I remember first falling in love with sweet and sour pork at a Chinese restaurant in London’s Chinatown. I loved the sticky, sweet and tangy sauce, the crispy pork, and the special treat of pineapple chunks. Comfort food at its finest.
Fast forward 10 years and my love for the dish remains, although I’m less enchanted with with the overly sweet, vegetable-less versions from Chinese take-out spots. Instead, my husband has a version that his family has been making for years that’s simple yet impressive. We enjoy eating it throughout the year and even making it for guests. This recipe will undoubtedly become a staple in your kitchen, too.
The star of this dish is the sauce (at least for me) and the beauty is in its simplicity. Cider vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and corn starch gradually become dark in color and thick over medium heat.
The next step is to heat peanut oil in a large pan or wok and brown the pork.
Remove from pan and set aside. Add onions and peppers to the pan and cook until softened.
Drain pineapple juice from can while the vegetables are cooking, then add the pineapple chunks to the pan.
Add pork back to the pan and slowly mix in the sauce. Heat everything through and serve with steamed rice.
- 1 lb. pork loin, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 T peanut oil, for frying
- 1 large onion, sliced into rings
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 T corn starch
- 1 8-oz. can of pineapple chunks
- In a sauce pan, combine the cider vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and corn starch. Heat on medium until the sauce becomes thick and the color darkens. The sauce should be thick enough to cling to the whisk. Turn the heat down to Low and stir occasionally to keep the sauce liquified.
- In a large pan or wok, stir fry the pork with 1 T peanut oil until browned.
- Remove pork from the pan.
- Add vegetables to pan and cook over medium heat until softened.
- Drain pineapple juice while vegetables are cooking, then add the chunks to the pan.
- Add pork and sauce to the pan and stir until everything is mixed and warmed through.
- Remove pan from heat and serve with steamed rice.
- Putting the pork in the freezer for 1-2 hours before use will make cutting easier.