Sweet and sour pork is a classic Chinese dish that has gained popularity around the world for its balance of sweet and tangy flavors. There are many variations of sweet and sour pork.
This authentic Chinese recipe is my mum’s recipe from her hometown of Quan Zhou. It is a popular local dish, especially around the Chinese new year.
How to cook this sweet and sour pork?
- 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.
- Coating: coat the marinated pork with the mixture of cornstarch and flour.
- Deep frying: Deep fry the pork until crispy. Or double deep frying for extra crispiness.
- Stir-frying with any vegetables you like. (optional)
Ingredients for sweet and sour pork:
- Pork: Pork scotch is an excellent choice as the meat will stay nice and moist during deep frying. 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.
Recipe notes:
- Before adding in the cornstarch and flour, drain out some of the marinade sauce so the batter will be semi-dry.
- The ratio of vinegar to soy sauce and sugar is 2:1:1.
- This ratio of cornstarch to flour is 2:1. You can increase the flour ratio for more crunchiness.
- If it is for stir fry, use only cornstarch or sweet potato (Kumara) powder for the silky texture.
- They taste great when stir-fried with tomato and baby leeks.
- This recipe is great for batch cooking and freezing in small portions.
FAQ:
What is the difference between this recipe and the usual sweet and sour pork?
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!
How do you serve this sweet and sour pork?
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:
Sweet and sour pork
Tender pork pieces coated in a tangy sauce, creating a perfect balance of flavors in every bite. This easy-to-follow recipe will have you enjoying a satisfying homemade Chinese favorite.
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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 an excellent choice as the meat will stay nice and moist during deep frying. 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 varies in color and flavor. We usually use the yellow label one called ZhenJiang vinegar. You can use balsamic vinegar to replace Chinese dark vinegar.
- Before adding in the cornstarch and flour, drain out some of the marinade sauce so the batter will be semi-dry.
- The ratio of vinegar to soy sauce and sugar is 2:1:1.
- This ratio of cornstarch to flour is 2:1. You can increase the flour ratio for more crunchiness.
- If it is for stir fry, use only cornstarch or sweet potato (Kumara) powder for the silky texture.
- They taste great when stir-fried with tomato and baby leeks.
- This recipe is great for batch cooking and freezing in small portions.
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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Your recipes are easy to follow especially the sweet and sour pork. I am going to attempt making it. Thank you.