TurnKey Auto Call: 319-683-2850 Text: 319-331-8796
  • Home
  • Inventory
  • Recently Sold
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Angie's Blog/Recipes

A Delicious Sweet and Sour Pork, A Scary Motel, and Funky Denver Photos

9/28/2015

 
Sweet and Sour Pork 
and the pork is crispy, people....CRISPY!
Picture
But only if you layer the dish correctly. 



Now it's been a month since I posted. I've been cooking, though. Pretty decent stuff even (and a couple disasters of course) that I will be sharing.


We've also been busy road-tripping!!
Made a trip out to Denver over Labor Day weekend,
which was a blast!!

We stayed at a very nice hotel.

​
Picture



Picture


​
Picture
What?


​It was super nice and
​not scary
at all.



Yeesh, you guys are soooo judgey.





Heeeee.
Actually, we stayed at a Marriot in the
​Denver Cherry Creek district and it was nice.

And safe.
:)
Picture



The other motel picture was taken in Nebraska or somewhere off I-80 in Colorado...can't remember.
I did think it was cool, though.
​Scary, yet......
​okay, it was just scary.



Know what wasn't scary and was completely adorable and who loved me as much as I loved her?
​
Picture
This old girl, who greeted me inside her human parent's antique shop in Denver. 

​I sat on the floor and this girl leaned into me and let me pet her endlessly.

She is 14 years old and was recuperating from several surgeries of which she wasn't expected to survive. 
​​Oh she was a sweetheart and her human parents
love her beyond words.

​




Okay, so besides visiting doggies at Denver antique shops and taking pictures of seedy motels along the way,

we've also been busy getting these vehicles
ready for listing... 
2003 Chevy Tahoe LT 4WD  145k  ​$8985
Picture
​1998 Chevy K1500 Silverado 4x4 142k $6985 Sold
Picture

​And these...
2004 Buick Rendezvous CXL  AWD  122k   $6385
Picture
2005 Pontiac Grand Prix  
92k  $6885  Sold
Picture

This is the Impala we drove out to Denver and back.
Very nice!

​2005 Chevy Impala  132k  $5685


​
Picture
Okay,

let's get back to this super yummy
Sweet and Sour Pork!



This recipe is from the food website
Rasa Malaysia.​
Check her website out, all her recipes are authentic and uses ingredients that can be purchased relatively easy.


​Here's the fixins for this delicious and crispy (if you do it right) Sweet and Sour Pork.
Picture


​
Picture
I just want to point out the following three items.

1. Sake. 
Also know as rice wine.
Rice wine is NOT rice wine vinegar, it's an actual wine. This little bottle was $2.50 at the store. If you can't find sake (rice wine), use sherry.


2. Oyster Sauce.
It's in the Asian aisle at your grocery store.


3. Plum sauce.
​Again, this is in the Asian aisle at your grocery. Hy-Vee carries both oyster and plum sauce.

RECIPE: SWEET AND SOUR PORK 
Straight outta www.rasamalaysia.com
Rasa Malaysia has excellent, authentic recipes, check it out!
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb. pork tenderloin (cut into bite size pieces)
1/2 green bell pepper (about 2 oz. and cut into pieces)
1/2 red bell pepper (about 2 oz. and cut into pieces)
2 stalks scallions (only the white part, cut into 2 inch length)
1 piece fresh/canned pineapple ring (cut into small pieces)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
Oil for frying


MARINATE:
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon rice wine


FRYING BATTER:
1/2 cup water
2 oz. all-purpose flour
1 oz. corn starch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 egg
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 small pinch of salt


SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon plum sauce
1/8 teaspoon Chinese rice vinegar (transparent in color)
1/2 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons water


METHOD:Cut the pork tenderloin into pieces and marinate with the ingredients for 15-20 minutes.

Mix the sweet and sour sauce ingredients well and set aside.

Strain the dry ingredients of the frying batter and then add in the egg, water, and cooking oil to form a thick batter.

When the pork is well-marinated, transfer the pork pieces into the batter and make sure they are well coated. In a deep skillet, add in the cooking oil enough for deep-frying. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the pork pieces until they turn golden brown. Dish out and drain on paper towels.

Heat up a wok and add in some cooking oil. Add in the chopped garlic and stir fry until light brown, then follow by the bell peppers and pineapple pieces. Stir fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the peppers and then add in the sweet and sour sauce. As soon as the sauce thickenens, transfer the pork into the wok and stir well with the sauce. Add in the chopped scallions, do a few quick stirs, dish out and serve hot with steamed white rice.

Click HERE to go to the Rasa Malaysia website to print off the recipe.
​

Picture
I used canola oil this time. 

My usual go-to is avocado oil. Avocado oil is a high heat oil just like canola, only healthier, EXPENSIVE, but healthier I guess.

You can't really use olive oil for this recipe.
The coating on the pork will burn as olive oil is not a high heat oil.



​
Picture


The pork tenderloin I bought was $10.99/lb. 

I don't ever really buy pork tenderloin so I don't know if that was high or what for that cut of meat.



​
Anyhoo, make up that quick marinade of soy sauce, corn starch and rice wine (sake) and throw the chunked pork in.


​
Picture
Now we'll get started on the sweet and sour sauce.
Ketchup is the base.
Can you believe it??


