My quippy story here could be somewhat heartwarming - my parents would take me as a baby to Joyce Chen’s Cambridge, MA restaurant, shoving me under the table in my carrier (hopefully asleep?) so they could enjoy a date night - or, we could take another route, that I dreamt last night that my husband was the 5th Jonas brother and the OG 3 stole my idea to make this chicken, but wouldn’t give me any!
Either way, my family has been making this sweet and sour chicken recipe from a crumpled, ripped out, cookbook page for as long as I can remember (and the Jonases don’t know crud about cooking!).

Educational note: Joyce Chen did for Chinese cooking what Julia Child did for French. She made Chinese food approachable for the masses - via her public television show in the 1960s.
Ingredients:
For the meat:
1 cup lean pork/chicken
1 teaspoon dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
For the batter:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 teaspoon baking power
1/2 cup egg mixture (1 beaten egg plus enough water to make 1/2 cup mixture)
For the sweet and sour sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup catsup (aka - ketchup)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon MSG
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar (cider vinegar is best)
For the cornstarch mixture: 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/3 cup water
For the fruit and vegetables:
1/2 cup carrots, peeled, in small chunks or 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup green pepper, seeds removed, in about 1 inch squares
1/2 cup canned pineapple chunks, drained well
Mix the above meat ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and allow to set for a few minutes.

Mix all the batter ingredients into a very smooth paste.
While everything sits, parcook the vegetables. First, parboil the carrots in a small saucepan; after about one minute, add the green pepper. Before the water boils again, remove the carrots and green pepper and rinse thoroughly with cold water. This way, the green pepper will retain its green color and crisp texture. This should be prepared in advance.

Dip the marinated pork in the batter to coat completely. Add the coated pork gently (to prevent oil splattering) to the hot oil (1 1/2" to 2" depth of oil at 375-400 degrees) one piece at a time. Deep fry until light golden brown. It is easier to remove and drain the cooked pork all at one time from the hot fat if you use a deep fry basket. Spread drained pork out on absorbent paper and let cool.
For best results for crisply-coated meat, deep fry the cooled pork a second time in hot oil (400 degrees) just before serving.

While the meat is frying a second time, add all the sauce ingredients (except for the vinegar) in a 1 1/2 to 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once boiled, add vinegar. Once boiling again, add cornstarch mixture. Stir until thick. When the Sweet and Sour has thickened, mix in: 1 tablespoon hot oil from the deep fry pan. This way, the sauce will shine and its beauty is enhanced.
Add veggies to the sauce, allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Then, when chicken and sauce is done, serve with rice.

Double fried, crispy chicken with a lurid, but delicious sauce and enough veggies to make it seem like it's healthy...ish. Who wouldn't love this?
Comments