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    Home > Asian

    Sweet and Sour Pork

    Published: Feb 8, 2021 · Modified: Mar 22, 2021 by Nicky Corbishley

    Go to Recipe Go to Video Print Recipe

    Crispy coated pork smothered in a tangy sweet and sour sauce and served up with pineapple, crunchy onions and peppers.
    Sweet and sour pork is a takeaway classic you can easily make at home!

    Close up of sweet and sour pork in a wok with peppers, onion and pineapple

    Jump to:
    • To tenderize or not to tenderize?
    • 📋 What do we need?
    • 🔪 How to make this sweet and sour pork recipe
    • 🍲 Love a fakeaway? Try one of these recipes
    • 📺 Watch how to make it
    • 🍽️ Love pork?
    • Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    You guys seem to be loving the Chinese inspired dishes we've been doing lately, so I'm trying to make it a priority to share as many recipes with you as I can!

    This sweet and sour pork stir fry is very similar to my sweet and sour chicken (why change something that works!), it's really only that we're using pork instead.

    We're of course going Hong Kong style - which means the pork is chopped into bite-sized pieces, dredged in a flavourful coating then fried to crisp perfection, before being coated in that sweet and sour sauce.

    Pork is a little bit tougher than chicken, so if you still want that juicy, tender texture, it's worth considering if you want to tenderize the pork beforehand.

    To tenderize or not to tenderize?

    Pork is tougher than chicken - fact.

    I don't mind the slightly chewier texture of pork, but if you want it more tender, you can tenderize the pork beforehand.

    To do this you can:

    • Use a meat tenderizer (looks like a mallet with sharp points). Place pork steaks on a board and whack them a few times. This helps to break down the muscle fibres, making for more tender meat. Once tenderized, slice or chop the meat ready for coating.
    • Sprinkle 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda evenly over 500g (1.1lb) of sliced/chopped pork. Rub it in with your hands and leave for 15 minutes.Rinse the pork in a colander and pat dry thoroughly with kitchen paper. Now it's ready for coating.

    📋 What do we need?

    Ingredients for sweet and sour pork on a wooden table
    • Pork - Pork has a tendency to be more chewy than chicken when it's fried quickly, so it's best to go for a good quality cut that is quite tender and not too fatty. If you dislike any chewiness, then you can tenderize the pork beforehand (see notes above).
      • I like to use pork shoulder steaks from the butchers. 
      • Pork loin or fillet are also fine, but they have less fat and so they can be a little bit drier.
    • Ketchup - yes we're using ketchup and a fair amount of it. It's not usually an ingredient I would use a lot of, but it works really well for the seasoned tangy-sweet flavour.
    • Tinned pineapple IN JUICE - yes you can use fresh if you prefer - however I like using the tinned pineapple as it's ready chopped, and it comes in juice (the juice is also added to the sauce). If you use fresh pineapple, you'll want to get some pineapple juice too, to add in to the sauce.

    🔪 How to make this sweet and sour pork recipe

    ***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***

    • Dredge the pork in cornflour, then coat in lightly whisked egg, then dredge in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, garlic salt and paprika.
    • Fry the pork until crisp and cooked through, then put to one side.
    4 image collage showing how to make crispy pork for sweet and sour pork
    • Fry the onions, peppers, garlic and ginger, then add in the sauce ingredients (ketchup, vinegar, sugar and tinned pineapple - including juice).
    • Bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes, until thickened. Add the pork back in and toss together, then serve.
    6 image collage showing how to make sweet and sour pork

    👩‍🍳PRO TIP Don't let the crispy pork sit in the sauce for too long before serving - otherwise it will lose its crispness.

    Serve with Boiled rice or Egg Fried Rice and top with a few spring onions (scallions) if you like!

    White oval bowl filled with sweet and sour pork. Rice and spring onions also on the table.

    So what do you prefer? - Sweet and sour chicken, this pork version, or that easy sweet and sour turkey made from Xmas leftovers?

