dirtydog

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts or 6-8 thighs, OR the equivalent of pork
• 4 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tsp. arrowroot or cornstarch powder
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 4-6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 4 small "heads" boy choy, or the equivalent of 1 cup chinese cabbage, roughly chopped
• 5 green onions, cut into 2-3 inch lengths
• canola oil for frying (or other vegetable oil)
• handful of fresh coriander (for garnish)
• SAUCE:
• 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-inch lengths (for complete instructions, see link below)
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp. tomato ketchup (or substitute tomato paste)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp. chilli sauce (or 1 fresh red chilli, minced) - omit or reduce to half if cooking for children
• 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal (or ginger), grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, fresh, dried, or frozen (available at your local Asian grocery store)
• 1 heaping tsp. arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) dissolved in 3 Tbsp. water

PREPARATION:

1. First, mix soy sauce with arrowroot or cornstarch powder - this is your marinade. Cut meat into bite-size slices and mix with the marinade. Allow to sit (stirring occasionally) while you prepare the sauce and vegetables.
2. Using a sharp knife, make superficial cuts along the lengths of lemongrass.
3. Add all other sauce ingredients to the bowl/pot except the arrowroot (or cornstarch) powder. Stir well. Now prepare all your vegetables for stir-frying.
4. Place 2 Tbsp. oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium to high heat. Add the chicken or pork (together with its marinade). Stir-fry 1-2 minutes, or until meat is firm (You may need to add 1 or 2 Tbsp. water to the wok/pan if it turns dry).
5. Add the sauce with the lemongrass to the meat, stirring well. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium heat and cover, simmering for 5 minutes.
6. Add the mushrooms and green onion. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
7. Add the bell peppers and continue cooking another 3 minutes. Finally, add the bok choy or chinese cabbage, stirring it in. Cook another 1-2 minutes, or until the boy choy or cabbage is tender.
8. Add the arrowroot/cornstarch (dissolved in water). Stir well. Turn down the heat to low. As the sauce in the dish thickens, do a taste test. (If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. If too salty, add a squeeze of lime juice. If not spicy enough, add a little more chilli sauce or fresh chilli. If not sweet enough, add a little more brown sugar. If too sweet, add a little more rice vinegar or some lime juice.)
9. Sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve immediately with plenty of Thai jasmine-scented rice. Note: do not try to eat the lemongrass or kaffir lime leaves.

you can use fresh vegetables. carrots, broccoli, cucumber, onion, etc...any kind of vegetables you got in your fridge. stir-fry with sweet and sour sauce.

YouTube - How to make sweet and sour pork with vegetables

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