Sweet-and-Sour Braised Pork with Pickled Plums

Sweet-and-sour pork, a popular Chinese preparation, was long ago adopted by the Japanese kitchen. As always, this “Japanization” resulted in a dish that is quite different from the Chinese original. This sweet-and-sour pork dish is neither too sweet nor too starchy. The tartness comes from umeboshi, pickled Japanese green plums.

Umeboshi are available at Japanese food stores. For this recipe, choose plums that are large and soft.