Cookbooks
By Diana Kuan
3.1
(11)
Sweet and Sour PorkDiana Kuan
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Sweet and sour are two of the five flavors of classical Chinese cooking (along with salty, pungent, and bitter), and go lo yuk, as the dish is called, is a favorite way to prepare pork in Cantonese cooking. I prefer fresh pineapple here, but if you like your dish sweeter, use canned pineapple and reserve some of the juice from the can to add to the sauce in place of fresh pineapple juice.
Ingredients
Serves 4 as part of a multicourse meal
Batter
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound boneless pork loin, cut into1-inch pieces
Sauce
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons fresh pineapple juice, or juice from the canned pineapple, or substitute orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups peanut or vegetable oil for frying, plus 1 tablespoon for stir-frying
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 cup fresh or canned bite-size pineapple chunks
Special equipment
Instant-read oil thermometer
Preparation
Step 1
1. Prepare the batter: In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, cornstarch, and flour. The batter should be liquidy enough to coat the pork. If the batter looks too dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and stir again. Add the pork and stir gently to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Step 2
2. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the water, ketchup, pineapple juice, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Step 3
3. Heat the peanut oil in a wok until it registers 350°F on an instant-read oil thermometer. Working in 2 or 3 batches, add the first batch of pork cubes and fry until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Remove any excess bits of batter from the oil with a slotted spoon or fine-mesh strainer. Continue frying the rest of the pork.
Step 4
4. Transfer the oil to a heat-proof container. (It will take about 1 hour to fully cool, after which you can transfer it to a container with a tight lid to dispose of it.) Wipe up any food remains in the wok with paper towels, being careful not to touch the metal directly with your hands.
Step 5
5. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the wok or a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until just aromatic, about 20 seconds. Add the pineapple and the sauce and stir to coat the vegetables. Let the sauce simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the pineapple to become tender (about 1 minute for canned pineapple). Return pork to the wok and toss until well coated with the sauce. Transfer to a plate and serve.
Reprinted with permission from The Chinese Takeout Cookbook by Diana Kuan, © 2012 Ballantine Books. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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Reviews (11)
Back to TopTrianglemade my pp go hard accidently smacked my dog with it it got bited off ouchies
Thiccthiccdaddy
harley quinn
4/15/2021
I made this recipe and did not really like the sauce instead of ketchup I used 2 TBLS of tomato paste and found it much better
Kenwood101
North Bay Ontario Can.
2/28/2020
The batter for the pork is perfect and will be my go-to recipe for making the most golden, delicious, and crispy stir-fry meats. This was unfortunately ruined by the sauce. The water content was so ridiculously high that by the time the excess liquid cooked off, everything in my pan had braised for about 10 minutes. This left my vegetables limp and the pork soggy. I should have been suspicious when I saw it called for water and ketchup.
Anonymous
Seattle
2/28/2016
Stir to coat the vegetables.... what vegetables. Sure, I can decide for myself, but the recipe should not provide an incomplete instruction.
redtoque
Toronto, Ontario
2/23/2016
Made this exactly to recipe and it was a bit of a disappointment. I felt all that time deep frying the pork to get a fantastic crispy coating was wasted when the pork hit the sauce. If I make this again, I will do like the reader from Omaha and skip the coating. Also I would double the sauce and add some cornstarch to it as we prefer a thicker sauce. Overall flavours were great, but I was disappointed in the texture.
pvheather1
Puerto Vallarta Mexico
10/23/2015
I made this to recipe and it was not a favourite. The coating on the pork was nice and crispy once it was friend, but as soon as it hit the sauce, all the crunch went out of it. I like the other readers idea of skipping the coating all together and frying in coconut oil. The sauce was tasty and the dish tasted good, I just thought all that deep frying seemed like a waste of effort.
pvheather1
Puerto Vallarta Mexico
10/23/2015
I used Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) instead of cornstarch and it was fantastic.
dlavao
Majorca, Spain
10/17/2014
I also agree that the recipe has some errors; however, I believe that any recipe can be used as a template to create a great meal. With that being said, even though the recipe does not call for other vegetables, when I made this meal, I added some green peppers in addition to the pineapple. I would have added more, but that's all I had on hand. I also did not feel like coating the pork in batter, so I instead just pan fried the pork in coconut oil until nicely browned. I thought the sauce was much better than I anticipated, and with the addition of green peppers, and served over rice, this was actually a very good, quick, easy, and satisfying meal. My husband and son were both equally pleased!
Meeshmay
Omaha, NE
10/29/2013
Have not made this, but because of previous reviews read the recipe first. To main errors. There is more about the disposal of the peanut (which is not mentioned in ingredients) than the actual recipe. The ratios seems to be ok.
Juniper27
8/10/2013
I agree with the last comment. What vegetables? Past that, while the sauce is light and tasty without being gloppy and over sweet, the meat is under seasoned. It needs something to bring it past take-out Chinese to be worth repeating.
dakcook
Adirondack Mts., NY
8/1/2013
I have not tried this yet, but I have a question in Step 5 where is states"Add the pineapple and the sauce and stir to coat the vegetables. " What vegetables?
dorothycol
Cleveland, OH
7/31/2013
TagsStir-FryChineseEast AsianAsianCantonesePork LoinPorkMeatPineappleFruitMainDinnerNut FreeDairy FreeWeeknight MealsSauteWokCookbooks
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