Sweet and Sour Pork
Sweet and sour sauce doesn’t have to be a thick bright orange. This modern, light version of sweet and sour pork allows the succulence of the meat and the fresh flavours and different textures of a variety of vegetables and noodles to shine through.
350 g pork fillet, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 5 x 1 cm strips
1 tablespoon reduced-salt soy sauce
pepper to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
140 g medium egg noodles
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
8 baby corn, about 80 g in total, quartered lengthwise
1 large carrot, cut into matchstick strips
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely diced fresh ginger
300 g bean sprouts
4 green onions, sliced diagonally
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Sweet and Sour Sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
4 tablespoons reduced-salt soy sauce
1 can (398 ml) pineapple slices in natural juice, drained and chopped, with juice reserved
- Place the pork strips in a bowl, sprinkle over the soy sauce and pepper and stir to coat the meat. Sprinkle over the cornstarch and stir again. Cover and set aside.
- To make the sweet and sour sauce, mix together the cornstarch, sugar, vinegar, rice wine or sherry, ketchup, soy sauce and reserved pineapple juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cook the egg noodles in a saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes, or cook or soak them according to the package instructions. Drain well and set aside.
- Heat a wok or heavy-based frying pan until really hot, then add 1 tablespoon of the sunflower oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the pork and leave for 1 minute to brown, then stir-fry over high heat for 3–4 minutes. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in the wok, then add the corn and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the carrot, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for another minute. Sprinkle over 6 tablespoons water and let the vegetables steam for 2–3 minutes.
- Pour in the sweet and sour sauce mixture, stir well and bring to a boil. Put the pork back in the wok and add the noodles, pineapple and bean sprouts. Heat sweet and sour pork through, stirring and tossing. Add the green onions and sesame oil and serve.
cooking time 15 mins
serves 4
PER SERVING
531 calories
38 g protein
15 g total fat
3 g saturated fat
112 mg cholesterol
58 g total carbohydrate
22 g sugars
8 g fibre
925 mg sodium
Bean sprouts are rich in vitamin C and several of the B vitamins; they also provide some potassium. Adding them at the last minute preserves as much of their vitamin C content as possible.
Source: Cook Smart for a Healthy Heart, Reader's Digest Canada