    Overhead of sweet and sour pork in a wok on a blue surface

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    📺 Watch how to make it

    YouTube video

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    🍽️ Love pork?

    I've got lots of porky recipes! Here are some of my favourites:

    • Spicy Pork Ramen in a white bowl
      Spicy Pork Ramen Noodle Soup
    • slow cooked pork ragu in a white bowl with pasta and garlic bread
      Rich and Tender Pork Ragu
    • Close up image of bowl of Chinese sticky pork belly pieces. A piece is being taken from the bowl using a pair of chopsticks.
      Sticky Chinese Pork Belly
    • Overhead image of creamy pork and apple casserole in a blue casserole dish
      Creamy Pork and Apple Casserole with Cider
    • Square side-on image of toasted brioche roll filled with sticky pork belly strips and pickled carrot, red onion and cucumber strips. Topped with jalapeno slices. Served on a wooden board.
      Sticky Belly Pork Burger with Quick Pickled Vegetables
    • My favourite recipe for Crispy Pork Gyros with Homemade Tzatziki and how to get that perfect crispy-on-the-outside and tender-on-the-inside meat!
      Crispy Pork Gyros
    • Overhead of roast pork with crackling on a tray with roast potatoes and broccoli
      Roast Pork with Crackling
    • Gua Bao pork belly buns on a wooden board with another one in the background
      Gua Bao (Pork Belly Bao Buns)
    sweet and sour pork with peppers in a wok

    Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe

    By: Nicky Corbishley
    Crispy coated pork smothered in a tangy sweet and sour sauce and served up with pineapple, crunchy onions and peppers. A takeaway classic!
    5 from 5 votes
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 680 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 5 tbsp vegetable oil
    • 3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
    • 2 eggs lightly beaten
    • 90 g (¾ cup) plain (all purpose) flour
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • ½ tsp garlic salt
    • 2 tsp paprika
    • 500 g (1.1lb) pork shoulder steak - chopped into bite-size chunks

    Sauce:

    • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
    • 1 large onion - - peeled and chopped into large chunks
    • 1 red bell pepper - - chopped into 1 inch pieces
    • 1 green bell pepper - - chopped into 1 inch pieces
    • 2 cloves of garlic - , peeled and minced
    • 1 tsp minced ginger
    • 150 ml (½ cup + 2 tbsp) tomato ketchup
    • 2 tbsp malt vinegar
    • 6 tbsp soft brown muscovado sugar - (you can use light or dark brown sugar)
    • 435 g (15oz) tinned pineapple chunks in juice

    To Serve:

    • Boiled or fried rice

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Heat the 5tbsp of oil in a wok or large frying pan until very hot.
    • Whilst the oil is heating, add the 3tbsp of cornflour (cornstarch) into a shallow bowl. Add the 2 eggs to a second bowl and lightly whisk them.
    • To a third bowl, add the 90g (¾ cup) of flour, the ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, ½ tsp garlic salt and the 2 tsp paprika and mix together.
    • Dredge the pork in the cornflour, then dip in the egg (make sure all of the pork is covered in egg wash), and finally dredge it in the seasoned flour.
    • Working in one or two batches (depending on the size of your pan - there needs to be space in between each piece of pork), add the pork to the pan/wok and cook on a high heat for 6-7 minutes, turning two or three times during cooking, until well browned and cooked through. Remove from the pan and place in a bowl lined with kitchen towels.
    • Now start on your sauce.
    • Add the 1 tbsp of oil to the pan (you can use the same pan you fried the pork in) and heat it up on a medium-to-high heat.
    • Add in the chopped onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the onions start to go translucent.
    • Add the chopped red and green peppers and cook for a further minute.
    • Add in the 2 cloves of minced garlic and the tsp of minced ginger, and cook for another minute.
    • Add the 150ml (½ cup + 2 tbsp) tomato ketchup, 2 tbsp vinegar, 6tbsp brown sugar, and the tinned pineapple (including the juice) and stir.
    • Bring to the boil, and then turn down the heat and let it bubble (stirring every so often until slightly thickened.
    • Transfer the cooked crispy pork to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat.
    • Serve with boiled or fried rice.

