Secret To Perfect Chinese Sweet And Sour Pork Every Time

Chinese sweet and sour pork. Glossy sweet and sour glaze coating tender pork bites is the highlight of this recipe. It brings in flavors from the classic sweet and sour sauce: soy sauce, ketchup or tomato sauce, rice vinegar and sugar, as well as from the marinade. It’s perfect over noodles and rice, or as a crispy starter. Crispy, glossy, and ridiculously good!

Why I Love This Rainbow In A Wok

The gorgeous crispy, saucy dishes of classic Cantonese cuisine are an art in their own right: the balance of flavors, textures, and visual appeal makes them popular. It’s a celebration of contrast - crisp and tender pork, and tanginess and mellow sweetness of the sauce. Early versions of these sweet and sour dishes often used vinegar and preserved fruits to create a lively contrast. However, ingredients like bell peppers (capsicum), pineapple, and ketchup (tomato sauce) became essential culinary adaptations shaped by local tastes.

While the pork is marinated and deep fried twice, the vegetables and pineapple add crunch, color, and freshness. The flavor profile of the sauce featuring the glossy blend of vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup or tomato sauce, and sugar steals the show. Balance the flavors to create the perfect sweet vs sour contrasting deliciousness. What makes this dish more than just dinner for you? Your favorite Friday night takeaway, quintessential for family dinners, or the comfort of something familiar and delicious?

Key Ingredients In Chinese Sweet And Sour Pork

• Pork - Pork butt or pork scotch fillet.
• Sweet and sour sauce - Soy sauce, ketchup (tomato sauce), rice vinegar and brown sugar.
• Vegetables - Onion, red and green bell peppers (capsicum).
• Pineapple - Brings acidity and sweetness that complements the sauce.

How To Make Chinese Sweet And Sour Pork

Prep, marinate and fry pork -  Slice pork into cubes. Marinate with rice vinegar, salt, ground white pepper, egg and a little cornstarch (corn flour). Drop them into hot oil, and double fry for that special crunch.

Prep sauce - Simply combine together all the ingredients to make the sauce. You can make this ahead, and store in the refrigerator.

Stir fry - Start with stir frying the veggies, and add in the sweet pineapple.  Now, pour in the magic sauce, and let it bubble in the pan. You can thicken the sauce with cornstarch (corn flour) slurry. Toss pork in the glossy sauce. Crispy, tangy, and sweet, this is why I love this dish.

Secret To Crispy Sweet And Sour Pork Every Time

Crispy, tangy and irresistibly glossy. Discover why this recipe is my all-time favorite. Learn the secrets to perfect crunch, bold flavor, and a dish that beats takeaway every time.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Author :Nish Kitchen

Servings 4

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

MetricUS Customary

Marinate pork:

• ▢ 800 g pork butt (pork scotch fillet), cut into 2 cm cubes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
• ▢ Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

Fry pork:

• ▢ Oil, for deep frying

Cornstarch (corn flour) slurry:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water

Make the stir fry:

• ▢ Sweet and sour sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons veg oil
• ▢ 1 medium onion, sliced
• ▢ 1 small red bell pepper (capsicum), cut into 1 inch pieces
• ▢ 1 small green bell pepper (capsicum), cut into 1 inch pieces
• ▢ 1 cup canned pineapple chunks

Instructions

Marinate and fry pork:

• Place pork in a medium bowl. Season with rice vinegar, salt and white pepper. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
• Add egg and cornstarch (corn flour). Toss to coat pork cubes.
• Heat oil for deep frying in a large heavy bottomed pan or deep fryer. Fry pork, in batches, for about 10 minutes or until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
• Add fried pork cubes to oil and fry again for another 2 minutes or until evenly browned.

Make slurry:

• Combine together cornstarch (corn flour) and water in a bowl.

Make stir fry:

• Prepare sweet and sour sauce.
• Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add onions and bell peppers (capsicum). Cook, stirring, until crisp yet tender, about 3 minutes.
• Add pineapple. Stir fry for about a minute.
• Add sweet and sour sauce. Stir fry for about 2 minutes.
• Add cornstarch (corn flour) slurry. Stir fry for about 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
• Stir in fried pork. Stir fry for 1 minute.
• Serve immediately with rice, fried rice, noodles or cauliflower rice.

Video

Notes

• Serving - Toss fried pork with sauce just before serving.
• Make it gluten free - Make sure cornstarch (corn flour) is gluten free. Substitute regular soy sauce with tamari or gluten free soy sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 36kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 15mg | Sugar: 0.04g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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