Sweet and sour pork is a classic, whether for appetizers or as a meal accompanied by good Cantonese rice: I never get tired of it and I don’t know if I could ever break this addiction.

Jump to Recipe

4.83/5 (60)

In short, in addition to this recipe, you have a recipe for homemade sweet and sour sauce that will change your life because it’s so simple… Not a week goes by without me making a small separate jar.

If you’re a fan of Chinese cuisine, this recipe is made for you! Dip tempura shrimp, nachos, and other fried foods: the possibilities are endless!

shrimp tempura on a platter — Yum yum tempura shrimp

To make it more visually impressive, I added black sesame seeds, but it’s really not essential. I forgive you if you don’t want to take the time.

Tips for sweet and sour pork

I don’t recommend using pork belly/bacon for this recipe. Indeed, this cut is too fatty, it’s better to use leaner cuts (or, if you’re privileged, Iberian pork secreto)

Be careful not to fry too many pieces of pork at once to avoid the pieces sticking together.

I usually fry about 6 to 8 pieces at a time if I’m using my small Asian fryer.

meat fritters — The secret to crispy batter is not to be in too much of a hurry

Use a cooking thermometer to ensure your oil is at the right temperature. If the oil is too hot, the outside of the pork may burn before the inside is cooked.

If the oil is too cold, the pork will absorb more oil and be heavy and greasy (fat is life, but in moderation).

If you want to have leftovers for another day, plan to keep some of the pork fritters separate from the sauce.

Korean fried pork with sweet and sour sauce on wooden background — Discover my tangsuyuk recipe, the Korean sweet and sour pork

This way, you can reheat the pork with the second frying and the sauce separately, and the dish will retain its flavor and texture.

The ideal is even to freeze the fritter after the first frying and then ‘reheat’ it by passing it through the fryer. Like frozen fries in the end.

The sauce is the same concept for all sauces. Chinese white sauce, sweet and sour sauce, sweet and salty, General Tso’s chicken sauce, garlic and honey chicken sauce, … all have one ingredient in common: cornstarch, it’s the secret of beautiful sticky Asian sauces.

The only downside of a sticky sauce like the one for sweet and sour pork is that the consistency doesn’t last.

I’m sure you’ve already ordered Chinese food and found pieces of meat in a very watery sauce (in the bad sense of the term) the next day.

This is because cornstarch can only maintain its nice texture for about an hour at most. So the next day, your sweet and sour pork may have decreased in quality. That’s why I recommend preparing sweet and sour pork on the spot

If you liked this recipe, I recommend my sweet and sour chicken

The ingredients for sweet and sour pork

Shaoxing wine: a classic in Chinese cuisine, it gives a very typical taste to dishes. Learn all about it here

Rice vinegar: Also essential for all Asian cuisine. Come read my full article on the subject.