Sweet and sour pork (Ku lou yuk)咕嚕肉

Whenever we go out to a Chinese restaurant the first dish the children ask for is ku lou yuk. It is actually quite easy to prepare.

 Capsicums (青椒) have two categories chilli and bell or sweet peppers. Bell peppers are so called because of its plump, blocky, bell shape. It is the only pepper without capsaicin which is why it is not fiery. They are mainly green, yellow, orange and red in colour. Green peppers are slightly bitter, while the red, orange and yellow peppers are sweeter. Capsicums are an excellent source of vitamins C, A, K, B6 and are low in calories. Compared to green peppers, red bell peppers contain more vitamins and nutrients, especially lycopene, a carotenoid that can help protect against certain cancers such as prostate and cervical cancers. Additionally, red peppers also have twice the vitamin C content of green peppers. Capsicum is used for various digestive problems such as upset stomach, intestinal gas, stomach pain, diarrhea, and cramps. Capsicum is also used on the skin to relieve muscle spasms, as a gargle for laryngitis, and to discourage thumb-sucking or nail-biting. Capsicum plaster or cream is used for pain caused by shingles, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

Ingredients

1 strip belly pork cut into small pieces

½ a bell pepper (I like red pepper because it is sweeter)

½ a cucumber

1 small onion

Canned pineapple cubes

Marinade

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp shaoxing wine

½ tsp sesame oil

½ tsp sugar

1 egg

Mix the marinade ingredients thoroughly and add the pork

Leave aside for 30 minutes or more

Cut all the vegetables into bite size pieces

Sauce ingredients

4 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tbsp plum sauce

1 tsp sugar

Juice from the canned pineapple

Mix all the ingredients and set aside

Coat the pork cubes with corn flour

Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown

Dish up and set aside

Heat up 1 tbsp oil and fry the onion and pepper first

Put in the other vegetables and mix well

Add the fried pork and sweet and sour sauce

Mix thoroughly

Transfer to a serving platter when all the ingredients are well coated with the sauce