Think Chinese takeaway style Sweet and Sour Pork is too difficult to make at home? Think again! This Easy Sweet and Sour Pork is not only quick and simple to make, it’s also healthier than a standard takeaway version… and cheaper too! What’s not to like?
Pork gets the sweet and sour treatment!
It is well known that Sweet and Sour Chicken is one of the nation’s favourite takeaways… But it’s not only chicken that works well with that sweet and sour sauce – pork also works really well.
Sweet and Sour Pork is the sort of dish people order as a takeaway or in a Chinese restaurant, but think is too difficult to make at home. Not so!
This easy peasy Sweet and Sour Pork recipe is not only quick and simple to make, it’s also healthier than a standard takeaway version… and cheaper too!
How to make Homemade Sweet and Sour Pork
My homemade version of Sweet and Sour Pork really is very easy to make!
First, ‘velvetize’ the pork. (See below for what that means and why it’s really worth doing.)
Then, mix up the simple sweet and sour sauce (made from ‘normal’ ingredients found in most regular kitchens!)
Next, make the crispy pork pieces by deep-ish frying chunks of pork that have been coated in a super easy batter. (See below for what ‘deep-ish’ frying means!)
Then, fry the onions and peppers, before adding the pineapple chunks and homemade sweet and sour sauce. Simmer for a couple minutes to allow the sauce to thicken, then add the crispy chunks of pork. Turn the pork in the sauce, then turn the heat off to stop the crispy pork pieces going soggy.
Finally, garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds.
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
What does it mean to ‘velvetize’ pork?
To ‘velvetize’ pork (or indeed any meat), is a Chinese cooking technique that involves marinating raw meat in baking soda to tenderize it. This gives the pork a much more tender texture when cooked and stops the meat becoming ‘tough’ or chewy, which can sometimes happen with this kind of recipe.
It’s a small extra step, but well worth it!
What is ‘deep-ish’ frying?
You’ll notice I talk about ‘deep-ish’ frying. This is not a technical term, but rather my own term for frying that is somewhere between shallow frying and deep frying. I suppose you could call also it medium-depth frying, but I feel deep-ish frying better captures it. Essentially you are deep frying, just using less oil!
In the case of this recipe, it involves half-filling a wok with oil, heating the oil for 2 minutes and then frying the pork pieces in 2 batches.
If you’ve ever worried about deep frying, or thought it sounded far too time-consuming or just too much effort, you are going to LOVE deep-ish frying! It’s really not much more effort than regular shallow frying, but it delivers really impressive results.
Healthier than Takeaway Sweet and Sour Pork
Takeaway Sweet and Sour Pork usually very unhealthy as the sauce is packed full of sugar and additives!
Look, I am not going to claim this Sweet and Sour Pork is a health food – it still involves deep(ish) frying! But there’s a lot less sugar than a standard takeaway (or ready meal) version.
Of course, I couldn’t omit the sugar entirely or it wouldn’t be SWEET and sour pork, but I have considerably reduced it… but don’t worry, it still tastes GOOD!
Also, it doesn’t contain any random, ultra-processed, unpronounceable additives! Which brings me neatly on to…
No ketchup in the sweet and sour sauce!
One of the things that really annoys me about most homemade sweet and sour sauce recipes is the sauce always includes ketchup…
Now, I don’t know about you, but if I am going to make a homemade recipe, I don’t want to start adding additive-laden, heavily processed ingredients like ketchup to it! That kind of defeats the object… I might as well just use a store-bought sweet and sour sauce!
Well, if that annoys you too, you are going to LOVE this recipe – it uses tomato puree instead of ketchup. The result means the flavour tastes much more natural and – I would argue – MUCH MUCH nicer than ketchup-based sweet and sour sauces (or store-bought sweet and sour sauces for that matter!)
What to serve with sweet and sour pork
This easy peasy homemade Sweet and Sour Pork tastes delicious served with plain white rice – ideally jasmine rice, but long grain works too, or even basmati at a push!
Alternatively, you could also serve it with Homemade Egg Fried Rice, if you prefer. Or one of my many delicious egg fried rice variations, such as:
Alternatively, if you wanted a healthier accompaniment, you could serve this with brown rice or plain cauliflower rice.
Homemade Egg Fried Rice
What to drink with sweet and sour pork
Because of the sweetness in this dish it’s best paired with aromatic whites like Riesling, Pinot Gris, Viognier or Gewurztraminer. Another great option is a fruity rosé.
But arguably the best match is an off-dry aromatic white – such as an off-dry German Riesling. Even if you normally prefer dry whites, you may be pleasantly surprised as, with this dish, the touch of sweetness in the wine compliments the sweetness in the sauce beautifully.
Love easy fakeaway recipes?
