Sweet-and-Sour Pork

Ingredients:
12 oz. lean boneless pork
2 tablespoons mirin or dry sherry (we used water)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil (we used vegetable oil)
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar (or a bit less of the regular, stronger-flavored vinegar)
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
Cooking oil or shortening for deep-fat frying
1 beaten egg
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, thinly bias sliced (1 ½ cup)
1 medium green sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (3/4 cup)
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (3/4 cup)
3 green onions, bias sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 8-oz can pineapple chunks (juice pack), drained
3 cups hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into ¾-inch cubes; place in a bowl. For marinade, stir together mirin, the 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, and sesame oil. Pour over pork. Toss to coat. Cover; let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.

2. For sauce, stir together the 1 cup broth, sugar, vinegar, the 4 tsp. cornstarch, and the 1 Tbsp. soy sauce. Set aside. In a wok or large saucepan heat 1 ½ to 2 inches of cooking oil or shortening to 365 F. Meanwhile, for batter, in a bowl stir together egg, the ½ cup cornstarch, flour, and the ½ cup broth until smooth.

3. Drain the pork; pat dry. Dip pork into batter, swirling to coat. Fry a few pieces of pork at a time in hot oil for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden and no pink remains. Remove from oil. Drain on paper towels. Keep pork warm in a 300 F oven while frying remaining pork.

4. Pour the 1 Tbsp. oil into a large skillet. (Add more oil as needed during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Cook and stir garlic in hot oil 15 seconds. Add carrots, sweet peppers, and green onions; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from skillet. Stir sauce; add to skillet. Cook and stir until bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Stir in pineapple and cooked vegetables. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until hot. Stir in pork. Serve over rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Notes: This recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 12th edition. Thanks to Kimberly for suggesting it - I really liked it!