Sweet and Sour Pork (Kou Lou Youk)

Sweet and sour pork, or more commonly known as "Kou Lou Youk" back home, is by far one of my undeniably favourite dish. It is also the favourite of both my brothers, Sunny and Aaron. So, Ah Po make this dish quite often for us. Incidentally, when I was back home last year, I learned (among other things) that my nephew, Victor, and niece, Joey, also love this dish. Many things considered, it is just so obvious that we are of the same flesh and blood... or the fact that Ah Po's cooking has a huge impact on us. That said, I'm eagerly waiting for my little nephew, Xavier, to grow older and demand some kou lou youk!

I have been wanting to cook some kou lou youk for a while. The thing is, I didn't know that kou lou youk is also named sweet and sour pork 'cos the sweet and sour pork here in the US is totally different. Due to my ignorance, I was paralyzed from googling for the recipe. But thanks to a couple of Malaysian friends who are Chinese-proficient and know what I'm talking about, some recipes and instructions were attained (and I now know that kou lou youk = sweet and sour pork, at least in Malaysia).

This dish is not difficult to make, but it certainly demanded my patience. For example, the meat needs to be cut into equal sizes; otherwise they won't cook consistently, or you'll have to pay attention to which needs more or less deep-frying. Then, the batter needs to be coated evenly; otherwise some are more batterish than the others. Moreover, I was a little apprehended about deep frying after my little incident a few days ago. Fortunately, all is good this time -- no burns, no accidents.

This test of patience is worth enduring. Feels like I'm on cloud nine... it tastes oh-so-good!

Sweet and Sour Pork (Kou Lou Youk)

3/4 lb of pork tenderloin

2 - 3 tsp of soy sauce

Pinch of cornstarch

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1/2 cup of pineapple chunks

3 cups of oil for deep frying

Sauce:

1/4 cup of sugar

2 tbsp of ketchup

2 tbsp of dark soy sauce

1/4 tsp of salt

1/2 cup of reserved pineapple juice or water

1/4 cup of vinegar

1 tbsp of cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tbsp of water

Batter:

1/3 cup of flour

1/3 cup of cornstarch

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

1/3 cup of warm water, or as needed

Cut the pork into 1 inch cubes. Marinate with 2 - 3 tsp of soy sauce and pinch of cornstarch for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, dark soy sauce, salt, juice or water, and vinegar. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch with water. Set aside.

Remove the seeds from the bell peppers. Cut the bell peppers into cubes.

Combine the flour and cornstarch to make the batter. Stir in the egg white and vegetable oil. Add as much of the warm water as needed to form a thick batter. The batter should not be runny, but should drop off the back of a spoon.

Heat the oil for deep frying (375 F).

Dip the marinated pork cubes in the batter. Deep fry the pork until it is golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. (Deep fry in batches so to not overcrowd the wok).

To prepare the sauce, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and pineapple. Bring to a boil again and stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.

Check the sauce and adjust seasonings, adding salt and/or vinegar if desired.

Put the deep fried pork in and stir for a couple of minutes to combine well.

Remove from heat.

Serve warm with steamed rice.