Sweet & Sour Pork Recipe with Onion, Pineapple & Bell Pepper
This sweet and sour pork recipe makes extra crispy, moist pieces of pork. It's a great option for dinner parties.
Equipment
- Tongs, spatula, or wooden spoon
- Small strainer, optional
- Pot for frying
- saucepan
- Cooling rack and paper towels
- Optional larger pan for stir-frying if everything is in the saucepan
- Instant read thermometer
Ingredients
FRYING PORK
- 1 lb pork butt cut into ½ inch cubes
- 148 g (19 tbsp) cornstarch
- 2.4 g (¾ tsp) salt for seasoning
- 45 g (6 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- neutral cooking oil vegetable oil preferred
- 1.8 g (1.8 tsp) salt for dry batter
- 2 large eggs beaten
SAUCE
- ½ fl oz (1 tbsp) garlic oil
- 1 fl oz (2 tbsp) apple cider vinegar
- 2 fl oz (4 tbsp) tomato sauce
- ¼ c pineapples cut into ¼ inch cubes
- 2 g (½ tsp) MSG (monosodium glutamate)
- 5 g (2 tsp) cornstarch▢ 12 fl oz (1½ c) filtered water
- ½ medium onion cut into ¾" pieces
- 100 g (½ c) granulated white sugar
- ½ medium bell pepper cut into ¾" pieces
Instructions
FRYING PORK
- Mix the pork in a bowl. Add the salt to the bowl. Mix until the salt is evenly distributed. Allow the pork to marinate on the counter for at least 10 minutes.
- While the meat rests on the counter prepare your dredging station by preparing three separate bowls. Add 1/2 c (62.5 grams) cornstarch to the first bowl.
- Add the egg to the second bowl and gently beat it with a fork or a whisk.
- Combine the remaining cornstarch, all-purpose flour, salt, and the other ingredients in the last bowl.
- To make the pork cubes whiter, first dip them in the cornstarch. Next, cover them with the starch completely. Continue the process for the remaining meat. Let the cornstarch-covered meat rest for 5 minutes on the cooling rack before you move on. This helps to absorb excess water from the meat, and the batter sticks better to it.
- Next, take the pork cubes and cover them in cornstarch. Dip them into the beaten eggs and then immediately cover them with cornstarch and all purpose flour mix (the contents from the third bowl). Then place it on a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Allow all meat to rest covered in dredging for at minimum 10 minutes so that the crust can stick to it.
- While your pork dredging is taking place, heat your frying pan. Add enough vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Heat the oil to 375°F.
- First fry After resting, carefully lower the pieces of pork into the oil. Fry for approximately 2 minutes per batch. Turn them occasionally to ensure even cooking. Don't crowd the pot with too many pieces. I usually add 5 to a batch. The instant-read thermometer will tell you when the pork is pale and reaches 145 degrees F in the middle. The crust should be lightly crispy. Transfer the fried crust to a clean, paper towel-lined cooling rack. Continue to fry the remaining pork. Left: Pork fried once; right: Pork fried twice
- Second fry: Place the fried pork pieces back in the oil. Continue to fry for approximately 2 minutes, or until they are light brown and about 200 degrees F. After you take them out of the oil, their color will become slightly darker. Place them back on the cooling rack after you have removed them from the oil. Continue to fry the remaining meat until it is fully cooked.
SAUCE
- Place the garlic oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir fry for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Stir in the tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar and sugar to the pan.
- Combine the cornstarch with water in a separate bowl until well combined. Combine the mixture in a separate bowl and heat on medium-high to bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes. Stir continuously until it becomes maple syrup-like consistency. At this point, the sauce should have a darker orange-red color. The final texture should be as shown in the photo.
- Taste and add the msg. You can adjust any flavors as you like. You can make it sweeter by adding sugar or vinegar.
- Cook the onion for approximately 1 minute. Next, add the bell pepper and pineapples. Combine the sauce and mix well.
- Stir in the fried pieces of pork and continue to stir until the pork is coated. The sauce should not be too thick to cover the fried pork. Serve immediately