Then you are going to love these:
- Crispy Sweet Chilli Chicken
- Special Chow Mein
- Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Easy Chicken Dhansak
- Easy Bombay Potatoes (Bombay Aloo)
- Easy Prawn Tikka Masala
- Multicoloured Pilau Rice
Multicoloured Pilau Rice
What to do with leftover sweet and sour pork
Put any leftover sweet and sour pork in a lidded container and place in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, simply tip the sweet and sour pork into a saucepan with a splash of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively reheat the sweet and sour pork in the microwave until piping hot all the way through.
(NOTE: Sweet and Sour Pork is a dish that is best made fresh. If you make sweet and sour pork ahead of time and reheat it later the pork will lose a lot of its crispy-ness. It will still taste delicious though!)
Can you freeze sweet and sour pork?
Sweet and Sour Pork is a dish that is best made fresh. If you freeze it and reheat it, the pork will lose a lot of its crispy-ness.
However, you can still freeze it if you want to. Simply put the cooked and cooled sweet and sour pork into a lidded container and place it in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Sweet and Sour Pork (Chinese Takeaway Copycat)
Ingredients
Crispy Pork
- 500 g pork loin steaks chopped into bite-sized chunks
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda (See Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons cornflour (US - cornstarch)
- 250 ml sunflower oil for deep(ish) frying (See Note 2)
Sweet and Sour
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (US - cornstarch)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar, or rice wine vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (I use dark, but light or all purpose works fine too. Use tamari if you need this to be gluten free.)
- 3 cloves garlic grated or crushed
- 1 cm fresh ginger grated
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 425 g tin pineapple chunks in juice (separate the juice and the chunks)
- 1 large red pepper chopped into bite-sized chunks – roughly 3cm x 3cm / 1¼inch x 1¼inch
- 1 large green pepper chopped into bite-sized chunks – roughly 3cm x 3cm / 1¼inch x 1¼inch
- 1 large red onion chopped into 8 wedges and then each wedge chopped in half to get 16 fat chunks
To Serve
- 3 spring onions finely sliced – for garnish (optional)
- Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
- Jasmine rice (or any type of rice you prefer)
Instructions
Preparation
- Place the pork chunks in a large bowl. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda and pour over 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Use your hands to turn the pork and get it evenly coated with the baking soda and soy sauce (see Note 1). Set aside until later.
- In a clean jam jar (or similar), place 1 tablespoon of cornflour and the apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine thoroughly.
- Add the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, tomato puree and brown sugar, and stir to combine thoroughly.
- Add all the juice from the pineapple tin and stir to combine thoroughly. Set aside until later.
Crispy Pork
- Place ALL the sunflower oil in your wok, and heat the oil over a high heat for 2 minutes. (See Note 2.)
- Meanwhile, add the egg and the cornflour to the pork bowl and use your hands to turn the pork and get it evenly coated with the egg and cornflour. (See Note 3.)
- Carefully add HALF the pork pieces to the hot sunflower oil, using tongs, and deep fry, turning each piece occasionally, until golden brown on all sides. (Approximately 3-4 minutes total - see Note 4.) Place 2 pieces of kitchen roll on a plate. Remove the pork to the plate.
- Repeat for the second half of the pork, using the same oil.
Sweet and Sour
- Remove the oil from the wok (see Note 5) and return the pan back onto a high heat. Add the chopped peppers and red onion. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the pineapple chunks and homemade sweet and sour sauce, and then turn the heat down. Simmer for 1 minute, stirring regularly. Finally add back in the pork, stir to coat the pork in the sauce and simmer for 1 more minute.
- Turn the heat off immediately to stop the pork losing too much of its crispness, or the sauce getting too thick.
To Serve
- Serve immediately with jasmine rice, and garnished with sliced spring onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- Using baking soda is a Chinese restaurant secret hack! It tenderises the meat, meaning that, though your pork is crispy on the outside, you will get super tender pork inside!
- Use a neutral oil such as rapeseed, vegetable or sunflower. Alternatively, if you prefer cooking with olive oil, use a mild olive oil.
- This is another little hack. You’ll see a lot of recipes call for separate bowls of egg and cornflour – but this gets messy and is time-consuming. I’ve found just chucking everything into the one bowl works just as well and is much easier!
- Cooked as per the above instructions, the pork should be fully cooked all the way through after it has been fried. However, if you are at all unsure, check the pork is cooked through by cutting open the largest piece you can find. There should be no pink meat. If you do find pink meat, return the pork to the hot oil and continue cooking for a further minute, then check again.
- Please take extreme care when removing the oil from your wok as it’s super hot and even just a small splash can cause a serious burn.
- Suitable for freezing. (But the pork will lose its crispy-ness if you do.)
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Pin Sweet and Sour Pork for later
FREE 4 Week Easy Dinners Meal Plan
Have you got your hands on a copy of my meal plan yet? If not CLICK HERE to download a copy of my FREE 4 Week Easy Dinners Meal Plan today!
Leave a Reply