Chinese Sweet & Sour Pork

This recipe for Chinese Sweet & Sour Pork is a classic, traditional dish that features crunchy fried pork morsels tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce with onions, pineapple and bell pepper.

Course Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Cantonese, Chinese

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Marinating Time 4

Total Time 4 50

Servings

Calories 223kcal

Author Michelle

Ingredients

Pork:

2 lbs pork butt or pork shoulder (豬肉) cut into 1" chunks
2 tablespoon soy sauce (醬油)
½ teaspoon white pepper (胡椒粉)
1 large egg (蛋)
1 C all-purpose flour (麵粉) or as needed

For frying:

4 C peanut oil (花生油) or high smoke-point vegetable oil

Sweet and sour sauce:

½ C pickle juice (泡菜汁)
6 oz (180ml) pineapple juice (菠蘿汁) from the can of pineapple chunks
½ C ketchup (茄汁)
1 teaspoon cornstarch (鷹粟粉)
2 tablespoon brown sugar (紅糖)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (菜油)
1 C white onion (洋蔥)
1 C red bell pepper (甜椒) (or combination of orange, yellow, green bell pepper), cut into chunks
1 can pineapple chunks (菠蘿) drained, but reserve the liquid for the sauce

Instructions

Prepare the pork:

In a large bowl, place the chunks of pork along with soy sauce and white pepper.
Stir combine the pork with the seasonings.
Cover with a lid and place into the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours.
Remove the pork from the fridge and add 1 beaten egg to the diced pork.
Add enough flour (anywhere from ¾ C to 1 C or more) all-purpose flour to evenly coat the pork.
Cover and let the flour-dredged pork sit in the fridge for another hour.

Fry the pork:

Heat up a wok or large pot of oil over medium-high heat.
Once the oil temperature reaches 350°F/177C, add pieces of flour-dredged pork into the frying oil and fry it batches, about 6-7 minutes per batch, until golden brown and crisp.
Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and drain onto a baking sheet lined with paper towel.
Repeat with the remaining pork.

Make the sauce:

Combine pickle juice, pineapple juice, ketchup, cornstarch, and brown sugar in a bowl and stir well. Set aside.
In a wok over medium-high heat, add in 1 tablespoon oil and add in the white onion and bell peppers.
Sauté for 1-2 minutes, until aromatic.
Add in the pineapple chunks, along with the sauce mixture.
Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 5-7 minutes.
Add in the fried pork, and lightly toss to combine with the sauce.
Transfer to a dish and serve with steamed rice.

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