Sweet & Sour Pineapple Pork Chops

These 'Sweet & Soup Pineapple Pork Chops' are lovely served on a bed of noodles with some stir-fried veggies on the side

I know that pork features quite a lot on this blog - as I've mentioned before, the quality of our local lamb and beef is not great which is why we tend to eat a lot of pork and chicken.

Having said that, the quality of our local pork chops has not been that great recently either, so I have had to come up with clever ways to make them taste better (and more tender) than they actually are. Because as most of you know, I have an extremely fussy husband …. who just happens to love this dish – so in my book, it’s a winner !

I have not tried this sauce with chicken yet, but my guess is that it would work just as well -:


Sweet & Sour Pineapple Pork Chops

1 kg Pork Chops (around 8 chops)
Oil for frying
1 ½ cups Water
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
½ cup Tomato Sauce (Ketchup)
½ cup Vinegar (Grape or Cider)
½ cup Sugar
4 tbsp Cornflour (Cornstarch) mixed with 2 -3 tbsp cold Water
1 cup fresh Pineapple, cubed
1 large Carrot, sliced into thin ribbons (I use a potato peeler for this)
1 Green Pepper, sliced into strips (optional)

Salt & Pepper (optional)

Lightly brown the pork chops in a little oil on the stovetop. Remove and place in an ovenproof dish. Place the water, soy sauce, tomato sauce, vinegar and sugar into a saucepan & bring to the boil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Turn down the heat & slowly add the cornflour/water mix, stirring continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Continue to cook (whilst stirring) over a low heat for around 5 minutes, and add the pineapple chunks, carrot, green pepper & seasonings (if using). Now pour the sauce over the pork chops in the ovenproof dish, and bake (uncovered) at Gas Mark 5/190'C/375'F for around +- 45 minutes until done (may take less/more time depending on the thickness of your chops). Serve on a bed of noodles with some stir-fried vegetables on the side.

Pangani Village & Coastal Life

The village of Pangani, as seen after crossing the river when you first arrive

Expanding a little on my two posts last week about my recent trip to the Tanzanian coastal town/area of Pangani, I thought I'd post a few more photo's of the town and include a little more about it here.

Pangani town is situated in the North Eastern corner of Tanzania, so named because it lies at the mouth of the Pangani River - the waters of which originate on Mt. Kilimanjaro ! The town is split on both sides of the river, with older buildings, houses, a central market, shops and offices on one side and smaller dwellings, shops and farms on the other side - movement between the two sides is either by local fishing boat or ferry.

Local houses are built to stay as cool as possible. The brightly coloured clothes of the local people add to the vibrant atmosphere of the town.

The area is a large coconut farming region, producing around 50% of Tanzania's coconuts. There are coconut plantations almost everywhere you look, which adds to the tropical feel of the area.

These taxi's were waiting to cross the Pangani River by ferry - vehicles, people, bicycles, food items and livestock constantly move back & forth across the river on the ferry

Sisal, maize (corn), bananas and cassava are also grown in this area. Most people who live here practice farming of some sort, even if it is just small scale subsistence farming.

Many of the local people are also fisherman, with their own boats which they take out each day. Fish is a staple part of the diet and is eaten either fresh (cooked) or dried.

This small village/settlement lies right along the coastline ... with the Indian ocean right on it's doorstep !

Due to the year round hot, humid temperatures, local houses are designed to keep cool. Many are made from wattle and daub with thatched rooves, and during the day it is common to see people resting or sleeping outside their homes on grass mats under the shade of nearby trees. Long pieces of cloth often cover the doorways (in place of closed doors) to let in the air.

Not far from where we stayed was a small village/settlement along the beachfront (click on the photo above to enlarge and see that) and it is not uncommon to see animals on or near the beach (once I even saw a cat going for a sunset stroll !) People walk or ride their bicycles along the beach during low tide, and the odd motorbike (or 'piki piki' as they are called here) often whizzes past.

The coastal people here are laid back and friendly and always make you feel welcome. Along with the tropical beauty of the area and the unspoilt beaches, it's not hard to see why some people refer to Pangani as the 'Zanzibar of the Tanzanian mainland' and it is definitely worth a visit if you are ever in this part of the world - especially if you enjoy unspoilt places which are 'off the beaten track'.

Snap Shots Of My Week At The Tanzanian Coast .......

The double storey beach house has both an upstairs and a downstairs (pictured above) veranda .... we chose to have breakfast downstairs each day.

I love the wooden shutters throughout the house .... all of these, along with the door frames are made from the wood of old dhow fishing boats ......

Lazy breakfast's (or drawn out brunches) at an old wooden table overlooking the Indian Ocean ....

Our private spot on the beach .... sunbathing in the shade of the coconut trees ..... and our favourite sundowner spot each evening, too ....

Wind whipping coconut trees with a beach-hut-come-boat-house nestled beneath ....

Lunchtime views of the ocean from the dining area of a nearby lodge .............


Where we ate fresh fish 'mishkaki' (kebabs) with a soy dipping sauce. And chips.

These tall coconut trees offered up some wonderful treats .....

Fresh coconuts .... the sweet, icy cold milk drunk right out of the shells .... and the tender flesh eaten as a late afternoon snack .....

Sea shells galore ....

And centipedes, too. (Swept off wooden floors to make way for crawling babies - yes, 8 month old son has started to crawl !)

I could tell you that these make an excellent (and protein packed) sundowner snack fried in butter until crisp .... but how would you know if I were joking, or not ?!