My quest for delicious Chinese food continues. One of my son’s favorite dishes to order at a Chinese restaurant is Sweet & Sour Pork or Chicken. Often though, it’s bland, overly sweet and the sauce is an unnatural neon red color.
This recipe uses wholesome ingredients. The batter for the pork gives the meat a nice crispiness that pairs well with the crunchy vegetables.
Don’t let the long list of instructions scare you! Once you assemble and prepare all the ingredients, this dish comes together in just a few quick minutes. Serve immediately, piping hot piled on top of steamed white rice.
This is the second recipe I have tried from an old cookbook I picked up at a local thrift store during a fill a bag with books for only $5. It is fast becoming one of my favorite recipe books! Two out of two 5 star recipes in a row, both the Crispy Shredded Beef and this Sweet & Sour Pork were outstanding! That’s some serious bang for just 5 bucks.
If you have trouble finding bamboo shoots at your local grocery store, you can purchase them online here or here through Amazon. Isn’t the internet great sometimes?
You will want to get the rice going first thing, since it takes the longest to cook.
Learn how to easily cook white rice on your stovetop. No fancy equipment needed.
Once you have the rice going, it’s time to prepare all the ingredients so that when you get the skillet going on the stovetop you have everything ready to go into the pan.
Cut pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch cubes.
Thinly slice onion, chop bell pepper, and thinly slice carrot. Set aside.
Drain bamboo shoots and rinse them under cold water. Cut them in half. Set aside.
Drain pineapple chunks and reserve juice from the can to use for the sauce.
Make the batter:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, baking powder, 1 tablespoon oil and enough water to make a thick smooth batter, about 3/4 cup water. Set aside.
Make the sauce:
In a small bowl mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, vinegar, minced garlic, tomato paste and 6 tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice. Set aside.
Set out 2 plates, one to drain cooked pork and another to drain cooked vegetables.
Now we are ready for the final step to finish the meal.
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet or wok, until almost smoking.
Using tongs, dip cubed pork tenderloin chunks into the batter to coat each pice completely and cook in the hot oil until light, crispy, golden brown and meat is cooked through.
Fry pork in small batches.
Drain cooked pork on one of the paper towel lined plates. Set aside.
Once all the pork is cooked, drain off all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add sliced onion, sliced bell pepper, pineapple chunks, sliced carrot carrot and the bamboo shoots to the pan.
Stir fry for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on second paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
TIP: Saving the empty can from the pineapple chunks to pour off excess oil into the reserved can, makes for easy disposal of the extra oil in the trash.
Next pour the sauce into skillet or wok and bring to a boil, stirring until thickened and clear. Cook for about 1 minute .
Return the cooked pork and cooked vegetables back to the skillet and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Stir to coat all the ingredients with the sauce and ensure everything is heated through.
Pile Sweet & Sour Pork on top of cooked white rice or noodles to serve.
Sweet & Sour Pork
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 12 oz pork tenderloin, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 8 oz can pineapple chunks in juice, reserve juice for sauce
- 1 large carrot, cut into thin slices
- 3 oz bamboo shoots, drained, rinsed, and cut in half
FOR THE BATTER:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
FOR THE SAUCE:
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp tomato paste, ½ a can
- 6 tbsp pineapple juice
TO SERVE:
- Cooked white rice or noodles
Instructions
- Dice meat, slice bell pepper, onion, carrot and bamboo shoots. Set aside.
- Drain canned pineapple chunks, reserving 6 tablespoons of the juice. Set aside.
- Set out 2 plates lined with paper towels; one to drain cooked pork and another to drain cooked vegetables.
Prepare sauce:
- In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, rice vinegar, minced garlic, tomato paste and reserved pineapple juice. Set aside.
Prepare batter:
- Make the batter by sifting together the flour, baking powder and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and stir in just enough water to make a thick smooth batter (about ¾ cup).
Cook stir fry:
- Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok until hot.
- Season cubes of pork with salt.
- Using tongs, dip cubed pork tenderloin into the batter to coat and cook in the hot oil until light, crispy, golden brown and meat is cooked through. Fry in small batches. Drain cooked pork on a paper towel lined plate.
- Drain off all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add onion, bell pepper, pineapple, carrot and bamboo shoots to the pan and stir fry for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Pour sauce into skillet or wok. Bring to a boil, stirring until thickened and clear. Cook for 1 minute.
- Return cooked pork and vegetables back to the skillet and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Serve:
- Pile Sweet & Sour Pork on top of cooked white rice or noodles.
Don’t let the long list of instructions scare you! Once you assemble and prepare all the ingredients, this dish comes together in just a few quick minutes.
This meal was DELICIOUS!!! No leftovers! We were wiping our plates clean, and there are only 3 of us. It was seriously better than any sweet & sour pork I’ve ever ordered at any Chinese restaurant. Hands down best sweet & sour I’ve ever eaten!
I encourage you to give this recipe a try. You won’t be disappointed! I promise! Let me know if you love this as much as we do.
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This looks fabulous. I am going to try it!
This looks absolutely delicious, and I can hardly wait to try it! Thank you for sharing this yummy looking dish!