Sweet and Sour Rabbit

Ingredients:

  • ½ lb. lean, boneless rabbit, cut into 1" or smaller cubes
  • 1 tsp. dry sherry
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • Dash black pepper
  • Oil for frying
  • ½ c. carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 red onion, cut in 1" chunks
  • 1 each: small green, yellow and red pepper, cut into 1" cubes
  • ½ c. canned pineapple chunks, well drained

Batter

  • 1 T. beaten egg + water to make ½ c.
  • ½ c. all-purpose flour
  • ¼ c. cornstarch
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. oil (canola, corn or peanut)

Red Sauce

  • ¾ c. sugar
  • 2/3 c. water
  • 1/3 c. ketchup
  • ½ c. cider vinegar
  • 1 T. light soy sauce
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 3½ T. cornstarch + 1/3 c. water

Instructions:

Marinate rabbit in refrigerator in mixture of very dry sherry, soy sauce and McCormick’s meat marinade for 1-3 days. Stir together marinated rabbit, sherry, salt and pepper and set aside.

Combine the batter ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until they make a smooth paste. In a wok or stir-fry pan, heat 2" of oil to a temperature of 375-400E. Dip the meat into the batter to coat completely and place in the hot oil, 1 piece at a time. Fry until light golden brown, then remove with wire skimmer and drain. Transfer meat to 325F oven to keep warm (for no more than 10 minutes)

Red Sauce

Combine sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, salt and water in a 2-qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil and add vinegar. When the liquid comes back to a boil, stir in the cornstarch-and-water solution and cook until thickened.

Parboil carrots for 1 minute. Add peppers and onion and blanch for less than a minute. Don’t let the water come back to a boil or peppers will be too soft. Drain and rinse in cold water. Add pineapple, then red sauce, and add 1 tablespoon of hot oil from the deep fry pan to give the sauce a shine. Pour sauce over meat and serve immediately.