There's nothing worse than soggy sweet and sour pork. It’s that immaculate balance of crisp batter, juicy pork, and sticky sauce that makes this dish a crowd favorite. But sometimes, you end up with a plate that’s all too soft.
Cooking sweet and sour pork at home ensures that every piece is crisped to perfection. Using cornstarch is one step to achieve this. We like to amp it up by double-frying the pork.
Double-frying forms an earth-shatteringly crisp outer shell that stays crunchy, even under a thick sauce. Start by frying your pork at a lower temperature first, until your meat is just cooked but not yet golden or crispy. Let it rest for a bit while you crank up the heat. You want to fry the pork again, but this time at a higher temperature for less time. This crisps up the pork’s outside without overcooking the inside.
Ingredients in sweet and sour pork
Sweet and sour pork typically has four components:
- Bite-sized pork. Often shoulder (kasim) or tenderloin cut into smaller pieces.
- Batter. A light batter, often made with cornstarch or a mix of flour and starch, makes the pork crispy. Double-frying takes it one step further.
- Vegetables. Bell peppers, pineapple chunks, and onions add crunch and sweetness.
- Sweet & sour sauce. Ketchup, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce with a small hit of MSG.
This recipe makes a basic sweet and sour pork we all know and love. To push it further, you can experiment with different fruits (like lychees or strawberries) and sauces (like tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, or plum sauce) to taste.
What is Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)?
You’ve probably seen Shaoxing wine used in many Chinese recipes. But what is it exactly, and what does it even do?
Shaoxing wine comes from the city of Shaoxing in the Zhejiang province of China. Made from fermenting glutinous rice, it has a dark amber color with a slight sweet taste that’s perfect for cooking and drinking. This is perfect for marinating meats as it eliminates those funky, meaty odors. You can even use it for stir fries or braises when deglazing the bottom of your pan.
Note that not all Chinese cooking wines are automatically Shaoxing wine. Unless it’s specified, then it’s just plain Chinese cooking wine—a saltier, spiced variant of Shaoxing. For this recipe, either will work totally fine. It may be hard to find these cooking wines, so use whatever you can find at your nearest Chinese grocery.
If there’s no Shaoxing wine in stock, don’t panic. Plain soju, mirin, and dry sherry all work exceptionally well. If you’re looking for a non-alcoholic option, you can skip it all together.
Ingredients
Double-Fried Crunchy Pork
- 500g pork kasim (shoulder), sliced ¼-inch thick
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup cornstarch
- ⅔ cup flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- neutral oil, for frying
Sweet and Sour Pork
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 4 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp MSG (optional)
- ½ tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- ½ cup red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into chunks
- ½ cup green bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into chunks
- ½ cup onions, sliced into chunks
- ½ cup pineapple chunks
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Prepare pork: Place pork slices in a mixing bowl. Add cooking wine, five spice powder, and sesame oil. Toss pork slices until evenly coated in marinade. Marinate the meat at room temperature for 20 minutes.
In another bowl, mix cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper until well incorporated. Coat pork slices in prepared dredge. Make sure to press in the flour mixture onto each slice to form a nice, even coating.
Fry pork: Heat oil in a deep pot or wok set over medium heat. When the oil registers 320°F or 160°C in an instant-read thermometer, drop pork in batches. Fry until light brown, about 4-6 minutes. Transfer fried pork to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and let the oil heat up to 350°F or 180°C. Place the pork back into oil and fry until golden brown and crispy all over, about 2-3 minutes. Return fried pork to the wire rack or paper-towel lined plate. Carefully transfer the oil to a heat-proof container, leaving 1 tablespoon in the pot or wok.
Make sauce: In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, MSG, and pepper. Whisk until sugar is dissolved.
Add garlic to the pot or wok over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until fragrant. Add bell peppers, onions, and pineapples. Turn the heat up to high and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Pour the sauce in. Once it begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer.
In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon of water. Add the slurry to the sauce, stirring quickly to thicken.
Toss in pork: Add fried pork to the pan and toss until each piece is well-coated in sauce. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish. Serve with freshly steamed rice.
