Make This Sweet and Sour Pork With Pineapple Recipe (2024)

By

Liv Wan

Liv Wan is a former professional chef who has published three cookbooks about Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Updated on 02/1/23

Tested by

Lauryn Bodden

Make This Sweet and Sour Pork With Pineapple Recipe (1)

Tested byLauryn Bodden

Lauryn is Food Editor for The Spruce Eats, creating recipes and cooking guides for all palates and expertise.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

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Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Marinate Time: 40 mins

Total: 90 mins

Servings: 4 servings

155 ratings

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This sweet and sour pork with pineapple recipe is a favorite Cantonese dish in both America and China. Adding a bit of pineapple gives it an extra-sweet kick of flavor that anyone would enjoy. This style of cooking with sauces is popular in much of Cantonese cuisine. The sauce recipe included here can be incorporated into other meals if desired. While this dish takes some timeto make, the outcome is truly worth the effort.

Make This Sweet and Sour Pork With Pineapple Recipe (3)

"This saucy dish requires a good amount of time to prepare, but the actual prep is a breeze. It's a sticky, sweet delight, sure to be a crowd-pleaser." —Lauryn Bodden

Make This Sweet and Sour Pork With Pineapple Recipe (4)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:

  • 1 cup water

  • 1/2 cup ketchup

  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar

  • 1/2 cup rock sugar, or granulated sugar

  • 1/2 tablespoon potato starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water

  • Kosher salt, to taste

For the Pork Marinade:

  • 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon rice wine

  • 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • 3 tablespoons corn flour, or cornstarch

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the Stir-Fry:

  • 3 cups neutral cookingoil, for deep-frying the pork

  • 1 clove garlic, sliced

  • 1/2 small white onion, finely diced

  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch diamond shapes

  • 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch diamond shapes

  • 3 1/2 ounces fresh pineapple, or canned pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks

  • 1/2 tablespoon white sesame seeds, for garnish

Steps to Make It

Prepare Sweet and Sour Sauce

  1. Gather the ingredients.

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  2. Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan and stir to mix evenly. Place over medium-high heat.

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  3. Stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the sauce, continuing to stir, until the texture has turned thick and sticky, about 25 minutes.

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Marinate the Pork

  1. Gather the ingredients.

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  2. Place the pork in a bowl and add both kinds of soy sauce, rice wine, five-spice powder, ground white pepper, and minced garlic; marinate for 10 minutes.

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  3. Add the egg, corn flour, and all-purpose flour into the pork marinade and mix evenly. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

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Stir-Fry the Pork

  1. Gather the ingredients.

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  2. Heat the oil to 325F/170 C in a wok or deep saucepan.

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  3. Gently slide in some of the pork tenderloin cubes, without overcrowding, and deep-fry, in batches if necessary, until golden brown in color, stirring occasionally. Make sure the oil comes back up to temperature before each batch.

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  4. Place the cooked pork on a plate lined with a couple of sheets of paper towel.

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  5. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the wok and stir-fry the garlic and onion over medium-high heat until fragrant.

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  6. Add the bell peppers and pineapple to the wok and stir-fry for a minute or two.

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  7. Return the pork to the wok, along with the sweet and sour sauce, and mix evenly. You can add as much sweet and sour sauce as you prefer.

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  8. Garnish with the sesame seeds. Serve with cooked white rice, if desired.

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Tip

  • You can test the oil temperature by dipping a chopstick into a little bit of the pork marinade and then putting it in the oil; if the oil immediately bubbles, then the temperature is correct.

What's the difference between light soy sauce and dark soy sauce?

Light soy sauce is the most common type usedin Chinese cooking and is what most North Americans would think of as "regular" soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is, as the name suggests, darker, richer, and sweeter in flavor, thanks to a longer aging period and the addition of caramel and sometimes molasses. For this recipe, if you only have light soy sauce in your pantry, feel free to use it in place of the dark soy sauce.

Recipe Variation

  • This recipe will not have the red tint found in typical Chinese restaurant sweet and sour dishes; if you would like your dish to look the same, add some red food coloring to the sauce.

Is sweet and sour pork unhealthy?

