Sweet and Sour Pork

My dad is a chef, and he's really good at making sweet and sour pork tenderloin. Sweet and sour pork tenderloin is a traditional Chinese dish. When I was 15 years old, my dad passed down the recipe for sweet and sour pork tenderloin to me. Today, I'll share with you how to make this delicious and appetizing dish that will surely whet your appetite.

9 Reviews
9 Comments
POSTED:03/06/2024
Level:Medium
Yield:2-3 servings
Total:45 min
(includes chilling time)
Active:15 min

Sweet and sour pork tenderloin is deliciously tangy, with a crispy exterior and tender interior. Its vibrant red color is enticing and appetizing. When making sweet and sour pork tenderloin, it's crucial to pay attention to the ratio of seasoning ingredients – not too much, not too little. To create an authentic dish, there are a few simple questions and considerations you need to understand about sweet and sour pork tenderloin:


1.What is Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin?

Many people enjoy eating sweet and sour pork tenderloin, but not everyone fully understands what it is. Allow me to introduce this dish to you:

Sweet and sour pork tenderloin is one of the classic traditional Chinese dishes. It is made primarily from pork tenderloin, coated with flour, starch, vinegar, tomato sauce, and other seasonings, resulting in a deliciously tangy flavor that whets the appetite. This dish is found in Hunan cuisine, Shaanxi cuisine, Henan cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, and Fujian cuisine. In China, sweet and sour pork tenderloin is an essential dish on dining tables, enjoyed by a wide range of people, both young and old.


2.The Secrets to Delicious Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin

If you want to make delicious sweet and sour pork tenderloin, it's important to pay attention to the following points:

1. Marinate the pork tenderloin: Marinate the pork tenderloin with cooking wine to remove any unwanted odors. Cut the pork into uniform strips as much as possible to improve the texture of the dish.

2. Coat the pork tenderloin with batter: When coating the pork tenderloin with batter, remember to add two tablespoons of potato starch and mix well to create a crispy and tasty texture after frying.

3. Prepare the sweet and sour sauce: When making the sweet and sour sauce, add water and starch. Vinegar balances the sweetness of the sugar, and sugar enhances the appetizing acidity of the vinegar.

4. Frying technique: When frying the pork tenderloin, allow the batter to set before flipping. Use medium-low heat to fry, and also use low heat when coating with the sweet and sour sauce to avoid burning.


3.The Method for Making Sweet and Sour Sauce

Sweet and sour sauce is an essential condiment for making sweet and sour pork tenderloin. It is commonly used in daily cooking, especially in Cantonese cuisine, where it is an indispensable seasoning. The sweet and sour sauce has a deliciously tangy flavor and a bright color, enhancing the taste of dishes. Poorly made sweet and sour sauce can affect the overall taste of the dish and may also impact its appearance and aroma. Here is a common method for preparing sweet and sour sauce:

Ingredients:

- 2500 grams tomato sauce

- 6500 grams white vinegar

- 250 grams orange juice

- 250 grams granulated sugar

- 1000 grams OK sauce

- 200 grams ice plum sauce

- 1000 grams Zhejiang red vinegar

- 3500 grams rock sugar

- 300 grams ginger

- 300 grams green chili peppers

- 100 grams monosodium glutamate (MSG)

- 10 grams salt

- 0.01 grams red food coloring


4.The Best Cut for Making Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin: Pork Tenderloin

This dish primarily features pork tenderloin, paired with ingredients such as flour, starch, vinegar, and tomato sauce, resulting in a deliciously tangy flavor that whets the appetite. When making sweet and sour pork tenderloin, it's best to use pork tenderloin as the main ingredient. Pork tenderloin is tender and flavorful. If pork tenderloin is not available, lean pork can also be used, but avoid using pure fat or pork belly to ensure a balanced texture and taste.


5.How to Buy Asian Ingredients?

Sweet and sour pork tenderloin requires a variety of Asian ingredients, and it can be challenging to find them all at regular supermarkets. I suggest visiting a nearby Asian grocery store to purchase the necessary ingredients.

The basic seasoning ingredients are generally similar, so if you already have them at home, there's no need to buy them again. If there are no Asian supermarkets nearby, you can consider using substitute ingredients.


Having understood the techniques and methods for making sweet and sour pork tenderloin, I believe everyone now has some knowledge about how to make delicious sweet and sour pork tenderloin. Let's now try making it together!

INGREDIENTS

MAIN INGREDIENTS

  • 500 grams of pork tenderloin

ACCESSORIES

  • 60 grams of cornstarch
  • 80 grams of flour
  • 2 grams of baking powder
  • 10 grams of sugar
  • 150 grams of tomato sauce
  • A pinch of toasted white sesame seeds

SEASONINGS

  • 1 gram of white pepper
  • 1 gram of salt
  • 1 gram of black pepper
  • 1 gram of salt
  • 140 grams of water

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Prepare all ingredients.

Prepare ingredients for a recipe.

