Pork Sweet & Sour with Jasmine Fragrant Rice

Have a little thought before making this dish, as for best result, pork needs to be marinated overnight. Recipe serves four.

800g Pork Cutlets, neck end.
2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 inch Grated Ginger
2 cloves Garlic crushed
2 tbsp Peanut oil
1 onion diced
3 spring onions finely sliced
1 Carrot halved and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 green pepper diced
4 medium mushrooms sliced
2 celery sticks sliced
200g Fresh Pineapple Cut into cubes
2 tbps Dry Sherry
1/2cup Rice Vinegar
1 heaped tsp Cornflour
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Honey

For the Marinade
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 inch grated ginger
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tsp chicken powder
1 tsp corn flour
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp sugar

Jasmin Fragrant Rice
2 Cups Jasmine Rice
1 Star Anise
2 x 5mm slice ginger
3 cardamom pods

Cut the pork into 2cms cubes and put in a plastic bag. Pour over all the Marinade Ingredients. Close the bag and shake so that all pork pieces get the flavours. Chill in refrigerator at least for 2 hours, overnight best.

Prepare the Jasmine Rice by washing the rice under cold running water. Drain and transfer to casserole. Add 3 cups water, star anise, ginger and cardamom pods. Cover and heat till it boils.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes still covered. Turn off heat, lift the lid quickly, then cover pan with clean kitchen cloth and cover with lid pressing tightly so that no steam escapes. Leave to stand till required,

Heat the Oil in a large wok or non stick frying pan, fry the pork pieces in two batches till golden. Prepare a plastic colander over a bowl, transfer fried pork to colander and leave to drain juices in the bowl.

Using the same pan, stir fry onions, spring onions and garlic. Add remaining vegetables and grated ginger and toss quickly. Add Sherry and cover for 1 minute so that vegetables steam.  Add Vinegar, tomato paste, sugar, honey and pineapple and stir for further two minutes. Mix corn flour with 3 tbsp water.  Add pork and drained juices to vegetables and stir.  Finally add soy sauce and cornflour mixture and stir till sauce thickens evenly.  Serve with Fragrant Jasmin Rice.