Sweet and Sour Pork
Crispy battered pork tossed with peppers and pineapple in a glossy, tangy sweet-and-sour sauce — crowd-pleasing Chinese takeaway at home.
This sweet and sour pork nails the kit‑chen-takeaway vibe without you having to queue. Crisp battered pork pieces get a glossy, tangy sauce with sweet pineapple and crunchy peppers.
It’s a brilliant midweek showstopper — make the batter and sauce while the oil warms, then fry and finish in a flash. Serve with plain boiled rice or egg-fried rice if you like.
Don’t be frightened of deep-frying — a thermometer and a couple of small batches are all you need for brilliant crunch.
Ingredients
- 500 g pork loin — trimmed and cut into 2.5 cm pieces
- 80 g plain flour
- 120 g cornflour
- 5 ml baking powder
- 1 egg — large
- 150 ml cold water — chilled — for batter and cornflour slurry
- 15 ml light soy sauce
- 5 ml salt
- 5 ml ground black pepper
- 600 ml vegetable oil — for deep frying
- 1 red pepper — deseeded and cut into 3 cm pieces
- 1 green pepper — deseeded and cut into 3 cm pieces
- 400 g tinned pineapple in juice — 400 g tin — reserve 80 ml of the juice and drain the chunks
- 80 g caster sugar
- 80 ml tomato ketchup
- 60 ml rice vinegar
- 5 ml sesame oil
- 2 spring onions — finely sliced, to garnish
- 15 ml toasted sesame seeds — to garnish
Equipment
- deep-fat thermometer
- wire rack and baking tray
- wok or large frying pan
- small saucepan
Instructions
Put the pork pieces in a bowl, add the light soy sauce and ground black pepper, mix to coat and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
Make the batter: in a large bowl whisk together the plain flour, 80 g of the cornflour, the baking powder and the salt. Add the egg and about 120 ml of the cold water and whisk to a smooth, slightly thick batter (add the rest of the water only if needed). The batter should coat without sliding off too quickly.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep wok or a deep frying pan to 180°C (use a deep-fat thermometer). Work in batches to avoid overcrowding.
Pat the marinated pork dry on kitchen paper, dip each piece into the batter to coat, then carefully lower into the hot oil. Fry in batches for 4–5 minutes per batch until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a wire rack set over a baking tray.
Wipe the wok clean (or use a second large frying pan). Add a splash of vegetable oil and stir-fry the red pepper and green pepper over a high hob for about 2 minutes until just tender-crisp. Remove and set aside.
Make the sauce: pour the reserved 80 ml pineapple juice from the tin into a small saucepan, add the caster sugar, tomato ketchup, rice vinegar and the sesame oil. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
Make a slurry by mixing 2 tbsp (about 20 g) cornflour with 30 ml cold water. Whisk the slurry into the simmering sauce and cook, stirring, for about 1–2 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened.
Add the drained pineapple chunks, the fried pork and the cooked peppers into the pan with the sauce. Toss gently over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes so everything is coated and warmed through.
Transfer to a warm serving plate, scatter over the sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds, and serve immediately.
Tips
- Keep the batter cold and the oil hot — that temperature contrast is what makes the coating super-crisp.
- Use a wire rack set over a baking tray to drain fried pieces; kitchen paper will absorb too much oil and make them soggy.
- If you prefer less frying, shallow-fry the pork in a little oil until golden and finish through in a preheated 200°C fan/220°C conventional oven for 6–8 minutes.
- Make the sauce up to a day ahead and reheat gently; add the pineapple and fried pork only at the end to preserve texture.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days; reheat in a hot oven (200°C fan/220°C conventional) on a wire rack to revive the crispness.
Substitutions
pork loin → pork shoulder, 500 g, for a juicier but slightly fattier result
Stays closelight soy sauce → tamari, same quantity, to make the dish gluten-free (if tamari is labelled GF)
Stays closecaster sugar → honey, 60 g, will add more floral sweetness and change sauce texture slightly
Noticeably differenttinned pineapple in juice → fresh pineapple, 250 g, peeled and cut into chunks — slightly less syrupy, a touch firmer
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 630
- Calories
- 36 g
- Protein
- 71 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 30 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I bake the pork instead of deep-frying?
Yes — coat and shallow-fry to colour, then finish on a wire rack in a preheated 200°C fan/220°C conventional oven for 6–8 minutes. It won’t be quite as crisp as deep-frying but is much lighter.
How do I stop the batter going soggy under the sauce?
Keep batter cold, fry until deeply golden and drain on a wire rack. Add the sauce at the end and toss briefly just to glaze — prolonged cooking softens the coating.
Can I make the sauce ahead?
Yes — make and refrigerate the sauce for up to 48 hours. Reheat gently, stir in the pineapple then add the fried pork and peppers only at the last minute.
Why did my batter fall off the pork?
Most likely the pork was too wet or the batter too thin. Pat the meat dry before dipping and aim for a batter that coats rather than runs off; chill the batter if your kitchen is warm.
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