Sweet and Sour Pork
October: National Pork Month
Chinese take-out is a fast and easy meal option when life gets too busy and hectic for us to cook at home. Sometimes, we are disappointed in the sweet and sour pork we usually order because 1) there seems to be more coating covering less meat, 2) the sauce is a super-saturated and unnaturally fluorescent red color and 3) the vegetables tend to have lost their crispness and fresh flavors. Homemade sweet and sour pork is tastier yet a tad time-consuming. But it is worth the effort when “going gourmet instead of take-away.” Try cooking this classic Chinese recipe when time allows and when observing National Pork Month.
Recipe
(Adapted from “Taste of Hawaii” by The Honolulu Advertiser)
For the marinade
- ½ pound pork shoulder or butt, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sherry
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 egg
- dash pepper
Directions
Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes. Make the marinade by combining in a large bowl the sugar, sesame oil, salt, sherry, oyster sauce, soy sauce, egg and pepper. Soak the pork for at least an hour. Reserve the marinade to mix with the batter.
For the batter
- 1 egg
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon water
Directions
Remove the pork from the marinade. In the marinade bowl, add the egg, cornstarch and water. Mix well and return the pork to the marinade. Deep fry in hot oil until the pork pieces are cooked through and the batter becomes golden brown. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.
For the sweet and sour sauce
(Adapted from Chinese Cooking by Drake Publishers Inc.)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup vinegar (we use cane sugar vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sherry
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons constarch
- ½ cup water or pineapple juice, drained from the can
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 large tomato, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 (8 ounce) can of pineapple chunks, drained (reserved)
Directions
Prepare the vegetables. Set aside with the drained pineapple chunks. Bring to a boil over the stove top the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sherry and ketchup. Reduce the heat to simmer. In a cup, mix the cornstarch with the water or pineapple juice to make a smooth paste. Stir into the sauce until thickened. Remove from heat.
In a separate skillet, heat the oil. Saute the garlic, then gently mix in the bell peppers onions, tomatoes and pineapple for 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook to retain the freshness of the vegetables. Discard the garlic. Add the vegetable and pineapples to the sauce until everything is well coated. Arrange the fried pork pieces on a platter. Pour the sauce mixture over them. Serve hot with steamed white rice or noodles.
Notes
- Thanks to Sister Durie K. for giving us her “antique” cookbooks, “Taste of Hawaii” (1985), compiled by Mary Cooke, former food editor at The Honolulu Advertiser, and “Chinese Cooking” (1973), published by Drake Publishers Inc.
- Plan ahead for each step in this recipe. Marinate the pork early in the cooking process. The sauce can be made beforehand and reheated before adding the fresh vegetables and pineapples to save time.
October 1, 2011 at 7:08 am
Do I have to deep fat fry the pork? I don’t have a fryer. Can I cook the pork on top of the stove, with a frying pan and oil?
October 2, 2011 at 12:43 am
A deep fryer is quicker to cook the pork but we have also used a frying pan on the stove top before. Just make sure that the pork is cooked all the way through in the latter method and drain the oil before mixing with the sweet and sour sauce.
September 4, 2015 at 5:19 pm
Can this sweet sour pork recipe be made in a crock pot or slow cooker? What adaptions need to be made?
September 17, 2015 at 6:02 pm
Hi, Greg! We have not tried making the sweet and sour pork recipe in a crock pot. It can be done as an alternative to deep frying the pork, but it won’t be as crispy. We have made a similar sweet and sour beef stew in the crock pot and it’s pretty good: https://hicookery.com/2011/05/01/sweet-and-sour-beef-stew/. Let us know if you tried making sweet and sour pork in the crockpot. Good luck! Thanks for visiting our blog.