Saturday, August 28, 2010

Sweet & Sour Paleo Pork

What to do with a pork loin, rhubarb, and pineapple?  Answer - sweet & sour pork - paleo style!  I like the rhubarb because it both offers a sour flavor and acts as a thickening agent (thus, eliminating the need for cornstarch).

For the sauce:
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cup rhubarb, chopped (1 cup was about 1 stalk)
  • 1 cup mango, chopped (I used frozen mango)
  • 1 cup pineapple, chopped (I used fresh, but canned would work as well (drained))
  • 1 Tbs coconut aminos
  • 1 Tbs clam sauce (other fish sauce would work as well, but this is the only thing I've been able to find without undesirable ingredients like sugar)
  • 1 cup homemade chicken stock
For the stirfry:
  • Coconut oil
  • 1.5 pounds pork loin, cubed
  • 3 Tbs Chinese 5-spice powder
  • 1 onion, sliced or chopped
  • 3 bell peppers (I had yellow and orange on hand), cubed
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp or so ginger, minced (I keep mine in the freezer and grate it as needed)
  • 1/4 cup pineapple, chopped
  1. Cut rhubarb, mango, and pineapple.  Add to a saucepan with coconut aminos, clam sauce, and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until rhubarb is melted.  [Note:  mine was still a little chunky, mostly from the mango, but I didn't want to go through the effort of making a puree (and dirtying more dishes).  Once it was mixed with the pork and veggies, you couldn't tell the difference.]
  2. Meanwhile, cut pork into cubes.
  3. Heat wok or other large pan on medium to medium-high heat.  Add coconut oil.  Once heated, add pork loin.  Season with 5-spice powder.  Saute until just cooked through (you don't want to overcook the meat).  
  4. Chop other veggies.
  5. Once pork is cooked, remove from the pan. Add onions  to the pan and cook until translucent (you don't want to brown them). 
  6. Add peppers, garlic, and ginger to the pan.  Cook until peppers are crisp-tender.
  7. Add back cooked pork.
  8. Mix in sauce and coat pork and veggies.  Sitr in pineapple.  Allow to cook for another minute or two.
  9. Serve and enjoy.  We ate this over a bed of fresh spinach and cauliflower rice.

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