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Sweet and Sour Pork
Crispy battered pork tossed in a glossy sweet-sour sauce with peppers and pineapple — takeaway perfection made at home.
25 mins
20 mins
4 people
Cantonese
Pork shoulder
Cut into 3cm cubes
500g
Cornstarch
4 tbsp
Egg
1
Bell peppers
Cut into chunks
2
Pineapple chunks
1 cup
Onion
Cut into wedges
1
Ketchup
4 tbsp
Rice vinegar
3 tbsp
Sugar
3 tbsp
Soy sauce
1 tbsp
Garlic
3 cloves
Oil
for deep frying
🍽️ Deep fryer at exact temp
→ Deep pot or wide wok with candy thermometer
Same result with temperature control
🍽️ MSG in sauce
→ Extra dash of soy sauce
Adds savory depth
Mix pork with soy sauce, marinate 10 mins. Coat in cornstarch-egg batter.
💡 Pro Tip: Thick, even cornstarch coating is key to the satisfying crunch.
First fry at 170°C for 3-4 minutes until cooked. Drain, rest 5 minutes.
💡 Pro Tip: First fry cooks through. Second fry adds crunch — the restaurant secret.
Second fry at 190°C for 1-2 minutes until golden and ultra-crispy.
💡 Pro Tip: Double frying is the restaurant technique for crunch that lasts under sauce.
Mix sweet-sour sauce: ketchup, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce. Set aside.
💡 Pro Tip: Pre-mix sauce and taste — adjust sweet/sour balance to your preference.
Stir-fry vegetables 2 mins, add sauce, bring to bubble, toss in crispy pork immediately.
💡 Pro Tip: Add pork and serve within 3 minutes — waiting makes it soggy.
- ✓Double frying is the restaurant secret for crunch under sauce
- ✓Serve immediately after adding pork to sauce
- ✓Balance your sauce — taste and adjust before adding pork
- ✓Cornstarch batter, not flour — cornstarch is crispier
- →With steamed white rice
- →With egg fried rice
- →As a shared dish in a Chinese banquet