Whenever in doubt of what to order at a new restaurant, I find myself reverting back to familiarity. Sweet and sour pork is a staple in any Chinese restaurant. A “safety first” option, since I am certain everyone is fond of it, especially kids.
Honestly, this dish is the complete package. A wholesome dish that can be eaten on its own or with a bowl of rice. A dish that is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Tangy, sweet, savory, refreshing, it ticks all the right boxes. If there is one pork dish to have up your sleeve in the kitchen, it has to be this.
Not only is sweet and sour pork a quick dish to cook, it also uses fairly basic ingredients. What you see in the spread below is all you need. Just a bit of cutting and you are all set. Cut the pork against the grain so that it will be easier to chew. Also, as the meat shrinks a little when deep fried, you should cut the chunks slightly larger than you picture it.
Deep frying the pork to crisp perfection
Opting for rice flour dusting as oppose to regular flour helps crisps up the exterior even more. An important tip when deep frying is to make sure the pieces of pork are coated entirely with the batter and flour. The idea is to give it a full, even layer casing. Otherwise, the juices of the meat would just seep out and dry up the meat. Double frying pork will ensure you get a nice crunch.
Ideally, you would want to use pork belly for this, as it has a good fat to meat ratio. Remember to trim off the skin, otherwise it will be rubbery once fried.
The best accompaniment to deep fried meat is a tangy sauce with an array of fresh vegetables to cut the grease.
The choice of vegetables is up to you. I often opt for the usual capsicum, onion, and cucumber combo. Not only does it give a balance of texture to the dish, but it helps liven up the plate with a beautiful medley of colors.
I like to add some bite size fruit in as well, either fresh or canned. A personal favorite addition of mine is to add canned lychee into my sweet and sour pork, along with some of the liquid. I love how it adds an extra dimension of sweetness to the dish. It can be substituted with pineapple or honeydew.
Along with a bowl of rice, this sweet and sour pork is all I need. A simple dinner in a jiffy, hope you will give it a go.
Here’s a quick video to demonstrate how I cook my favourite childhood dish that I still love to this day:
Chunks of succulent meat deep fried to crisp perfection, then coated in tangy tomato sauce. The addition of lychee adds a sweet juicy finish to the dish!
Remove skin off pork belly and cut meat into bite sized pieces.
Mix potato/corn starch with water to make into starch flurry and mix with all of the ingredients to season pork belly.
Coat each piece of pork belly in rice flour.
Heat up a pan with hot boiling oil, then deep fry coated pork belly. Work in 2-3 batches if required to ensure you do not overcrowd the pan.
Remove when pieces are golden brown. Set aside on draining rack.
If you like really crunchy pork pieces, I highly recommend double frying the pork pieces. For this additional step, when sauce is almost done, deep fry pork pieces in hot oil for 1-2 minutes, drain and mix into sauce.
Vegetables
Vegetable portions in recipe above can be adjusted to suit your family's preference.
Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil, and saute garlic and onion until fragrant. Add in all other vegetables and saute for 2-3 minutes until 80% cooked. Remove and set aside.
Sauce
Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and pour into wok. Bring to boil to thicken sauce.
Return cooked vegetables to the sauce, saute quickly to coat in sauce.
Add lychee pieces, give it a quick stir.
Finally add pork and stir to coat well. Serve immediately with white rice!
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Lychee pork or lizhi rou (Chinese: 荔枝肉; pinyin: lìzhī ròu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lāi-chi-bah; Eastern Min: liĕk-chiĕ-nṳ̆k) is a well known dish in Fujianese cuisine. It consists of small pieces of deep-fried pork and sliced water chestnuts served in a sweet and sour sauce.
The original Cantonese sweet and sour pork (traditional Chinese: 咕嚕肉; simplified Chinese: 咕噜肉; pinyin: gūlūròu; Cantonese Yale: gūlōuyuhk; lit. 'rumbling meat') is made with vinegar, preserved plums and hawthorn candy for an almost scarlet colour and sweet-sour taste.
The story goes that this dish was created in Chencun, a town in Shunde district, but was originally made with ribs rather than diced pork. Visiting foreigners loved it, but disliked the bones, so chefs started to cook it with the well-marbled pork shoulder.
While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.
How do you tenderise pork for stir fry? Velveting is a Chinese technique that helps keep meat tender during stir frying. Adding cornstarch and bicarb to your meat during the marinating process helps to coat your meat, giving it a velvety feel that makes the meat feel extra soft.
The most important question: What does lychee taste like? The aromatic lychee is sweet, with slightly floral and acidic notes. Upon biting, you'll get a juicy flavor burst with a taste similar to a strawberry or pear with a hint of citrus. Some also compare the floral taste to rose.
Rambutan: Rambutan is closely related to lychee and has a similar sweet and juicy flavour. The flesh is translucent and surrounds a central seed. The outer skin is hairy and red or yellow when ripe. Longan: Often referred to as "dragon eye," longan has a sweet and floral flavour similar to lychee.
The litchi (or lychee) fruit is native to China and is extensively cultivated in warm tropical climates of Malaysia, Brazil, India, Bangladesh, Taiwan, and Japan.
But one thing is for sure and that is that the dish originated in China, took a journey around the world and came back to Hong Kong stronger than ever. “It actually evolved from a dish made with spare ribs braised in sugar and vinegar. It was a Shanghainese dish that used to be served to the emperor.
How do you make sweet and sour pork red? Restaurants often put a drop of red food coloring to brighten up the color of the dish. You can add this when mixing the sauce. If you don't mind a more natural color, the sauce will get its color from the ketchup and brown sugar.
Sweet and sour pork is a classic Cantonese dish. Its fame is such that the Chinese call it gu lao rou, meaning pork with a long history. Perhaps this has something to do with its origin, which some Chinese writers have linked to the famed sweet and sour spare ribs from Jiangsu province.
Firstly, the taste profile of pork in China has disimproved as changes in genetics, feeding and production strategies due to ASF have impacted and changed the flavour of pork.
Sweet and sour sauce can be used as a dip for deep-fried fish and meat. It can also be used directly in the wok or sauté pan to flavor vegetarian and meat-based dishes. Sweet and sour sauce is neither healthy nor unhealthy and can be part of a nutritious meal plan.
Sweet and Sour Pork is a Cantonese original. At the time of the Qing Dynasty — the last imperial dynasty of China and Mongolia from 1644 to 1912 — westerners to Guangzhou (Guangdong Province) liked Chinese food, one favorite: 'Sweet and Sour Pork Rib', but they did not like the bones.
There are a few sweet pork recipes out there but I've found the best one to be this near-perfect imitation of Cafe Rio's sweet pork. The key ingredients are (besides pork, of course) Coca-Cola, brown sugar, chilis, enchilada sauce, and spices. Accept no substitutions!
However, it is believed that the sweet and sour pork dish was originally made with ribs rather than sliced pork. After eating the dish, these foreigners enjoyed it but didn't like the bones, so they modified the recipe, and chefs ditched the ribs and replaced it with a well-marbled pork shoulder.
This sweet and sour chicken stir-fry is a version of the Asian-style favorite that includes carrots, bell pepper, garlic, and pineapple. The requisite soy sauce and vinegar add the sour to the sweet, and voila! Serve over hot cooked rice, if desired.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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