Crockpot Sweet and Sour Pork
Pretty much every Chinese restaurant in America has sweet and sour pork on the menu. And it’s easy to see why. The combination of savory pork, juicy pineapple, bell peppers, and tangy-sweet sauce is a real tongue-pleaser.
The key turned out to be coconut sugar. Its dark, almost caramel-y flavor adds an extra richness to the sauce. Combined with rice vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, tomato paste, pepper, ginger, and chicken broth, it creates just the right balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
Once I had that figured out, all I had to do was put all the ingredients in my trusty Crockpot and let it do its thing. Set all day on low, it yields tender, juicy pork that’s popping with flavor. Served over a bed of fluffy jasmine rice with a sprinkle of green onion and sesame seeds, it’s a restaurant-quality meal with minimal work.
What is coconut sugar, anyway?
- It’s made from the sap of coconut palm trees. They tap into the tree to get the sap, then cook it down to get most of the water out – kind of the same as making maple syrup. It comes in liquid, block, and granulated form. For this recipe, you want the granulated stuff.
Is there something I can substitute for coconut sugar ?
- Light brown sugar is probably the best substitute. It doesn’t have quite the same hint of caramel to it, but it still blends well with the other flavors in the sauce.
What about the rice vinegar? Is there a substitute for that?
- Rice vinegar has a mild flavor with a hint of sweetness to it. The best replacement for it is apple cider vinegar, which has the same touch of sweetness. You can also use mild white wine vinegar, but it’s not as sweet, so add an extra teaspoon of coconut sugar to the sauce to make up the difference.
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Crockpot Sweet and Sour Pork
- Combine the coconut sugar, ½ cup of chicken broth, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, tomato paste, ginger and salt and pepper, pork, onion, bell peppers and pineapple into a crockpot. Cook on low for 7 hours.
- When the timer goes off, mix the cornstarch and the ⅓ cup of chicken broth together till the cornstarch is dissolved. Add to the crock pot and stir. Place the crockpot on high and cook for the last 30 minutes.
- Optional: top with green onions and sesame seeds.
- Serve with jasmine rice, cooked according to the package.
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Crockpot Sweet and Sour Pork
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Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 TBSP lemon juice
- 4 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
- 3 TBSP tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- pepper to taste
- 1 & 1/2 lb pound boneless pork loin cut into 1 in cubes
- 1 large onion cut into 1 in cubes
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1 in cubes
- 1 orange bell pepper cut into 1 in cubes
- 8 oz of pineapple tidbits drained
- 3 TBSP cornstarch
- 1/3 cup of chicken broth
- top with green onions and sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine the coconut sugar, ½ cup of chicken broth, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, tomato paste, ginger and salt and pepper, pork, onion, bell peppers and pineapple into a crockpot. Cook on low for 7 hours
- When the timer goes off, mix the cornstarch and the ⅓ cup of chicken broth together till the cornstarch is dissolved. Add to the crock pot and stir. Place the crockpot on high and cook for the last 30 minutes.
- Serve with jasmine rice, cooked according to the package.
- Optional: top with green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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