Because of the amount of ketchup, sugar, and pineapple in the recipe, the sugar content is higher compared to other Chinese dishes; there are 35 grams of sugar per serving in this sweet and sour pork, while in a recipe such as orange pork stir-fry there are only 5 grams. Therefore, it is best to eat this dish in moderation.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
571Calories
25g Fat
52g Carbs
34g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories571
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g32%
Saturated Fat 3g16%
Cholesterol 129mg43%
Sodium 852mg37%
Total Carbohydrate 52g19%
Dietary Fiber 2g7%
Total Sugars 35g
Protein 34g
Vitamin C 121mg604%
Calcium 57mg4%
Iron 3mg15%
Potassium 829mg18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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Make This Sweet and Sour Pork With Pineapple Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How is sweet and sour pork created? ›

The dish consists of deep-fried pork cut into bite-sized pieces and subsequently stir-fried in a more customized version of sweet and sour sauce made of sugar, ketchup, white vinegar, and soy sauce and additional ingredients including pineapple, green pepper (capsicum), and onion.

How do Chinese make pork so tender? ›

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.

Where does sweet and sour pork with pineapple come from? ›

This dish of deep-fried pork, often stir-fried with pineapple and bell peppers then covered in a brightly coloured sauce, is possibly one of the best-known Chinese dishes outside China. It is widely believed to be a Cantonese dish, and is called in the local dialect.

What is Chinese food sweet and sour sauce made of? ›

Sweet and sour Chinese dishes apply to only perhaps 3 or 4 menu dishes. But it is quite easy to make : just combine some vinegar, ketchup, sugar, pineapple juice and water. Add some cornstarch to thicken. Throw is some sliced bell pepper, pineapple bits, and onions.

What is a substitute for pineapple juice in sweet and sour pork? ›

Swap the pineapples for these instead: the sourness with vinegar and the sweetness with sugar. Vinegar is just as sour as pineapples but without the sweetness. That can be remedied by using sugar. Both are an easy and simple ingredient substitutes that you already have!

Is sweet and sour pork real Chinese food? ›

Sweet and sour pork is the most entry-level of Chinese dishes. Few people, young or old, can resist the combination of deep-fried cuts of meat cloaked with that enticingly tangy sauce. The origins of this dish, however, are a bit murky because there are several lines of evolution.

Why is sweet and sour pork so red? ›

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.

What makes pork so delicious? ›

First, make sure you're buying pork from the shoulder or belly. These pig parts have more fat, which means they'll be more flavorful. You should also look for bacon that has been cured with salt and sugar. This will give it a delicious salty-sweet flavor.

Does lemon juice make pork tender? ›

Lemon juice and vinegar are often used in marinades for meat for several reasons: Acid: Both lemon juice and vinegar contain acid, which helps to break down the muscle fibers in meat, making it more tender. This is especially helpful for tougher cuts of meat, such as flank steak or chicken thighs.

What spices tenderize pork? ›

Brine the pork.

Brining involves soaking your meat in salt water to increase the tenderness and moistness of the final dish. Brines always contain salt and water, but can also include other ingredients for added flavor like apple cider, brown sugar, rosemary, and thyme.

What does baking soda do to pork? ›

Briefly soaking meat in a solution of baking soda and water raises the pH on the meat's surface, making it more difficult for the proteins to bond excessively, which keeps the meat tender and moist when it's cooked.

What does pineapple juice do to pork? ›

Pineapple is mainly used in the form of juice to the marinade to tenderize the meat and add flavor. However, pineapple pulp in minced form can also be used for the same purpose.

Does pineapple tenderize pork? ›

Pineapples contain bromelian, an enzyme that breaks down the protein strands in meat, making it more tender. Papayas, which contain an enzyme called papain, perform a similar trick on meats. Either fruit can be pureed and used in a meat marinade.

Does pineapple break down pork? ›

Once again, we have a natural approach to solving a problem – in this case tenderizing meat. Pineapples produce a mixture of several enzymes that can be used to tenderize meats.

What is the Chinese characters for sweet and sour pork? ›

Sweet and sour pork (咕噜肉) sits among some of the most well-known Chinese dishes outside of China. It's widely believed to be a Cantonese dish, known colloquially as gú lóuh yuhk, which roughly translates to “ancient pork.”

What is sweet pork made of? ›

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!

What is sweet and sour pork in China? ›

The sweet and sour pork in China is quite different from the American version, though. The takeout style is usually heavily battered, deep fried, and swamped in a pool of very sugary sauce. On the other hand, in the Chinese version the pork is cut into thin strips, lightly coated with a batter and fried until crispy.

What are the allergens in sweet and sour pork? ›

Allergens Recipe may contain gluten, wheat, egg, groundnut and soybean.

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