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(Popular and All-Time Favorite Chinese recipes: Broccoli Beef, Chow Mein, Egg Drop Soup, Kung Pao Chicken, Cashew Chicken, Fried Rice, Orange Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and more.)
Sweet and Sour Pork, the ubiquitous and arguably the most well-known Chinese recipe in the world, is a classic Cantonese dish. Called “咕嚕肉” or “goo lou yok” in Cantonese dialect, sweet and sour pork is very pleasing to the palate because of the flavorsome sweet and sour sauce–the sweetness from sugar plus the tangy ketchup and sharp rice vinegar–with the crispy fried pork pieces. The green and red bell peppers and pineapple pieces are just icing on the cake.
The secret of an authentic sweet and sour pork dish lies in the perfect balance of the sweet vs. sour taste of the sauce. To master this dish, it’s not about the technique of stir-frying nor the use of the freshest ingredients, although both are equally important and wouldn’t hurt. To me, the sweet and sour sauce is the soul of this dish. If you fail the sweet and sour sauce, you fail the dish. With that in mind, I will teach you how to make that perfect sweet and sour sauce and share with you the secret ingredients I use.
While traditional Chinese/Cantonese sweet and sour pork recipe calls for the use of rice vinegar and ketchup to bring out the sour taste, I also use plum sauce to add some extra zing, plus a few dashes of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and oyster sauce to complete a harmony balance. They are my secret ingredients and do make a nice difference in terms of taste, in my honest opinion.
Other than the sauce, the frying batter is no less important. A great batter recipe promises crispy and crunchy coating for the pork. In my recipe below, you will also find the instructions and exact measurement to make the batter. It is simply awesome!
Rasa Malaysia’s Secret Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Pork:
- Plum Sauce
- Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
- Oyster Sauce (my not-so-secret seasoning medium)
So, discard the canned pineapple juice or orange juice in the Americanized sweet and sour pork recipe. Do try out my secret ingredients above the next time you prepare sweet and sour pork.
Anyway, once you master the techniques of making sweet and sour sauce, you can pretty much whip up any sweet and sour dishes in a jiffy: pork, chicken, fish, or shrimp…just don’t tell Panda Express my secret recipe! *wink*
If you like my sweet and sour pork recipe, you might also want to check out the Chinese recipes on Rasa Malaysia:
CHINESE RECIPES: POPULAR & ALL-TIME FAVORITES
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| Chow Mein | Broccoli Beef | Sweet and Sour Pork | Egg Drop Soup |
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| Kung Pao Chicken | Cashew Chicken | Fried Rice | Orange Chicken |
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| Crab Rangoon | Mongolian Beef |
(Click Page 2 for the Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe)
Pages: 1 2
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Tried cooking this scrumptous recipe this evening and it was really good!
Been actually trying on the recipies posted here,for four dinners in a row! My little son and my husband just love it! Thank you so much rasamalaysia for sharing your great cooking skills to all of us!
Keep cooking and keep posting!
how do I get to the actual recipe? I have read through the sweet and sour pork info and it says after the jump???What is after the jump? most confusing…
The recipe is on page 2 or here: http://rasamalaysia.com/chinese-recipe-sweet-and-sour-pork/2/
I tried this recipe this evening. My pork was crispy when I finished frying it, but once I combined it with the rest of the ingredients, the pork fell flat and the batter was soggy. I even used a temp to monitor my frying temp. so I don’t think that is the problem. Should I be frying it even longer? My pork was golden brown once I fried them….so I don’t understand what I may be doing wrong.
The sauce however, is very nice. It has more complex flavours in it than just ketchup. I will be def. be keeping that as base recipe for sweet and sour. Thanks!
Try to fry the pork two times.
Hello. I was wondering what you meant by half an egg? Does that mean the egg white or the egg yolk?
beat one egg and use only half.
hi, just tried the recipe. what a disaster! haha the batter ended up sticking on my wok. when i took out the pork, it was as if i was frying the pork without any batter. the batter just wont stick to the pork when frying….help…what’s the trick??? :S
It means your oil wasn’t heated or hot enough.
what’s the difference between baking powder and soda bicarbonate?
hey, this is making my mouth water as we speak…is there a way to pan fry the pork instead of deep fry?-(don’t have enough oil)
hi, i did it after trying 2nd time. Thks! planning to try your kung pao chicken soon… :)
can i omit 1/8tsp of chinese rice vinegar for this sweet ans sour pork recipe? will this make the taste different?
Quick question: regarding this marinade ingredient:
1/2 teaspoon corn flour
Is corn flour different from cornstarch?
Thanks!
You can use either one.