Twice-fried pork shoulder lacquered in a glossy pineapple-pepper sauce — this is sweet and sour pork the way a Hong Kong kitchen builds it, where the crust stays crisp under the sauce instead of surrendering to it. Sweet, tangy and bright with fresh pineapple, it lands somewhere far better than any takeaway box.
It’s one of the 20 recipes inside our Chinese Cookbook, and we’re sharing this sweet and sour pork in full so you can taste the standard before you buy the book. The hands-on time is short — the whole dish comes together in about 40 minutes from bowl to bowl.
Why this recipe works
The secret is frying the pork twice. A first fry at 160°C cooks the cubes through and sets a craggy cornstarch crust; a short rest lets steam escape, then a second, hotter fry at 190°C locks in that deep-amber crunch. Because you glaze the pork off the heat for just 20 seconds, the crust never softens — you keep the shine and the crackle at the same time.
Ingredients
Pork & coating
- 400 g pork shoulder, cut in 3 cm cubes
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce + 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
- 80 g cornstarch + 1 tbsp plain flour
Sauce & stir-fry
- 4 tbsp ketchup + 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar + 1 tbsp soy
- 1 red + 1 green bell pepper, chunked
- 150 g fresh pineapple chunks + ½ onion
Optional garnish
- A few coriander leaves scattered on top
Serves 2 · Prep 20 min · Cook 20 min · 684 kcal per serving
Instructions
- Marinate and coat the pork. Toss the pork cubes with soy sauce, Shaoxing and egg yolk and stand 15 minutes. Mix cornstarch with flour in a wide bowl. Drop the marinated pork in and press firmly so each cube takes a thick craggy crust; shake off excess.
- First fry for structure. Heat neutral oil in a wok to 160°C. Fry the pork in two batches for 4 minutes until pale gold and cooked through. Lift out and rest on a rack for 2 minutes so the crust sets and steam escapes, which is the key to the final crunch.
- Second fry and build the sauce. Raise the oil to 190°C and fry the pork 90 seconds until deep amber and crisp; drain. Pour off all but 1 tbsp oil. Stir-fry onion and peppers 1 minute over high heat, add pineapple, then whisk in ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, soy and 80 ml water.
- Lacquer and serve. Slacken 2 tsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp water and stir into the bubbling sauce until it turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Slide in the pork, toss 20 seconds just to glaze each cube, and serve at once over steamed jasmine rice.
Chef’s tip
Never simmer the pork in the sauce. Toss fast off the heat or the crust softens — that glossy lacquer lives in the last 20 seconds of the pan.
Get the full Chinese Cookbook
Loved this one? It’s a single recipe from a 20-strong collection of Chinese classics built the same way — clear ingredients, exact temperatures, no guesswork. Grab the full Chinese Cookbook below.
