (NB: since I had no time, I personally did not bother).
2) Preheat air fryer at 180 degrees celsius. Coat the pork in the 1/2 cup of corn flour all over.
3) Preheat air fryer for 3 minutes at 180 degrees celsius. Chuck in the marinaded pork cubes and “fry” for a total of 10 minutes. Best to cook for 5 minutes, then flip the pork cubes over with tongs to cook the alternate side for the remaining 5 minutes.
Flip the pork cubes over at the 5 minutes mark
What the pork cubes will look like after 10 minutes of air frying at 180 degrees celsius. Crisp and crunchy (without the oil!).
4) In the meantime (while the pork is cooking), heat a fry pan with vegetable oil and throw in the chopped peppers with onions. Add the pineapple chunks (reserve the sauce in the can). Cook until tender and season with a sprinkle of salt and sugar. Remove from heat, set aside.
5) Next, time to make the sauce. Pour all the sauce ingredients (not the cornstarch yet) in a saucepan. Bring to boil and stir in the air fried pork cubes, peppers, onions and shallots. Return to boil and add the remaining pineapple juice from the can and the 2 tablespoons of corn starch to thicken the sauce to your desired consistency. Cook until well blended.
6) Transfer to a clean plate. Serve while hot.