STEP 2

Wash the pork tenderloin thoroughly and cut it into strips about the thickness of your little finger.

Wash and cut pork tenderloin into finger-width strips.

STEP 3

Add 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, mix well to marinate and remove any undesirable odor, and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

Tip:

Cooking wine helps to eliminate the fishy odor of the pork tenderloin.

Marinate pork with cooking wine to remove odor; sit for 5 minutes. Use cooking wine to eliminate fishy pork odor.

STEP 4

Then add 1 gram of salt and 1 gram of pepper, mix well to season evenly, and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Tip:

Marinating for 15 minutes allows the pork tenderloin to absorb the flavors better, resulting in a more delicious sweet and sour pork tenderloin.

Season pork with salt and pepper, marinade for 15 mins for better flavor absorption.

STEP 5

Prepare the crispy batter: Mix 80 grams of flour, 60 grams of cornstarch, 2 grams of baking powder, 1 gram of salt, 10 grams of sugar, 1 gram of pepper, and 140 grams of water until well combined.

Tip:

This step ensures the meat's texture is tender, which is crucial for making sweet and sour pork tenderloin.

Make crispy batter for sweet and sour pork: Mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, sugar, pepper, water.

STEP 6

After 15 minutes, coat the pork strips evenly with the batter, shaking off any excess batter.

Coat pork strips with batter after 15 minutes.

STEP 7

Fry the coated pork strips in hot oil over medium heat until golden brown. Remove them from the oil and then increase the temperature to fry them again for a second time.

Fry pork strips twice in hot oil for a crispy golden brown finish.

STEP 8

Prepare the sweet and sour sauce: Mix 150 grams of tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 grams of salt, and half a bowl of water until well combined.

Tip:

The ratio of sweet and sour sauce is crucial, so it's essential to prepare it according to the proportions provided. The deliciousness of the sweet and sour pork tenderloin is directly related to the sweet and sour sauce.

How to make sweet and sour sauce: Key ratios are crucial for delicious pork tenderloin.

STEP 9

Pour the sweet and sour sauce into a pot and bring it to a boil, simmering until it thickens.

Simmer sweet and sour sauce in pot until it thickens.

STEP 10

Add the fried pork tenderloin strips into the sauce, ensuring they are coated evenly. Stir-fry until well combined.

Add fried pork strips to sauce, coat evenly, stir-fry until combined.

STEP 11

Finally, sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. Transfer to a serving plate.

Sprinkle sesame seeds, serve on plate.

Recipe analyzer

  • Recipes: Sweet and Sour Pork
  • Main Ingredients:7
  • Servings per recipe:1
  • Servings size:802 g
Nutritional Summary of Recipe
Amount per 802 g= 1 serving(s)
  • Energy (calories):1309 kcal
    61%
  • Protein:141.03 g
    260%
  • Fat:19.8 g Why gray?
    46%
  • Carbohydrates:130.83 g
    54%
Calorie breakdown
  • Protein: 46%
    597 kcal
  • Fat: 14%
    178 kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 41%
    536 kcal
The chart shows the percentage of calories intake (energy) coming from the respective macronutrients (fats, protein and carbohydrates).
Omega 6 : Omega 3
1:1
20:1
37:1
Both fatty acids are essential, but nowadays the majority of western diets include excessive amounts of Omega 6 acid.

The ratio shows whether the proportion of both fatty acids in your diet is optimal. Red color means too much of Omega 6 or too little of Omega 3. The data are rounded off and approximate.

9 REVIEWS

Review
Your rating:
GenevieveNovember 01, 2024

The sweet and sour goulash is full of happiness in every bite, highly recommended to everyone!
HugoOctober 19, 2024

Goulash is simply my favorite, and I order this dish by name at every potluck.”
FelicityOctober 08, 2024

The goulash made with reference to the recipe was colorful and tasted better than in the restaurant!
reply:
October 10, 2024
Fantastic! We are honored to receive such a great review from you. Home-cooked food often tastes more warm and intimate, and we hope this goulash will bring more joy to your family.
GavinSeptember 27, 2024

This goulash recipe is fantastic! It's sweet and sour and the family loves it.
EloiseSeptember 16, 2024

When making the sweet and sour sauce for goulash, the proportions are always bad, any tips?
reply:
September 19, 2024
The key when making sweet and sour sauce is to balance the sweet and sour flavors. The generally recommended ratio of sugar to vinegar is 1:1, which can be adjusted appropriately according to personal taste
AnnaAugust 01, 2024

Just finished! Very successful starch coating a little thick, but also very tasty, not fishy and not too salty is very appropriate.
WilliamJuly 19, 2024

Sweet and Sour Pork, with its attractive color and flavor, is simple and easy to make for home cooking and potlucks.
jiaojiaoJune 03, 2024

Sweet and sour pork is one of my favorite Chinese dishes, this recipe is especially authentic, I learned how to make it tastes very good, my husband and kids love it!
AnnaJune 03, 2024

I really love this sweet and sour pork, it's so flavorful!
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