A classic dish on Chinese menus in the UK, this Hong Kong- or Cantonese-style recipe serves the mock meat in fried battered pieces, coated in the sticky jammy sauce. You can use the fragrant satay chicken skewers instead of canned gluten for the mock meat in this dish or the Vietnamese vegan ‘chicken ham’ for a gluten-free alternative. I also swap out the sugar for agave syrup sometimes. This super quick recipe can be ready in 15 minutes and makes a great midweek supper.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or sesame oil, plus extra for frying
- 10-oz (2 x 280-g) cans fried gluten mock pork, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup (60 g) potato starch, or cornflour/cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 4 tablespoons vegan ‘egg’ substitute, such as flax egg or Orgran
- 1 small red onion, cut into large chunks
- ½ red (bell) pepper, peeled, deseeded and cut into large chunks
- ½ green (bell) pepper, peeled, deseeded and cut into large chunks
- 5-oz (1 x 140-g) can pineapple pieces in juice (reserve the juice for the sauce)
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon tomato purée/paste
- 1 tablespoon Hendersons relish or vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 3 teaspoons potato starch, or cornflour/cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons agave syrup
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) pineapple juice (leftover from the can, see left)
How to Make It
- Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a small pan and whisk well. Place on a medium heat and bring to a simmer, whisking regularly to ensure a smooth sauce. Once the sauce is simmering, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Heat the oil for frying in a small wok over a medium-high heat to approximately 180˚C/350˚F (to test the temperature, drop a small crumb of bread into the oil; if it sizzles and floats without burning, the oil is ready to use). Pat the mock pork dry and chop into bite-sized pieces. Put the pieces in a small bowl and add the potato starch or cornflour/ cornstarch, white pepper and 1 teaspoon of the salt and mix well. Put the vegan ‘egg’ substitute in another small bowl. Lift the pieces from the flour and dip in the ‘egg’ substitute. Dip into the flour again. Repeat the process to get a nice chewy coating on the ‘pork’ pieces. Place on some greaseproof paper. Fry the pieces in batches, for about 5–6 minutes, until the pieces float and the batter is crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- In a large wok or frying pan/skillet, add the tablespoon of vegetable or sesame oil and put over a high heat. When the pan is hot, add the onion and (bell) peppers and stir-fry for several minutes. Add the pineapple and the sauce. Bring to a simmer, then add the fried mock pork and season with the remaining salt, to taste. Mix well to ensure everything is well coated and then simmer for a few minutes until the fried pieces start to soften and become chewier. Serve with steamed rice.
