Sweet and Sour Pork: The Real Cantonese Version

Marinate the pork in soy sauce and Shaoxing wine for 15 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels -- the drier the surface, the crisper the batter.

Make the batter: combine the cornstarch, flour, and egg. Add water gradually until you have a thick batter that coats the back of a spoon. Toss the pork pieces in the batter until fully coated.

Mix the sauce: combine the plum sauce, black vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch slurry in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat the oil to 170 degrees C. Fry the pork pieces in batches for 4-5 minutes until cooked through and pale gold. Remove and drain on a rack. Let the oil return to temperature between batches.

Raise the oil temperature to 190 degrees C. Return all the pork to the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes until deeply golden and very crisp. Drain on a rack.

Pour off most of the oil, leaving about 15ml. Over high heat, stir-fry the peppers for 90 seconds until slightly charred at the edges. Add the pineapple and toss briefly.

Add the sauce and bring to a boil, stirring until it thickens -- about 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add the fried pork and toss quickly to coat. Serve immediately -- the batter softens fast.