Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (2024)

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Written by Lei Updated on March 15, 2024

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Sweet and sour pork is a well-known Chinese dish loved for its sweet and tangy flavors. There are lots of ways to make it.

This recipe stands out from your typical takeout version as it offers a truly authentic taste of local Chinese cuisine.

Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe

  • 🥢 About This Recipe
  • 🔪 How do you cook this sweet and sour pork?
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 📝 Recipe notes
  • 🔍 FAQ

🥢 About This Recipe

What’s so special about this recipe? Well, it comes from my mom’s hometown, QuanZhou and it’s prepared in a truly authentic local style. My mom takes great pride in it and taught me how to make it.

It includes five-spice powder and involves deep frying method. The pork undergoes marination directly in the sweet and sour sauce before being coated with batter and deep-fried to perfection.

This dish is great for making in large batches, especially during New Year’s when everyone’s busy visiting family.

You can keep it in the fridge for several days, using it for stir-fries with veggies or just reheating it when you want a quick meal.

🔪 How do you cook this sweet and sour pork?

  1. Marinating: Marinate the pork pieces in a sauce made of Chinese dark vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, and five-spice powder to create a unique burst of flavor on each bite.
  2. Coating: coat the marinated pork with the mixture of cornstarch and flour.
  3. Deep frying: Deep fry the pork until crispy. Or double deep frying for extra crispiness.
  4. Stir-frying with any vegetables you like. (optional)

🥘 Ingredients

  • Pork: Pork scotch is a great option because it retains its moisture when deep-fried due to its natural fat content. If you don’t want so much fat in your dish, simply use pork tenderloin.
  • Soy sauce: Use quality soy sauce. Recommend Leekumkee soy sauce.
  • Chinese dark vinegar: Several varieties of Chinese black vinegar are available on the market, which vary in color and flavor. We usually use the yellow label one called ZhenJiang vinegar.You can use balsamic vinegar to replace Chinese dark vinegar.
  • Five Spice Powder: It packs a punch with its strong flavor, so remember that a little can go a long way. However, feel free to adjust the amount to suit your taste preferences.

📝 Recipe notes

  • Marinade Sauce: Maintain a 2:1:1 ratio of vinegar to soy sauce to sugar for the sauce to achieve a well-balanced flavor.
  • Batter Ratio: Use a 2:1 ratio of cornstarch to flour in the batter. You can increase the flour ratio for more crunchiness.
  • Batter Consistency: Ensure the batter isn’t too watery by removing excess marinade sauce before adding cornstarch and flour.
  • Texture Tip: For stir-frying purposes, consider using cornstarch or sweet potato (Kumara) powder to attain a silky texture, and you can skip using flour in the batter.
  • Flavor Combinations: Try stir-frying with tomatoes and baby leeks for a delicious flavor combination.
  • Batch Cooking: This recipe is perfect for batch cooking and freezing in small portions.

🔍 FAQ

Q: What is the difference between this recipe and the usual sweet and sour pork?

A: For the usual sweet and sour pork, the pork pieces are deep fried and then coated in the sweet and sour sauce. In this recipe, the pork is marinated directly in the sweet, sour sauce and five-spice powder and then coated with batter and deep-fried. You can taste the tangy and sweet flavor throughout the entire bite. You won’t be disappointed!

Q: How do you serve this sweet and sour pork?

A: It is a really versatile dish. It is perfect as an appetizer, the main course, or as a snack. It can be used in a stir fry with vegetables, as the topping on noodle soup, or as one of the ingredients in hot and sour soup.

Other Chinese pork recipes to try:

Pork belly slices

Pork chop noodles

Sweet and sour pork ribs

Now that you’ve got these tips and insights for this Chinese sweet and sour pork recipe, it’s time to head to the kitchen, and whip up your mouthwatering dish.

Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (7)

Chinese Sweet And Sour Pork Recipe

Learn how to make an authentic Chinese sweet and sour pork recipe at home, perfect for batch cooking. Even better than takeout!

Author: Lei

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: Chinese

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 500 g pork scotch (cut into 1cm thick pieces)
  • 2 tablespoon Chinese dark vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon five spice powder
  • 2 tablespoon rice wine
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoon flour
  • 1 L oil (for deep frying)

Instructions

  • Marinating: Mix Pork pieces, Chinese dark vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, five spice powder and rice wine in a container and marinate overnight in the fridge.

  • Coating: Mix in the cornstarch and flour. (drain out half of the marinade sauce if you want the crispy coating)

  • Deep frying: Pour oil into a large saucepan or small pot. Heat until pork immediately starts sizzling when you dip it in. Cook until the pork pieces are deep golden brown.

