This recipe is adapted from a very idiosyncratic cookbook written in 1945 by Buwei Yang Chao How to Cook and Eat in Chinese.  In it the author tries to explain to Americans how to cook and eat like people in China even though Americans of the day had access to only a few distinctively Chinese ingredients.  For example, many recipes include “x slices of fresh ginger (if available)”.  In the recipe below, the only “exotic” ingredient is soy sauce, which now anyone in America can buy almost anywhere.

She calls this dish “Ancient Old Meat,” or ‘Kwulou Yuk’ in Cantonese.  Despite the name, it is made from fresh pork and is an ancestor to the sweet and sour pork beloved in Chinese-American cuisine.  The key difference is that this version is less saucy and the meat is only lightly coated in flour before being fried.  The overall effect is to be lighter.

Here is how I made it.  It was 4 servings with rice and Asian salads and took less than 30 minutes to make, nearly all of the time being preparation since the cooking took only a few minutes.  I cooked it in the deep pan in a Lodge cast iron combo-cooker.

1 lb. pork chop or pork tenderloin

4 Tbs. sugar

3 Tbs. vinegar (I used rice vinegar)

2 Tbs. cornstarch

2 Tbs. soy sauce

½ cup water

1 green (sweet) pepper

 8 oz. can pineapple chunks

4 scallions

4 Tbs. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

vegetable oil for frying

In a medium bowl mix together the sugar, vinegar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water and the juice from the can of pineapple.

Cut the pepper into 1-inch pieces.  Cut the scallions into 1-inch lengths, cutting the white parts in half length-wise.

Cut the pork chops into ¼-inch thick strips.  Mix the flour and salt together and sift it over the meat.  Turn the meat pieces over and over in the flour to coat all the surfaces.

Pour an inch of neutral oil in a deep skillet (or wok).  Heat over high heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees, at which point it will be rippling.  Cook the pork in 2 batches, for about 3 minutes each.  Cook for the first 2 minutes without touching it and then stir it and separate any pieces which are stuck together to get all the surfaces browned.  Remove the cooked pork to a plate lined with paper towels and repeat with the second batch.

When the pork is cooked, turn down the temperature to medium, pour off all the oil and wipe out the pan with paper towels.  Add the sauce mix and stir.  In the hot skillet, the sauce will quickly turn from opaque to translucent.  Add the pepper, pineapple, and scallions, and then the cooked pork.  Stir briskly to coat all the surfaces with the sauce while heating the pork, vegetables, and pineapple.  Serve immediately with steamed rice.