China · Meat Dishes · Spicy
Sweet and Sour Pork
A Cantonese classic — crispy cornstarch-coated pork pieces stir-fried with bell pepper, onion, carrot, and optional pineapple in a glossy tangy-sweet sauce of vinegar, ketchup, sugar, and soy sauce. The secret is high heat, small batches, and not overcrowding the wok.
65 min 480 kcal 4 serves Advanced🌶️Spicy🇨🇳China★★★★☆4.4· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 500 gpork tenderloin or loin, cut into 3x3 cm pieces
- 1 egg
- 2 tbspsoy sauce
- 1 tbspShaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 tbspcornstarch
- ½ tspsalt
- ¼ tspwhite pepper
- cornstarch for coating
- 500 mlvegetable oil for deep frying
- 4 tbspsugar
- 3 tbsprice vinegar
- 2 tbspketchup
- 1 tbspsoy sauce
- ½ cupchicken broth or water
- 1 tbspcornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 onion, cut into large chunks
- 1 carrot
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tspfresh ginger
- ½ cupcanned pineapple chunks
- 1 tspsesame oil
- scallion for garnish
Method
- Slice pork across the grain into 1 cm strips, then cut into 3x3 cm pieces. Mix with egg, soy sauce, rice wine, cornstarch, salt, and white pepper. Marinate 20–30 minutes at room temperature.
- Mix sauce: combine sugar, rice vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, and chicken broth. In a separate bowl dissolve cornstarch in water. Set both aside.
- Heat oil in a wok or deep pan to 180°C. Coat marinated pork pieces in dry cornstarch, shaking off excess. Deep-fry in small batches 2–3 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
- Leave 2 tbsp oil in the wok. Over high heat quickly stir-fry garlic and ginger until fragrant (30 seconds). Add vegetables and stir-fry 2–3 minutes keeping them crisp.
- Pour in the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir to thicken. Add the fried pork and pineapple if using. Toss quickly so every piece is coated.
- Add sesame oil if desired. Serve immediately on a platter garnished with green onion. Serve with rice.
FAQ
Double cornstarch coating plus correct oil temperature (180°C). Cornstarch gives a thinner, crispier crust than flour. The oil must be hot enough — test with a bread cube that should brown quickly. And do not overcrowd the wok — otherwise the temperature drops and the pork steams instead of frying.
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Comments (2)
糖醋肉做的挺好的。我觉得醋可以多放一点，不然太甜了。菠萝也可以加一些
The pan needs to be properly hot before the pork tenderloin goes in for sweet and sour pork. A lukewarm pan steams instead of sears. Wait until you see the faintest wisp of smoke — that's your signal.