Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork

We love Chinese food. And, living in the South, good Chinese food (like good Mexican food) is hard to come by. Don’t get me wrong, there’s good food here; the South isn’t known for awesome food for nothing. The ethnic scope of it is just limited.

I wouldn’t say Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork is Chinese so much as it is “Asian-Inspired.” I got this recipe from Cooking Light a few years ago and it’s been a staple at our house ever since. And just so you know, Cooking Light doesn’t mean Cooking Gross. I would say that some of the best recipes that I have come from Cooking Light. It’s more like Cooking Lighter.

Ingredients Needed

This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.

Stir Fry

Pork – Pork tenderloin, pork loin, or pork chops will all work. They key is slicing the pork nice and thin. to get your pork super thin, you’ll need to partially freeze it. When it’s semi-frozen (or mostly-frozen), you can either cut it very thinly with a sharp knife or pop it into your food processor fitted with the slicing blade. It’s like magic.
Cooking sherry – You can find this by the condiments in your grocery store. It’s basically a very salty wine that is unfit for drinking and designed for cooking, so you don’t need to be 21 to buy it. In this recipe it helps keep the pork tender due to its acidity, but also adds a subtle depth of flavor to the finished dish. If you’d like a non alcoholic sub, I would recommend chicken broth with a splash of apple cider vinegar and a pinch of sugar. You can also sub apple juice in a pinch, but it won’t behave exactly the same.
Cornstarch – The sliced meat gets marinated in a mixture of cooking sherry and cornstarch. The cornstarch also helps the pork stay tender. It creates a nice brown crust and helps the sauce coat the meat.
Onions
Fresh ginger
Fresh garlic
Snow peas – These are the large, flat peas you find in Asian stir-fry dishes. Feel free to sub snap peas if you’d like. Little baby snow peas are very tender and don’t need to be trimmed, but you’ll probably have some bigger ones in there. Just snap the corners off and then tug a little to get the tough string that goes along the side of the snow pea.
Pineapple – Canned pineapple works great here, but feel free to use fresh if you have it.
Cashews – You’ll just need a handful of cashews. Those little snack bags of nuts you often find in the checkout line in the grocery store are perfect.
Hot rice – For serving
Green onions – For garnish, if desired.

Sauce

Cornstarch
Water
Granulated sugar
Cider vinegar
Soy sauce
Ketchup

How to Make Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork

Get everything ready that you’re going to need because this goes fast! You’ll start by thin-slicing some pork. Popping it in the freezer for a few minutes will make this easier and you can even use your food processor.
You’ll mix up a quick sauce of cornstarch, water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and ketchup and set that aside. Get all your veggies chopped and ready.
You’ll cook up the meat, add the veggies, add the sauce, and garnish with cashews and green onions. Serve over hot rice.

Storing and Other Tips

Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
Store nuts separately to prevent them from going soft.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different protein here?

Sure! Sirloin steak or chicken breast would be great.

Can I change up the veggies?

Definitely. Colored peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, or edamame would be good additions.

Is this sweet and sour pork gluten-free?

Yes, this recipe uses corn starch as a thickener so it’s naturally gluten-free.