sweet & sour pork stir fry

we first made this stir fry in the spring, back before baby #2 was born. it quickly jumped to the top of jason's favorites list as well as mine - it's quick; combines a starch, veg, and protein in one bowl; and our toddler gobbled it up. most importantly, it's easy, so jason and i can hand off cooking - if the baby suddenly decides he's starving while i'm cooking dinner & we need to trade off so i can nurse him - without the other getting lost. leftovers reheat really well. this one makes it onto our table at least once a month.

we love our stir frys on the saucy side, so i doubled the sauce recipe. this way, the rice soaks up all the flavor and there's no chance of leftovers drying out before we eat them for lunch the next day. if you prefer yours a bit drier, halve the vinegar, soy, cornstarch, ketchup, sugar & water mixture in step 3.


sweet & sour pork stir fry
adapted from food network
30 minutes, serves 4

white rice, for serving
1 pound pork tenderloin, sliced and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 tablespoons + a splash balsamic vinegar, divided
4 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons ketchup
6 tablespoons sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
about 1/2 pound carrots, thinly sliced
3 scallions, cut into pieces
about 3 cups snow peas, cut in half or smaller

1. cook your rice according to the package directions. while the rice is cooking, make the stir fry.
2. toss the pork with a splash of vinegar and pinch of salt in a bowl and let marinate.
3. mix the remaining vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, ketchup, sugar, 2/3 cup water, and 1 teaspoon salt in another bowl and set aside.
4. coat the bottom of a large skillet or wok with vegetable oil and set over high heat. once hot, add the pork and stir fry until the pork is browned. (it's ok if it isn't cooked through.) remove the pork and transfer to a plate. discard any juice/oil that's in the pan and wipe it clean.
5. coat the pan with vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. add the garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds. add the carrots and scallions and stir fry just until tender, 2-5 minutes. if the garlic starts to stick to the pan, add a couple tablespoons of water. 
6. add the pork, snow peas, and soy mixture. cook, stirring frequently, until the pork is cooked through and the sauce is thick, 3-5 minutes. serve over rice.