Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

Recipe inspiration

I was looking for a family meal for a wet late summer afternoon and the Sweet and Sour Pork in the recipe book My Family Kitchen by Sophie Thompson caught my eye so I decided to try it.

I decided to adapt the recipe to make a slow cooker sweet and sour pork since that would be more convenient for me.

Sophie does mention using a slow cooker for some of her recipes so I tried this one out in mine, reducing the liquid from the original recipe to compensate.

I left out the cashews as my children don’t like them, prepared the meal, popped it in the slow cooker and took my eldest daughter out to the cinema before her return to school.

When we got back I quickly prepared some plain boiled rice and served up in no time.

This meal is great as it is a tasty way to cook with pork. Diced pork is cheap and also low in fat so it is a good option for family mealtimes.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this slow cooker sweet and sour pork recipe – you don’t need any jarred sauces or ready-made spice mixes. Get the quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

You will need:

• olive oil – to fry the pork
• lean pork – I use the diced pork you can buy ready-prepared from the supermarket.
• cornflour – this is traditionally used in Chinese recipes to thicken sauces.
• pineapple chunks in juice – adds sweetness.
• light brown sugar– also adds sweetness.
• white wine vinegar – adds the sourness to the dish.
• light soy sauce – adds depth of flavour.
• onion
• carrot
• red and yellow bell pepper – can be replaced with green or orange peppers, as you prefer. You can also add other vegetables like baby corn, mushrooms etc.
• fresh coriander – as garnish, can be omitted.
• optional – cashew nuts, spring onions, as further garnish.

Instructions

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this slow cooker sweet and sour pork recipe perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step 1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and brown off the diced pork. Coat the pork with cornflour.

Step 2. Place the pork in the slow cooker and add the pineapple chunks and juice, white wine vinegar, soy sauce and light brown sugar.

Step 3. Add the sliced onion, carrot and peppers.

Step 4. Stir to combine the ingredients. Switch the slow cooker on and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-7 hours.

Garnish with the coriander leaves, sliced spring onions and/or cashew nuts, according to your preference. Serve with rice or noodles.

Recipe tips

• Rice or noodles go best as sides with sweet and sour pork.
• Garnish with coriander (cilantro) for some added colour.
• Vary the vegetables, baby aubergines and chunks of butternut squash would go well.

Storage

Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freeze for up to 3 months, in a lidded container.

My Family Kitchen review

I love a new cookbook and when I was sent My Family Kitchen by Sophie Thompson recently I knew it would be a great addition to my kitchen shelf.

If you watched Celebrity Masterchef in 2014, you might remember Sophie Thompson was the winner. You might also remember her as an actress from film and TV if you didn’t see catch it.

The book is a collection of recipes from four generations of Sophie’s family, as well as recipes from her friends and neighbours.

My Family Kitchen is published by Faber & Faber. Order it here.

Recipe above for Cheeky Sweet and Sour Pork reproduced from My Family Kitchen by Sophie Thompson with the permission of the publisher. Note that I adapted the method from the book and am giving my slow cooker adaptation for the method.