Also double the amount of the
sweet and sour sauce.

You will thank me later.




​
Easy peasy here for the sweet and sour sauce. Just mix up the ketchup, plum sauce, rice wine vinegar (different than the rice wine sake), Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, corn starch, sugar and water. Set it aside for a bit.



​
Picture
Next we'll mix up the frying batter ingredients for the pork.

​
This is water, flour, corn starch, baking soda, egg, oil and salt.

Picture



​Chop the peppers, garlic, scallions
and pineapple.
Picture



Now I went ahead and made up some long grain brown rice in chicken broth.




​T
hings are going to go quick now, so

WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!


​
Picture
Start cooking
the marinated, battered-up pork
​ in the frying oil.



BTW, I didn't put much oil in the pan, maybe just 1/2 cup.




​
Picture
Flip the pork
​pieces over

and

cook until golden brown
​both sides.



​
Picture


​Make certain the pork is at least 160 degrees....



​
Picture


​...and let them drain on paper towels.




​
Picture

See how they look crunchy here???



​
Picture
Well,

throw them into a dish for safekeeping...



​
Picture

​Get your
sweet and sour sauce
​ heating up...



Now lets get started with the veggies and pineapple,
but first brown up the garlic...


​
Picture
...Now throw the veggies and pineapple
in.




​Stir fry
until just about ready....



Here's the straight scoop though.... 
Picture
DO NOT add the crispy pork into the veggies
and DO NOT add the sweet and sour sauce into the veggies either.
 





Keep everything separate like this IF you like crispy pork.
Picture



NOW plate up your dish with rice, pork,
​then veggies and pineapple... 
Picture




​
Picture
​
​
See how crisp everything looks...





​
Picture

​N
OW
you can drizzle that sweet and sour sauce on.



​
Picture
Mmmm...

Look at the crispy pork and vegetables,
​the sweet and sour drizzled sauce....yum!




​
Picture
Okay!
This is a perfect Sweet and Sour Pork!! 


And because we did not saute everything together in a pan,
​
everything turned out crispy!

Here's the link to this Sweet and Sour Pork from RasaMalaysia.com.
Just click over there to print off the recipe!​




​Okay, now lets get back to Denver for a minute...I just want to show you a few things.
Picture

​This

1st floor,
old-school,
​
 vintage
antique shop directed one up some stairs in the very back of the building.



​
Picture


Always up to an antique challenge,


Tim and I

​proceeded

up

the

stairs...


​
Picture
I totally knew from the
get-go,

I was going to LOVE this place!!



​
Picture


​Aisle

after antique aisle...




​
Picture
Okay, this room was a little different. Uh huh.


​
Picture

​Tim
did buy a few things there, including this carrying case with mainly Lesney Matchbox cars.




​
Picture
Down the street was this
bike shop.

There's a ton of bike shops in Denver
.


​
Picture
Oddly enough, in the back of that bike shop was a display of vintage cameras for sale.





​
Picture

Of course

I had to hit every record store we came by.



​

​
Picture

And we
​ate a ton of super excellent fresh food... 

and had great conversation​
PictureDaughter is a PhD student and activist poet. Daughter's super nice boyfriend works in the Denver craft beer industry.


​with
two
of our favorite people. 





One of the restaurants we visited is a very popular
​farm to table restaurant called

Old Major.
Old Major's owner/head chef was raised on a family farm in Iowa.
Picture

​
Picture


​Their building
clearly pays homage to Iowa farming with the logo or at least to the fantastic pork dishes they make there.

Here's a link to their restaurant. www.oldmajordenver.com

​
Picture



​The restaurant sits right in the middle of a quirky, interesting residential district that has been renewed.


​
Picture


The rehabbed houses are so cute with lots of character and color.




As we were leaving the restaurant, I heard some loud music playing down the street.
We walked to where the noise was coming from and lo and behold, right smack in the middle of the district was this service station. Of course I had to take a picture!
Picture



Okay gals and guys,
tis all I gots for today!

Gotta get back to work,
there's a super duper nice 2006 Grand Prix waiting for me to button up the detailing and take pictures of it.


Thanks for checking in!!! I've been making a lot of dishes from more recipes so I'm looking forward to sharing them with y'all!
Have a great Monday and we'll talk at ya soon!!








    Author

    Angie Madsen
    One half of a team that blends their work and personal life together
    in fun ways.





    Recipes
    Picture
    Click here to access recipes featured on this blog. 




    Categories

    All
    Appetizers
    Beef
    Bread
    Breakfast
    Caring
    Car Stories
    Casserole
    Chicken
    Christmas
    Cooking Misadventures
    Decor
    Desserts
    Fish
    Foosball Okay Football
    Fun Times
    Hot Cars
    I Am A Dork
    Kitchen Stuff
    Pasta
    Pets Pets Pets
    Pork
    Potatoes
    Seasonal
    Side Dish
    Soup
    Special Occasion
    Turkey
    Vegan Or Could Be Vegan
    Vegetables
    Vegetarian



    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011



Turnkey Auto - Twenty years of a friendly setting of quality vehicles, affordable prices and exceptional service.
Text: 319-331-8796
​Call: 319-683-2850


 1/2 mile west of Frytown on 500th St
1811 500th St SW, Kalona, Ia 52247