Sweet and sour
Sweet and sour from the takeaway always seems to be a brightly coloured, gluey mess – there’s nothing fresh about it. Making your own takes less time than ordering and picking it up from the takeaway – and it tastes amazing. Give it a try.
Serves 4
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
353 kcal, 13g fat, 27g carbs, 30g protein
1tbsp cornflour
425g can pineapple chunks in juice, drained, but reserve the juice
2 garlic cloves, sliced 3cm (1¼in) piece fresh root ginger, grated 1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp light brown sugar
2tbsp white wine vinegar
3tbsp tomato ketchup 1tbsp vegetable oil
500g (1lb 2oz) pork fillet, thinly sliced, or 3 chicken breasts, sliced, or 500g (1lb 2oz) raw prawns, peeled and cleaned
1 red and 1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1 red chilli, thickly sliced
Sesame seeds and lime wedges, to serve
1 Mix the cornflour with a little of the reserved pineapple juice until dissolved, then add the remaining juice along with the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and ketchup. Place in a small saucepan and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
2 Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok on a high heat. Add the pork, chicken or prawns and stir-fry for 1-3 minutes (depending on the meat), until cooked, then transfer to a plate. Place the pan back on the heat and add the peppers, onion and chilli and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the pork, chicken or prawns back to the pan with the sauce and pineapple chunks and bring to a simmer. Once simmering and the meat has warmed through, serve with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and some lime wedges on the side. Serve with rice.