Recipe Notes:

  • Pork: Pork scotch is a great option because it retains its moisture when deep-fried due to its natural fat content. If you don’t want so much fat in your dish, simply use pork tenderloin.
  • Soy sauce: Use quality soy sauce. Recommend Leekumkee soy sauce.
  • Chinese dark vinegar: Several varieties of Chinese black vinegar are available on the market, which vary in color and flavor. We usually use the yellow label one called ZhenJiang vinegar.You can use balsamic vinegar to replace Chinese dark vinegar.
  • Five Spice Powder: It packs a punch with its strong flavor, so remember that a little can go a long way. However, feel free to adjust the amount to suit your taste preferences.
  • Batter Consistency: Ensure the batter isn’t too watery by removing excess marinade sauce before adding cornstarch and flour.
  • Batter Ratio: Use a 2:1 ratio of cornstarch to flour in the batter. You can increase the flour ratio for more crunchiness.
  • Texture Tip: For stir-frying purposes, consider using cornstarch or sweet potato (Kumara) powder to attain a silky texture, and you can skip using flour in the batter.
  • Flavor Combinations: Try stir-frying with tomatoes and baby leeks for a delicious flavor combination.
  • Batch Cooking: This recipe is perfect for batch cooking and freezing in small portions.
  • Marinade Sauce: Maintain a 2:1:1 ratio of vinegar to soy sauce to sugar for the sauce to achieve a well-balanced flavor.

    Nutrition Information:

    Calories: 4702kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 56gFat: 491gSaturated Fat: 41gPolyunsaturated Fat: 135gMonounsaturated Fat: 307gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 168mgSodium: 625mgPotassium: 990mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 16IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 3mg

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    One Comment

    1. Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (15)

      Pamela Vellis

      November 26, 2022 at 2:06 am ·Reply

      Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (16)
      Your recipes are easy to follow especially the sweet and sour pork. I am going to attempt making it. Thank you.

    Leave a Comment

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    FAQs

    What is Chinese sweet and sour sauce made of? ›

    In a medium saucepan, combine pineapple juice, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

    What is the difference between Chinese and Korean sweet and sour pork? ›

    If you're a big fan of Chinese sweet and sour pork, then you will love this Korean version! The main difference is the sweet and sour sauce is much lighter in color and the pork is usually served on the side to retain its crispiness.

    How do Chinese tenderize pork? ›

    How do you tenderise pork for stir fry? Velveting is a Chinese technique that helps keep meat tender during stir frying. Adding cornstarch and bicarb to your meat during the marinating process helps to coat your meat, giving it a velvety feel that makes the meat feel extra soft.

    Is sweet and sour pork authentic Chinese food? ›

    Sweet and sour pork is a Chinese dish particularly popular in Westernised Cantonese cuisine and may be found worldwide. Several provinces in China produce various dishes that claim to be the ancestor, including a traditional Jiangsu dish called “pork in a sugar and vinegar sauce” (糖醋里脊; pinyin: táng cù lǐjǐ).

    What is a fun fact about sweet and sour pork? ›

    However, it is believed that the sweet and sour pork dish was originally made with ribs rather than sliced pork. After eating the dish, these foreigners enjoyed it but didn't like the bones, so they modified the recipe, and chefs ditched the ribs and replaced it with a well-marbled pork shoulder.

    Is sweet and sour Chinese healthy? ›

    Worst: Sweet and Sour Pork

    It typically serves up 16 teaspoons of sugar, about the same amount in 3 chocolate bars. If that isn't bad enough, the syrupy sauce coats chunks of deep-fried pork. Even if you split this entree with someone, you're still likely to get more than 800 calories and 48 grams of fat.

    What is another name for sweet and sour pork? ›

    Sweet and sour pork (咕噜肉) sits among some of the most well-known Chinese dishes outside of China. It's widely believed to be a Cantonese dish, known colloquially as gú lóuh yuhk, which roughly translates to “ancient pork.”

    Is sweet and sour Hong Kong style the same as Cantonese style? ›

    Knowing a bit more. Cantonese or Hong Kong Style? Our sweet and sour dishes are either 'Cantonese style' (which is the same as 'Hong Kong Style') or Sweet and Sour 'Balls' (thick battered). Our Cantonese style is cooked with the sauce, onions, peppers and pineapple.

    Why do Chinese boil pork before cooking? ›

    The idea is that by boiling the fatty pork belly, it not only renders out some of the fat, it also tenderizes the meat. Because the boiling time is so short it's debatable how tender it makes the meat, but what it does do is prime the fat for high-heat cooking.

    How do Chinese make their meat so tender? ›

    While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. You may also include two to three tablespoons of water. For beef, add a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda for tenderizing. Additional seasonings are optional and vary from recipe to recipe.

    What is sweet pork made of? ›

    There are a few sweet pork recipes out there but I've found the best one to be this near-perfect imitation of Cafe Rio's sweet pork. The key ingredients are (besides pork, of course) Coca-Cola, brown sugar, chilis, enchilada sauce, and spices. Accept no substitutions!

    What are the allergens in sweet and sour pork? ›

    Sweet & Sour Pork Cantonese

    ALLERGY Advice: This dish contains: Cereals Containing Gluten (wheat, rye, spelt, oats, kamut) Eggs Milk Sesame Sulphites & sulphur Dioxide (e.g. preservative food found in some dried fruit and wines) ..

    Why is sweet and sour pork so red? ›

    How do you make sweet and sour pork red? Restaurants often put a drop of red food coloring to brighten up the color of the dish. You can add this when mixing the sauce. If you don't mind a more natural color, the sauce will get its color from the ketchup and brown sugar.

    What is Chinese sweet and sour chicken made of? ›

    Sweet and sour chicken, one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes, is made of puffy, golden brown pieces of fried chicken nuggets with pineapple chunks, onion, bell pepper, carrot, and a side of iconic red, sweet and sour sauce.

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