Description
This crispy, tangy Sweet & Sour Pork is a better-than-takeout favorite made at home! Juicy pork is coated, fried, then tossed with colorful veggies and pineapple in a glossy, tangy-sweet sauce that hits all the right notes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound pork butt, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white sugar
- 1 egg white
- 2 green onions, chopped
- For Frying:
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 quart vegetable oil
- Veggies:
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
- Pinch of sugar and salt
- Sauce:
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks, undrained
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (for slurry)
- ¼ cup water (for slurry)
Instructions
- Marinate Pork: Combine pork with soy sauce, salt, sugar, egg white, and green onions. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Fry Pork: Heat oil to 365°F. Coat marinated pork pieces in cornstarch. Fry in batches for 8–10 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
- Stir-Fry Veggies: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok. Add celery, bell pepper, and onion. Stir-fry 5 minutes until just tender. Season with a pinch of sugar and salt. Remove and set aside.
- Make Sauce: In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Combine: Add fried pork, veggies, and pineapple with juice to the sauce. Stir to coat, bring back to a gentle boil.
- Thicken: Mix cornstarch and water into a slurry, stir into pan. Cook 2 minutes until thickened and glossy.
- Serve: Serve hot over steamed rice, garnished with green onions or sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
Pork can be swapped with chicken. Add more veggies like carrots or red peppers. For a lighter version, bake or air-fry the pork. Double the sauce for extra drizzling over rice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 650
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 780mg
- Fat: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 95mg