45 mins
Sweet and Sour Pork
Recipe by Graham
Of all Chinese dishes, Sweet and Sour Pork is probably one of the best known in the West. Sadly, it is rarely properly made in the West, often consisting of heavy, doughy balls containing a tiny scrap of pork and drenched in a hideously sweet red sauce.
Properly prepared, sweet and sour Chinese dishes are so delicately balanced that it is difficult to accurately describe them as either sweet or sour. In this version of this classic dish, you will find that balance of flavours. And, as with ALL Chinese cooking it pays to prepare everything beforehand so you have all the ingredients ready to hand when you need them.
Surf and Turf Buttie 
Sweet and Sour Pork Balls Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Pork
Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
How to Cook Sweet and Sour Pork
- Cut the pork into 1" (2.5cm) cubes. Place the meat into a bowl along with the sherry or rice wine, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir well, and marinade for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the green and red peppers into 1" (2.5cm) squares. Peel and cut the carrots into 1" (2.5cm) cubes and cut the spring onions (scallions) into 1" (2.5cm) lengths. (The uniform size of the meat and vegetables adds to the visual appeal of the dish.) Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the carrots in it for about 7-8 minutes.
- Now it's time to make the sauce... Combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, salt, vinegar, sugar and tomato purée (tomato paste) in a large saucepan. Bring it to the boil. Add all the vegetables but not the lychees and stir well. In a small bowl, blend together the corn flour and water. Stir this mixture into the sauce and bring it back to the boil, then turn the heat down to a very low simmer while you cook the pork.
- Mix the eggs and corn flour (cornstarch) into a bowl until they are well blended into a batter. Lift the pork cubes out of the marinade, place into the batter and coat each piece well. Heat the oil in a wok or deep-fat fryer until it is almost smoking. Remove the pork pieces from the batter with a slotted spoon, and deep fry them for several minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
- Add the lychees and pork cubes to the sauce, mix well and then turn the whole mixture onto a deep platter. Serve immediately with Steamed Rice.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
If you have problems getting hold of lychees, you can substitute fresh orange segments instead.
Reviews of Sweet and Sour Pork
| December 31 2014 I have shied away from attempting asian food at home because it never tastes like the restaurant quality, but this was different. This was so delicious and hard to belive it came from my kitchen and wasn't from a chinese restaurant. The best sweet and sour pork I have ever eaten. It was so simple to prepare. Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe! My whole family loved this. Everyone had seconds. I used pork tenderloin instead. I served it with steamed Jasmine rice and stir fried green bean/wax bean/baby carrot blend. Yumm! TxCin_ILove2Ck (2 reviews) |
January 24 2013 Fantastic and "better than take-out" (so says my take-out-raised husband). The only changes I make are to use whatever color bell peppers take my fancy when I'm shopping. I also usually double this recipe for our family of six (plus leftovers for lunch, yay!). Overall, this is a PERFECT recipe. Don't wimp out, deep fry the pork, everyone will be thrilled that you did! Since I first started making this, two out of three of my kids now request this as their birthday dinner every year. The whining/begging/wheedling starts about three weeks in advance! cameron (2 reviews) |
October 12 2012 this is such a great recipe. i was skeptical at first because sweet and sour pork varies so much between different restaurants and sometimes it is downright disgusting. this recipe really turns out better than any sweet and sour pork i've had in chinese restaurants. my boyfriend requests this all the time! i use cubed pork tenderloin because that's the only kind of pork i buy. i usually make 2 or 3 times the amount of sauce and freeze the extra to cut down on future prep time. it looks a little gross when you first start to thaw it, but bring it up to a boil again and it returns to its proper consistency. malinda (1 review) |
What To Eat Tonight
Fish can be so easily spoiled by careless cooking, yet its delicate and light meat is so easy to get right if you have the right recipes.
Who doesn't like Chinese food? I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't just love the fusion of flavours, colours and ideas.
What do you do with the leftovers? There are so many really great ways to make use of them that your should never waste anything.
Other Pork Recipes
Pork Patties With Sweet Chilli And Noodles is a healthy and authentic Asian dish that's far better than a takeaway - and ready in less time.
Sausage and onion hash with eggs cracked over is definitely worth getting out of bed for
I owe Ken Hom for this great recipe for Sweet and Sour Pork Balls, though I have amended his original recipe a little to better suit my own tastes.
