Easy Sweet and Sour Pork 簡易咕咾肉 recipe is my home style version of the authentic sweet and sour pork that you would find at a restaurant. The main difference is that I use thin pieces of pork for the easy method. This way, the pork pieces can be pan-fried and not-deep-fried while maintaining the crispy texture. I also simplified the sauce with easily available ingredients. My son said he couldn’t taste much difference except for the thinner-cut meat.
You could also air-fry the pork pieces instead of pan-frying. I would just spray some oil on it so that it can come out crispier. However, I pan-fried mine in a non-stick wok which was a bit easier and faster for me. It only took me around half an hour from prep to table. My favorite is still the traditional chunky Sweet and Sour Pork because it’s crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. With the easy option, the meat will have less juice, but it’s still tender and very delicious.
Easy Sweet and Sour Pork 簡易咕咾肉 recipe is a great way to make this classic with less time and effort. Lots of people think the sweet and sour pork is a westernized Chinese dish. Tomato ketchup was indeed a western idea, but did you know that ketchup is actually a Chinese condiment? Check out my Hong Kong Style Pork Chop with Onions post to read a brief history of ketchup (膎汁 pronounced “ke-tsiap” in Min Nan dialect). In fact, Sweet and Sour Pork evolved from sweet and sour ribs 糖醋排骨 (táng cù pái gdating back to Sung Dynasty. And then in the Qing Dynasty, chefs added fresh fruits and plum jam. This gave the sweet and sour taste more depth rather than simply vinegar and sugar.
My Easy Sweet and Sour Pork 簡易咕咾肉 recipe will give you crispy pieces of pork and the sweet and sour sauce everyone loves. You’ll be surprised how easy it is!
Easy Sweet and Sour Pork 簡易咕咾肉
Ingredients
- 350 g Pork shoulder butt , sliced
- ½ Medium onion , cut into wedges
- ½ Red pepper , cut into wedges
- ½ Green, yellow or orange pepper , cut into wedges
- 3 Canned pineapple rings
- 3 cloves Garlic , chopped
- 1 Thai chili , chopped (optional)
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 4 tbsp Cornstarch
- 5 tbsp Oil
Ingredients for pork marinade:
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 Egg (1 small or ½ large)
Ingredients for sauce:
- 3 tbsp Ketchup
- 2 tbsp White vinegar
- 1 ½ tbsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 3 tbsp Water
Instructions
- Slice pork to approx. 3mm thick slices
- Marinate with ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 1 egg. Mix well together. Set aside
- Cut onions, peppers and pineapple into wedges
- Chop garlic and chilis
- Prepare sauce by combining 3 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 ½ tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp cornstarch and 3 tbsp water. Mix well and set aside
- Combine 4 tbsp of flour and 4 tbsp cornstarch. Mix well. Put onto a plate
- Give the pork a mix and then use your hands to place it onto the plate with the flour and cornstarch, do not pour in the excess liquid from the marinade
- Toss the pork in the flour mixture until the meat is separated and covered
- In a non-stick pan, heat at medium-high heat and add 3 tbsp oil
- Add pork into the fry-pan, one piece at a time so that each piece rests flat on the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan. Do separate batches if necessary
- When one side of the pork has browned, flip over to the other side.
- After browning both sides, remove from heat preferably on a cooling rack. Repeat until all the pork has been fried
- In a wok or pan, heat on medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and add chopped garlic, chilis and onions. Stir-fry until onions are slightly softened
- Add peppers. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Stir-in the sauce and mix
- Add the pork and mix
- Add the pineapples and mix
- Serve
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