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My Most Popular Chinese Recipes ❤️
Tips, tricks, and recipes for perfect Chinese dishes
FREE EMAIL BONUS:
My Most Popular Chinese Recipes ❤️
Tips, tricks, and recipes for Chinese dishes
What Is Sweet and Sour Pork?
Sweet and Sour Pork is an iconic Chinese recipe and classic Cantonese dish.
Called “咕嚕肉” or “goo lou yok” in Cantonese dialect, this recipe 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.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Delicious Sweet and Sour Sauce
The secret of an authentic sweet and sour pork dish lies in the perfect balance of the sweet vs. sour taste of the sauce, the soul of this dish.
I am going to teach you how to make perfect homemade sweet and sour sauce and share my secret ingredients!
Secret Ingredients
Other than rice vinegar and ketchup, I also use Chinese plum sauce to add some extra zing, plus a few dashes of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and oyster sauce to complete the perfect balance of flavor.
Once you master the techniques of homemade sweet and sour sauce, you can make authentic and restaurant quality Chinese food at home!
- Plum Sauce
- Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
- Oyster Sauce
Crispy Frying Batter
The frying batter for the pork is equally important. The fried pork has to be crispy, airy and crunchy, so when they are stir-fried with the sweet and sour sauce, the pork will remain crispy and not soggy and swim in the sauce.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 402 calories per serving.
Serve Sweet and Sour Pork With:
For a wholesome dinner, I recommend the following dishes.
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Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb (250g) pork tenderloin, cut into bite size pieces
- 1/2 green bell pepper (cut into pieces)
- 1/2 red bell pepper (and cut into pieces)
- 2 stalks scallions (only the white part, cut into 2 inch (5cm) length)
- 1 piece fresh/canned pineapple ring (cut into small pieces)
- 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
- oil for frying
Frying Batter:
- 2 oz. (60g) all-purpose flour
- 1 oz. (30g) corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 egg
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil
- 1 pinch salt
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon plum sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon Chinese rice vinegar (transparent in color)
- 1/2 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Cut the pork tenderloin into pieces and marinate with the ingredients for 15-20 minutes.
- Mix the sweet and sour sauce ingredients well and set aside.
- Strain the dry ingredients of the frying batter and then add in the egg, water, and cooking oil to form a thick batter.
- When the pork is well-marinated, transfer the pork pieces into the batter and make sure they are well coated. In a deep skillet, add in the cooking oil enough for deep-frying. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the pork pieces until they turn golden brown. Dish out and drain on paper towels.
- Heat up a wok and add in some cooking oil. Add in the chopped garlic and stir fry until light brown, then follow by the bell peppers and pineapple pieces. Stir fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the peppers and then add in the sweet and sour sauce.
- As soon as the sauce thickenens, transfer the pork into the wok and stir well with the sauce. Add in the chopped scallions, do a few quick stirs, dish out and serve hot with steamed white rice.
Nutrition
I love your recipe. Thank you.
Thanks Liz.
Hi.
Was wondering how many people this serves. ?
2 people.
Hi. Was wondering how many people this serves.? Have read a few comments that it wasn’t quite enough.
Thanks
I liked the taste of the sauce but the recipe ingredients made a very small amount. I had to double it then it still was not enough.
The batter did not hold on the pork making a huge mess in the pan. Also the batter ingredients calls for cups and ounces which is confusing. It would be better if the flour measurement was in cups too.
I don’t have plum sauce and rice wine. Is it okay not to use it ?
OK, just use more ketchup.
No, it won’t taste the same!
So delicious,
Vraiment très bon,c’est la première fois que que je mange un SWeet and Sour porl aussi délicieux
Thanks a lot
I just made this tonight and loved it! I doubled the recipe, and would reccomend tripling the sauce as I thought it was a little dry and actually didn’t even use all of the pork. But, that might just be a personal taste. For those of you questioning the conversion of the flour and cornstarch, I used almost 1 cup of flour and a little over 3 Tbsp. of cornstarch (reminding you that this was doubling the recipe). I didn’t have any trouble with the deep frying as I let the oil get very hot. I would highly reccomend this recipe. My husband thought it was better than the usual chinese take-out!
HiHi,
Thanks for this fabulous recipe..
I cooked the sauce with fresh pineapple, and use it as a dip sauce and it’s simply awesome!
Love it & Thank you!
Hi Bee, I was thinking of buying your recipe book but what is the difference between what you’ve posted on your blog and those in your book?
Hi Bee,
I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe, not just because of the success I’ve had with your other recipes, and not just because my kids love Sweet & Sour Pork, but because I can’t wait to see what difference 1/8 of a teaspoon of anything can make to a recipe ;-)