Sweet and sour pork - NO pineapples required

because I hate pineapple and it is not a traditional Chinese ingredient

Although I hate eating pineapples (and oranges) what is strange is that if you take one and juice it I can drink that fresh juice all day.

No pineapples are required for a real sweet and sour recipe, from what I’ve read they were first used in California using tinned pineapples and then spread to Asia during WW2 with the troops who took tins of the horrible things with them (and SPAM - great stuff).

This recipe can also be frozen for a month or 2 so make extra. Good next day for lunch when on the road or in the office. I guess you could use tofu as an alternative if that way inclined.

• pork shoulder/leg, cut into bite size pieces, cubes, most of the fat cut off

• pale dry sherry or rice wine

• sea salt and ground pepper

• cooking oil for deep frying

• egg yolks

• cold water

• plain flour

• more pale dry sherry or rice wine

• tomato ketchup (I prefer Heinz), a really good amount depending on how much sauce you like on food - my lot like lots so they can dunk and mop while eating

• sugar

• red wine vinegar/rice vinegar/black bean vinegar - or a mix of them, depends on what you have in the cupboard. A blob of tamarind paste from a jar adds an extra dimension to the sour taste

• sliced red onions

• spring onions cut into pieces about the size of the meat bits

• cornflour mixed with water or potato starch thickener granules

1. Put the pork pieces in a bowl, add the salt, pepper and a good splash of sherry. Mix well. Leave to marinade while doing the rest of the prepping.

2. Make the batter, it should be quite thick, in a ratio of 2 egg yolks to heaped 2 tbsp flour to 2 tbsp of water. Leave to stand for 10 mins or so before using stirring now and again.

3. Mix the sherry, ketchup, vinegar and sugar together to your taste. Mine like it more sour than sweet.

4. Heat the oil to about 180° C (medium heat).

5. While the oil is heating drain the pork, keep the juice as you use it later.

6. Coat the pork in the batter, shake off excess batter - do this in batches just as you are going to cook it, do not overload the oil.

7. Cook until the batter is cooked and crispy (pork should be at least 2/3rds cooked by now), remove from oil and keep warm on kitchen paper.

8. When all the pork is cooked put a few spoons of the oil into a clean wok/pan and heat.

9. Add half the red onions and all the spring onions and fry gently until starting to soften and colour.

10. Add all the sauce ingredients and stir well.

11. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil.

12. Adjust the taste.

13. Add the thickener until you get the consistency you want - it has to be quite thick so it coats the meat pieces.

14. Add the meat to the sauce and mix well. Cook until the meat is back to temperature and fully cooked.

15. Serve with the remaining red onions sprinkled on top, boiled rice and prawn crackers.