    Video

    YouTube video

    ✎ Notes

    Can I make it ahead?
    I don't recommend making this recipe ahead, as the coating on the pork will lose the crispness.
    If you wanted to do some work in advance, earlier in the day you could:
    • Prepare the 3 bowls for the pork coating (cover them all, and refrigerate the one with the eggs in).
    • Chop the pork (cover and refrigerate)
    • Chop the vegetables (cover)
    • Mix together the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and pineapple in a jug, - ready for the sauce (you can't add the garlic and ginger at this point, as it needs to be fried for a minute before the rest of the sauce ingredients are added). Cover the sauce.
    Best cut of pork to use for sweet and sour
    Pork has a tendency to be more chewy than chicken when it's fried quickly, so it's best to go for a good quality cut that is quite tender and not too fatty.
    • I like to use pork shoulder steaks from the butchers. 
    • Pork loin or fillet are also fine, but they have less fat and so they can be a little bit drier.
    I don't mind the slightly chewier texture of pork, but if you want it more tender, you can tenderize the pork beforehand.
    To do this you can:
    Tenderize the pork (optional)
    • Use a meat tenderizer (looks like a mallet with sharp points). Place pork steaks on a board and whack them a few times. This helps to break down the muscle fibres, making for more tender meat. Once tenderized, slice or chop the meat ready for coating.
    • Sprinkle 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda evenly over 500g (1.1lb) of sliced/chopped pork. Rub it in with your hands and leave for 15 minutes.
      Rinse the pork in a colander and pat dry thoroughly with kitchen paper. Now it's ready for coating.
    Nutritional Information is per serving (this recipe serves 4) NOT including rice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 680kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 35gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 164mgSodium: 1026mgPotassium: 996mgFiber: 4gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 1974IUVitamin C: 76mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 3mg
    Keywords Fakeaway, Takeaway food at home
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Andrea Clark says

      September 08, 2023 at 8:29 am

      5 stars
      Amazing my boys had seconds

      Reply
    2. Kim from Melbourne says

      October 29, 2022 at 8:20 am

      Love the look and sound of this, since the pork is not deep fried first, though the amount if tomato ketchup is abit iffy. Will probably make my own ketchup.

      Reply
    3. Kim says

      September 23, 2022 at 5:32 pm

      5 stars
      Flippin lush…..

      Reply
    4. Ride TheCurve says

      June 19, 2022 at 7:00 pm

      If you have fresh pineapple juice on hand, it makes a great marinating tenderizer for the pork. I still prefer canned pineapple chunks for the recipe, with red, orange, and yellow bell pepper chunks, some green scallion, and brown sugar in place of white sugar.
      Also, rice vinegar has a great Asian flavor instead of regular white vinegar, if you have it on hand. Double-fry your pork for extra crispiness if you don't care for batter coatings.

      Reply
    5. Ann Kuhn says

      April 11, 2022 at 11:17 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for dinner tonight. I made it just like the recipe but left out the vinegar. I didn't think it needed it. It was soooo good. My Husband loved it. I served it over white rice. We will have leftovers tomorrow. This recipe is a keeper. Thank You for sharing this recipe.

      Reply
    6. Sue Davies says

      January 24, 2022 at 9:09 pm

      Really yummy. Made half the recipe for the pork as only 2 of us but made extra sauce as it was delicious!

      Reply
    7. Richard Sloan says

      February 11, 2021 at 7:09 pm

      5 stars
      Better than the takeaway

      Reply
    8. Kath says

      February 09, 2021 at 8:59 am

      5 stars
      We love your sweet and sour chicken, so I know we are going to love this. Ordered some pork shoulder ready to make this on Friday, so looking forward to this😋

      Reply

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    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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