Sweet and Sour Pork (咕噜肉, Cantonese Style)

Prep Time: 35 mins | Cook Time: 25 mins | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 4

This Cantonese Style Sweet and Sour Pork are the best! An amazing dinner option with crispy pork, pineapples, peppers, and onions tossed and coated in a mouthwatering sticky sweet, and sour sauce. Serve this with rice for an easy, filling meal that your family will love!

Ingredients

Fruits and Veggies:

1 pepper (any color, cut into 1” cubes)

½ white onion (cut into 1” cubes)

1 c. pineapple (best to use fresh pineapple, but canned pineapple works too)

Pork Marinade:

4-5 slices ginger (grated, about 2 tbsp)

1 small onion (grated, about ¼ c.)

1 pound pork shoulder (cut into 1” pieces)

3 cloves garlic (grated, about 1½ tbsp)

2 tbsp soy sauce

Batter:

1 c. potato starch (divided in ½ – or substitute with corn starch)

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

2 tbsp oil

4 tbsp tomato paste

½ c. white vinegar

¼ c. water

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ c. sugar

Corn Starch Slurry (To Thicken Sauce):

1 tbsp cold water

1 tbsp cornstarch

How to make Sweet and Sour Pork (咕噜肉, Cantonese Style)

Step 1: Into 1-inch pieces, slice the onions and peppers. Set aside.

Step 2: Core and peel the fresh pineapples, then slice them into 1-inch pieces. Set aside. If using canned pineapple (rings), drain and slice them into 1-inch chunks. Place the pieces in a bowl and set aside.

To Marinate the Pork:

Step 3: Into 1-inch pieces, slice the pork and place them in a bowl.

Step 4: In the bowl with the pork, add the grated ginger, garlic, and onion. Or instead of grating, you can finely chop the ginger, garlic, and onion into small pieces, then blitz them in a food processor. To help them blend smoothly, you can add soy sauce to the food processor. Then, add the mixture to the pork in the bowl.

Step 5: Into the bowl, add the soy sauce and mix well. Let the pork marinade for at least 1 hour.

Battering & Deep Frying the Pork:

Step 6: In the bowl or plate, slightly separate the marinated meat to make sure they are not clumped together.

Step 7: Over the meat, add half of the potato starch. Toss gently until all the pieces are coated. Set aside for about 5 minutes to ensure the potato starch absorbed the marinade.

Step 8: On a large plate, place the remaining potato starch. Dip the pork one by one.

Step 9: If using a deep fryer, set it to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C. If using a frying pan or shallow pot, heat at least 1 inch of oil over medium heat.

Step 10: Once the oil is hot, add the meat (in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan) and sear for about 5 minutes until brown and crispy. For very crispy pork, take the pork out of the pan once done frying and let the pork sit for about a minute. After a minute, re-fry the pork for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Step 11: On a rack or plate lined with a paper bag or newspaper, transfer the crispy pork and set aside.

To Assemble:

Step 12: Add 2 to 3 tbsp oil in a clean frying pan and heat over medium heat. Once hot, add the tomato pasta and toast for about 1 to 2 minutes or until the oil is orange. Pour in the white vinegar, water, and soy sauce. Stir well and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Step 13: Dissolve the cornstarch in cold water in a small bowl. Into the sauce, gradually pour the mixture, stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened.

Step 14: then, add the peppers along with the pineapples and onions. Continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Into smaller pieces, separate the onion chunks using a spatula.

Step 15: Add the crispy pork and toss to coat. Make sure to quickly toss the pork with the sauce for no more than 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then, turn the heat off. Serve the sweet and sour pork right away with rice. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts: