This recipe from Food and Drink rivals any takeout dish. Make the sauce and set aside. Toss pork with egg and cornstarch. Fry the pork for a few minutes on each side and set aside. Cook the onions, ginger, garlic and chili. Add sauce and when it begins to simmer, return the pork to the pan and add the mango. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro. Cook’s note: I used parsley instead of cilantro for the garnish.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used Heinz ketchup, Allen’s cider vinegar, tamari instead of soy sauce and Nature Value sriracha. All are additive-free. Use freshly minced garlic and ginger.

Fry the dredged pork until browned

Stir fry onions, pepper, garlic and ginger

Spicy sweet-and-sour pork with mango

Ingredients:

Sauce

¼ cup (60 ml) ketchup

¼ cup (60 ml) cider vinegar

3 tbsp (45 ml) packed light brown sugar

2 tbsp (30 ml) water

1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce

1 tbsp (15 ml) sriracha sauce

1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) cornstarch

Stir-fry

1 lb (455 g) trimmed pork loin from rib end or tenderloin, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) chunks

Salt to taste

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ cup (125 ml) cornstarch, divided

½ cup + 1 tbsp (125 + 15 ml) canola oil, divided

1 bunch green onions, trimmed, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces

2 tsp (10 ml) minced garlic

2 tsp (10 ml) minced ginger

1 fresh red finger chili, thinly sliced into rounds

1 firm-ripe Ataulfo mango, cut into chunks, about 1 cup (250 ml)

Cilantro leaves to garnish

Steamed jasmine rice for serving

Preparation:

For the sauce, whisk all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Set aside.

For the stir-fry, place pork in a mixing bowl and season with salt. Mix in egg then mix in ¼ cup (60 ml) cornstarch with your hands until meat is coated with a sticky batter. Place remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) cornstarch in a large freezer bag.

Add pork, seal and shake, squishing to separate the pieces, until coated. (Don’t worry about them looking uneven or ugly. It won’t matter once they’re cooked and covered with sauce.)

Heat ½ cup (125 ml) oil in a large, heavy-duty, nonstick frying pan over high heat. Quickly but carefully, add pork one piece at a time. Cook, flipping once, until brown, crisp and slightly underdone, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Lower heat as necessary, probably at the time you flip. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.

Carefully drain off oil and wipe pan clean. Add remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil and return pan to medium-high. Add green onions, garlic, ginger and chili. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add sauce. When it comes to a simmer, reduce heat to medium. Add pork. Stir until coated with sauce then stir in mango. Cook until mango is just heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice. Serves 4.

From Food and Drink