Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Hong Kong-style Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple
菠蘿咕嚕肉
Recipe overview
Hong Kong-style sweet and sour pork uses 3 cm boneless pork shoulder cubes with a light egg, flour and cornstarch coating. First fry at about 165°C to set the crust, then fry again at about 185°C for crispness. Ketchup, white vinegar, sugar, pineapple juice and Worcestershire sauce are cooked with pineapple, bell peppers and onion; toss in pork only for the final 15–20 seconds.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 600 g pork shoulder
- 200 g fresh pineapple
- about 80 g green bell pepper
- about 80 g red bell pepper
- about 100 g onion
- 1 egg
- 50 g all-purpose flour
Pork marinade
- 1 teaspoon Light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (Omit for children or an alcohol-free version)
- 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- A pinch White pepper (Optional for children)
Thin crisp coating
- 80 g Cornstarch (Mix with the all-purpose flour for a thin coating)
Sweet-and-sour sauce
- 4 tablespoons Ketchup
- 3 tablespoons White vinegar (Adjust after tasting)
- 3 tablespoons Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (Optional; do not replace with another strong sauce)
- A pinch Salt (Add only after tasting cooked sauce)
Sweet-and-sour sauce slurry
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Water (Re-stir and add gradually)
Oil for deep-frying
- About 800 ml Cooking oil (Enough for cubes to float; cool completely before handling)
Oil for vegetables
- 1 teaspoon Cooking oil
02
Tools
- Chinese wok or deep fryer
- Chinese wok or deep fryer
- large frying pan
- spatula
- skimmer
- tongs
- deep-fry thermometer
- large and small bowls
- two shallow dishes
- strainer
- measuring cup
- knife
- cutting board
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- chopsticks
- kitchen paper
- metal draining rack
- heat-resistant gloves and white serving platter.
- oven mitts
03
Steps
Step 1
Trim pork
Remove sinew, bone fragments, blood and excess fat; pat dry.
Step 2
Cut cubes
Cut even 3 cm boneless cubes; separate tiny trimmings.
Step 3
Marinate
Mix soy, wine, sugar, salt and pepper for 15 minutes; never long-marinate with fresh pineapple juice.
Step 4
Prepare produce
Cut pineapple, peppers and onion to 2.5 cm; reserve 50 ml unsweetened pineapple juice.
Step 5
Mix sauce
Combine pineapple juice, ketchup, vinegar, sugar and Worcestershire sauce; separately mix cornstarch slurry.
Step 6
Coat lightly
Add beaten egg little by little, then roll cubes in flour-cornstarch and tap off loose flour.
Step 7
Heat oil
Heat enough oil to about 165°C. Keep water away from hot oil, keep children away, and never leave frying unattended.
Step 8
First fry
Fry small batches 3–4 minutes until pale gold and set; gently separate with a skimmer and drain on a metal rack.
Step 9
Second fry
Raise oil to about 185°C and refry batches 45–60 seconds. The largest cube must reach at least 63°C and rest 3 minutes with no raw centre.
Step 10
Stir-fry produce
Stir-fry onion 30 seconds, peppers 30 seconds and pineapple 20 seconds in 1 teaspoon oil; keep crisp.
Step 11
Finish sauce
Add sauce and gently bubble; re-stir slurry and add gradually until bright red-orange, thin and flowing. Taste before salting.
Step 12
Quick toss
Add freshly double-fried pork and toss only 15–20 seconds, then plate immediately.
Common mistakes
- Uneven cubes cook unevenly—cut 3 cm
- wet pork splatters—pat dry
- long pineapple marinade turns meat mushy—use juice only for sauce
- too much egg causes a heavy shell—add gradually
- loose flour burns—tap it off
- below 165°C makes greasy pork—use a thermometer
- overcrowding cools oil—fry batches
- hard stirring before set strips coating—separate gently
- one fry is less crisp—double-fry
- long 185°C frying burns meat—limit to 45–60 seconds
- colour alone is unsafe—check 63°C and rest 3 minutes
- overcooked vegetables release water—stir-fry briefly
- all slurry at once turns gluey—add gradually
- early sauce softens pork—toss only at the end
- over-reduced sauce becomes sticky—stop when it lightly coats
- hot oil in a sink causes burns, fire and blockages—cool completely first.
Tips
Pork shoulder stays tender; even cubes cook together; never marinate long with pineapple juice; use egg sparingly; tap coating; prepare skimmer, rack and tray first; thermometer is more accurate; fry in batches; drain on a metal rack; make sauce straight after refrying; keep peppers crisp; re-stir slurry; sauce should lightly coat, not gel; toss pork last; never leave hot oil or let children approach; keep water away; cool oil fully before filtering or disposal; pineapple-allergic diners must not eat this dish.
