This quick and easy pork & apple stir fry has been a favorite with our family for almost 30 years; I clipped it out of a Cooking Light magazine and was making it for Brett and myself before even MeiLing joined us. It’s wonderful fall recipe, and the flavors of pork, apples and red pepper in a mild sweet and sour sauce go together perfectly.
The original recipe was just for two, but it was easy to expand to make enough for our family of five. The only amount I didn’t change was the pork, as eight ounces has been plenty for all of us. I upped the number of apples from one to three, added a second pepper and only slightly increased the other ingredients after discovering that doubling them created way too much sauce. Once the prep is done with the ingredients, the whole dish comes together very quickly, in around 10 minutes. Only the pork is actually stir fried; the apples, peppers and onions actually simmer quickly in a sweet and sour broth, which is then thickened with a small amount of cornstarch at the end.
I tried making this with chicken instead of pork, but it didn’t go over well. The chicken just didn’t have enough flavor to compete with the apples and pepper, and wasn’t a good match for the sauce. Turkey has worked well though, and is a great substitute if you don’t eat pork.
PORK & APPLE STIR FRY
- 8 oz. lean, boned pork loin, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2 inch strips
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper
- 3 TBSP sugar
- 3 TBSP rice or cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 red bell peppers, cored and cut into thin strips
- 3 Granny Smith or other tart apples, peeled and cut into thin slices
- 2 tsp grated, peeled fresh ginger
- 1 cup sliced green onions (including the tops)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp water
- steamed rice
Coat a large skillet or wok with cooking spray or a small amount of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add the pork and cook until done. Remove from the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside and keep warm.
Add sugar and vinegar to the cooking pan and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and broth; cook an additional 30 seconds. Add the pepper slices, apple slices and ginger; stir in the broth around 3 minutes, then add the green onions and continue to cook until apples are tender, about another 2 minutes. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl; add to the cooking pan and mix throughout. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly – the sweet-our broth will thicken slightly. Return pork to the pan and cook until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately with hot steamed rice.
The Occasional Nomads 