Sweet and Sour Pork

I also like sweet and sour stir fry because you can use just about whatever is at hand, in truly typical Thai fashion. Some kind of meat and onions are about the only real requirements. You can add any other vegetables you may have, such as baby corn, long beans, bell peppers and of course pineapple makes an occasional appearance as well. If you like a bit more sauce, which goes well with rice, you can try adding some Thai style chili sauce or even ketchup with some ground chili. Even the sauce can be improvised using whatever is at hand, such as tomato sauce, vinegar, pineapple juice, etc.

This particular recipe, which I’ve translated from a Thai cookbook, is somewhat unusual in that it calls for shiitake mushrooms, as well as a lot of vegetables. Although I haven’t tried it, I believe that if you left out the meat entirely, this would make a good vegetarian dish. You can use soy sauce in place of fish sauce.

Ingredients

Preparation Method

• Heat some oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic until it is fragrant. Add the pork and stir-fry until cooked through.
• Season with the fish sauce, sugar and vinegar. Then add the mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and banana chillies.
• Check the seasoning and add more vinegar if the dish is not sour enough.
• Stir the tapioca flour into the three tablespoons of water, then add to the stir-fry along with the prawns, if desired. Remove from heat as soon as the prawns are cooked and the sauce thickens. Sprinkle the chopped coriander over the stir fry.

Two kinds of cucumbers on sale in a Thai market.

At least two types of cucumbers are typically found in Thai markets. The only real difference is size. The most commonly called for is a smaller variety that in the west might best be called a gherkin and used for pickling. It’s called taeng gwah, while a larger but otherwise similar looking variety is called taeng rahn. Both varieties can be used whenever cucumbers are called for in Thai recipes. When the smaller taeng gwah is listed, you will need to adjust the amount if using a larger cucumber.

Cucumbers actually come in an amazing variety, especially in tropical climates like Thailand where there are many wild varieties to mix with. The cucumber is part of a large family of plants that also includes squash, melons and pumpkins. You will often find the entire ‘family’ at stalls in the market.

We came across just such an array while traveling through the mountain-side farms where much of Chiang Mai’s produce is grown. The hill tribe Meo farmers had set up road-side stall to sell some of their vegetables directly to passers by. A truckload of rag-tag performers from some village’s cultural show was also stopped at the stall, which was mainly tended by an aged woman who nonetheless had a baby strapped to her back. The old lady’s face was deeply lined from years in the sun. On sale was an amazing variety of cucumbers, gourds and squashes, as well as some steamed corn and long beans. We bought some of the corn, which was sweet and easily separated from the cob.

Cucumbers appear to have originated in India about 3,000 years ago. From there, they spread through the ancient trade routes, and probably appeared in Europe around Greek or Roman times.

Cucumbers are highly nutritious, although most of the food value is in the skin. The mix of nutrients makes it useful in treating and preventing many gastric problems. Sliced or grated cucumbers have long been used as a skin and beauty treatment.