Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients

Pork

• 450g pork shoulder (without bones)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, use tamari if gluten free
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons whisked egg
• 3/4 cup panko (breadcrumbs), add more if necessary

Sauce

• 5 tablespoons tomatoe sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2/3 cup water
• 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Add Ins

• 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, any neutral-flavored oil works
• 1/2 large green bell pepper, diced (about 100g)
• 1/4 large yellow onion, diced (about 2/3 cup or 80g)
• 1 cup pineapple chunks, about 4 to 4.5 ounces (see note 5)
• toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

Prepare the Pork

1. Trim off any thick layers of fat along the sides of the piece of pork shoulder. Then, cut the pork into small pieces, about 1 inch by 1 inch. You don’t want the pieces of pork to be too thick. Otherwise, it will throw off the cooking time, and the pieces of pork will be more difficult to eat. I try to make sure they’re no more than 16 mm thick. Transfer the pork pieces to a bowl.

Marinate the Pork

1. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic (or garlic powder) to the bowl with the pork. Mix the seasonings and the meat together for a minute. Set the meat aside while you prepare the sauce.

Make the Sauce

1. In a bowl, add the ketchup, honey, rice vinegar, sambal oelek, salt, and paprika. Add most of the water, reserving about 1 or 2 tablespoons of water aside. Mix the sauce ingredients inside the bowl. Then, mix the remaining water with the cornstarch separately. Cornstarch settles to the bottom over time, so you’ll need to stir the cornstarch slurry again later. Set the ingredients for the sauce aside.

Cover Pork with Breadcrumbs

1. Mix 2 tablespoons of whisked egg to the marinated pork. This will help the panko stick to the exterior of the meat pieces.
2. Spread half of the panko breadcrumbs over a plate. I like to keep the other half of the panko on the side to sprinkle over the pork gradually. Use a fork to place several pieces of pork over the breadcrumbs on the plate. Sprinkle panko over the pork and move the pieces around so that they’re completely covered in panko. Transfer the breaded pieces of pork to another plate. Continue breading the remaining pieces of meat.

Air Fry Pork

1. Preheat the air fryer (my air fryer automatically preheats the machine to 400ºF in 5 minutes). Carefully transfer a batch of the breaded pork to the air fryer basket, making sure that the pork pieces don’t overlap.
2. Cook the pork at 380ºF for 3 minutes. Then, take out the pork, flip the pieces over and cook again for another 2 minutes. Flipping the pork ensures that the panko browns evenly.
3. Using a thermometer, check the internal temperature of the pork. It should be somewhere around 160ºF since we’re working with pork shoulder.

Stir Fry Vegetables

1. In a wok (or a large sauté pan), heat the oil over high heat. Add the diced onions and cook them for 1 to 2 minutes. Then, add the diced green bell peppers and cook them for a minute more. Transfer the lightly cooked vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

Cook Sauce

1. Heat the wok over high heat. Carefully pour the sauce ingredients in the bowl (except for the cornstarch slurry) and let the sauce cook for 30 seconds. Then, give the cornstarch slurry a stir because the cornstarch likely settled to the bottom. Add the cornstarch slurry to the wok and mix everything together. Let the sauce bubble and thicken for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Use a spatula and run it along the edges of the wok frequently because the cornstarch tends to collect along the edges of the simmering liquid. Turn off the heat and mix in the cooked pork, vegetables, and a handful of pineapple chunks. Stir to coat everything with the sweet and sour sauce.
3. Transfer the sweet and sour pork to a serving bowl. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Serve the sweet and sour pork with jasmine rice and any vegetables, like my garlic green beans or smashed cucumber salad!

Notes

1. Chickpeas - can use any canned beans, I’ve made this often with black beans, cannelloni beans and even lentils! Dried chickpeas - Note 5 below.
2. Coconut milk - full fat best for flavour because the fat is where the flavour is. But light is ok too.
3. Coriander haters - sub with chives! Still tasty but will be missing the coriander flavour which is in traditional Brazilian Fish Stew.
4. Serve over something to soak up the sauce. Plain white rice, lime rice, cauliflower rice, mashed potato, couscous, polenta or even pasta.