Chinese recipe

Sweet & sour pork

Name: Sweet & sour pork
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese cuisine
Ingredients: 500 g pork tenderloin, cut into 2.5 cm cubes; 15 ml Shaoxing wine; 15 ml light soy sauce; 1 g white pepper; 30 g egg white; 100 g cornstarch for coating; 1 L neutral frying oil; 60 g ketchup; 45 ml rice vinegar; 50 g granulated sugar; 60 ml water for the sauce; 10 ml light soy sauce for the glaze; 8 g cornstarch; 15 ml water for slurry; 100 g red bell pepper, 2.5 cm pieces; 100 g yellow bell pepper, 2.5 cm pieces; 100 g green bell pepper, 2.5 cm pieces; 80 g onion, 2.5 cm pieces; 10 g fresh ginger, thinly sliced; 10 g scallion, thinly sliced for serving

Crisp, bite-sized pork tossed with red, yellow, and green peppers, onion, and a bright sweet-and-sour glaze.

Guangdong, China

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 1 hr 10 min
Servings: 4

Real finished-dish brief: a shallow white bowl of lacquered golden pork cubes with clearly visible red, yellow, and green bell-pepper squares, onion, ginger, and a few scallion slivers; the red sweet-and-sour sauce should glisten without hiding crisp edges. — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Alpha (avlxyz)Source page · Original file · CC BY-SA 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

500 g
pork tenderloin, cut into 2.5 cm cubes
15 ml
Shaoxing wine
15 ml
light soy sauce
1 g
white pepper
30 g
egg white
100 g
cornstarch for coating
1 L
neutral frying oil
60 g
ketchup
45 ml
rice vinegar
50 g
granulated sugar
60 ml
water for the sauce
10 ml
light soy sauce for the glaze
8 g
cornstarch
15 ml
water for slurry
100 g
red bell pepper, 2.5 cm pieces
100 g
yellow bell pepper, 2.5 cm pieces
100 g
green bell pepper, 2.5 cm pieces
80 g
onion, 2.5 cm pieces
10 g
fresh ginger, thinly sliced
10 g
scallion, thinly sliced for serving

Method

01
Combine pork, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, white pepper, and egg white. Massage until no liquid pools, then cover and refrigerate 30 minutes; the surface should look tacky.
02
Whisk ketchup, vinegar, sugar, water, and soy sauce in a bowl. Mix cornstarch with water separately; keep both ready while the oil heats.
03
Heat 1 L oil in a wok or Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 175°C. Coat pork thoroughly in cornstarch, shake off loose powder, and fry in batches for 3–4 minutes until pale golden and cooked through (63°C at the center).
04
Raise the oil to 190°C over high heat and refry the pork for 60–90 seconds until deep golden and audibly crisp; drain on a rack.
05
Pour off all but 10 ml oil. Over medium-high heat, stir-fry ginger, onion, and peppers for 2 minutes; the vegetables should be bright and just tender, not soft.
06
Add the sauce mixture. Bring to a full simmer for 60 seconds, stir in the slurry, and cook 30–45 seconds until the glaze coats a spoon; the measured water balances the vinegar without adding fruit.
07
Return pork to the wok and toss over high heat for 30 seconds, just until every piece is glossy. Scatter scallion and serve immediately while the crust remains crisp.

Practical notes

Tips

A rack keeps the first fry crisp while the vegetables cook.
Add the slurry only after the sauce boils so its starch thickens evenly.

Common mistakes

Crowding the oil lowers its temperature and makes the coating greasy.
Letting the finished pork sit in sauce for several minutes destroys the crunch.

Substitutions

pork tenderloin (500 g) → boneless chicken thigh (500 g): Use 2.5 cm pieces and cook to 74°C.
water (60 ml) → unsalted vegetable stock (60 ml): The glaze gains a little savory depth.

Storage

Refrigerate pork and sauce separately in covered containers for up to 3 days. Reheat pork on a 220°C rack for 8–10 minutes, then toss with hot sauce; do not microwave if crispness matters.

Cultural context

Cantonese sweet-and-sour pork (gū lǎo ròu) became especially prominent in overseas Cantonese restaurants; bright peppers and onion are common restaurant-style additions, while regional home versions vary.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.