Rachael’s Sweet and Sour Pork or Chicken

For the meat marinade, combine the marinade in a plastic food storage bag and add meat. Soak in marinade 30 minutes to 1 hour.

For the sauce, in a saucepan, toast the star anise, ginger, sesame oil and garlic 1 minute, add ketchup and stir 2 minutes until very fragrant, then add soy, pineapple juice, vinegar, stock and sugar. Bring sauce to bubble, reduce heat to lowest setting and let sauce simmer gently 30 minutes to marry flavors, then strain. (Sauce can be made in larger batches and stored in fridge for 4 weeks or frozen.)

For frying the meat, heat oil in countertop fryer or Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350˚F.

In a shallow dish, combine flour with cornstarch, salt, and white and black pepper.  In a second dish, beat eggs. Coat pork or chicken in flour mix, dip in egg, then coat again in flour mix. Working in small batches, fry 2-3 minutes and cool meat to room temperature on wire rack over baking sheet. Bring oil back to temperature and refry at same temperature to crisp-coat to golden brown. (This prevents soggy meat once it combines with sauce.)

For the stir-fry, heat a large skillet over high heat with high-temperature cooking oil, 2 tablespoons, 2 turns of the pan. When oil ripples and smokes, add vegetables and toss 2 minutes, then add pineapple and sauce and bubble a minute or 2 more. Add pork or chicken and toss to coat. Serve immediately over rice with sesame seeds and scallions or chives.