- Recipes By Course
- Mains
- Mains By Ingredient
- Pork Mains
This easy stir-fry of pork with vegetables and sweet-and-sour sauce uses a great, hassle-free water-velveting technique for tender, silky strips of meat.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__mt-static__support__uploads__profile_2-97795df7fb024ec59278b0e48d1e9140.png "Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (1)")
Trending Videos
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__recipes__images__2014__07__20140714-stir-fry-sweet-and-sour-pork-shao-zhong-9-04166beeeb7d40bfaf418138b0344c95.jpg "Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (2)")
Why It Works
- Marinating the pork strips in a mixture of cornstarch, egg white, wine, and seasonings—a process known as velveting—guarantees silky, tender meat.
- Par-cooking the meat in a bath of boiling water with just a little oil is much easier for home cooks than the more traditional hot-oil-bath velveting method, with equally good results.
I previously explained water-velveting: a meat-tenderizing technique I prefer to use when stir-frying at home instead of the more traditional oil-heavy method. In my side-by-side tests, I saw almost no differences between stir-fries made with the water method and those made with the oil method.
This delicious sweet-and-sour pork stir-fry is one of the recipes I'm sharing that uses the water-velveting technique. And for those of you who don't eat pork, this recipe also works well with chicken; just substitute strips of chicken breast for the pork and follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Here's how I make it:
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2014__07__20140714-stir-fry-sweet-and-sour-pork-shao-zhong-2-3ecb447b31c84bc98c0af7efe83e98e6.jpg "Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (3)")
I start by marinating the pork in a mixture of egg white, cornstarch, wine, and seasonings for 30 minutes, just as I would with traditional velveting. But then, instead of par-cooking the pork in a hot oil bath, I use water with just a small amount of oil floating on top.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2014__07__20140714-stir-fry-sweet-and-sour-pork-shao-zhong-3-7618d303e3b84f7ab194b77af078819b.jpg "Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (4)")
I cook the pork until it's nearly, but not all the way, cooked through, then remove it from the water. It's important to let the meat dry well afterward, since adding very wet meat to the stir-fry will halt the browning that you're aiming for. Several good shakes in a colander should do it.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2014__07__20140714-stir-fry-sweet-and-sour-pork-shao-zhong-5-0c18219ab9064bd3b40249f84001524e.jpg "Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (5)")
Then I clean my wok, add a small amount of oil and start my stir fry, here with onion and bell peppers.
I add the velveted pork next and give it a good toss.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2014__07__20140714-stir-fry-sweet-and-sour-pork-shao-zhong-6-7114016b16f240a78fe75b8d1aa00d2c.jpg "Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (6)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2014__07__20140714-stir-fry-sweet-and-sour-pork-shao-zhong-7-7e96922ae35a450a92ed088cf170a00e.jpg "Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (7)")
Then it's time for the sauce! I start by pushing the pork and vegetables up the side of the wok so that the sauce sits in the bottom by itself and begins to boil. Once it's boiling, I stir it all together until the sauce has thickened and coats the meat and vegetables. After tossing in some pineapple chunks, the dish is ready to serve.
July 2014
Recipe Details
Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
Prep5 mins
Cook20 mins
Active30 mins
Marinating Time30 mins
Total55 mins
Serves2 servings
Ingredients
For the Pork:
1 tablespoon egg white from 1 large egg, lightly beaten (see note)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine orsake
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pound pork loin, sliced 1/8 inch thick (see note)
6 cups water
1 teaspoon vegetable, canola oil, or peanut oil
For the Stir-Fry:
1/2 cup canned pineapple chunks plus 4 tablespoons canned pineapple juice
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable, canola, orpeanut oil
1/2 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
1/2 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
1/2 small white onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
Cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
For the Pork: In a small bowl, stir together egg white, cornstarch, rice wine, and salt until thoroughly mixed. Place sliced pork in a bowl, pour cornstarch mixture on top, tossing to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Fill a wok with water and bring to a boil over high heat, then add oil. Add pork, stirring with chopsticks or a strainer to separate the pieces, and cook until pork is opaque and nearly cooked through, about 40 seconds. Drain work into a colander and shake well to remove excess water. Wipe wok clean and dry thoroughly.
For the Stir-Fry: In a small bowl, stir together pineapple juice, tomato paste, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch.
Heat vegetable oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Add bell peppers and onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add pork and continue to stir-fry until browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, push pork and vegetables up side of wok, then add sauce so that it pools in center. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring, then toss with pork and vegetables until sauce thickens and coats them well. Turn off heat and toss in pineapple chunks. Transfer to a platter immediately and serve with rice.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__recipes__20140714-stir-fry-sweet-and-sour-pork-shao-zhong-4-78b62f76583d4904b9b85fc57617eb9b.jpg "Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (8)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__recipes__20140714-stir-fry-sweet-and-sour-pork-shao-zhong-8-783d7eb3045349f094d58e96ebfb90c3.jpg "Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (9)")
Special Equipment
Wok
Notes
To make the egg white easier to measure, beat it with a fork until it has a thinner viscosity.
This recipe can also be made with an equal amount of chicken breast cut into strips. Just use the chicken in place of pork and proceed as directed.
Read More
- Wok Skills 101: Passing-Through
- Wok Skills 101: Stir-Frying Basics
- Sweet-and-Sour Grilled Chicken Skewers (Yakitori Nanbasu)
- Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe
- Pork Mains
- Chinese
- Pork Stir-Fry
- Pork Loin
- Quick Dinners
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 557 | Calories |
| 18g | Fat |
| 66g | Carbs |
| 29g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
×
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 2 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 557 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 18g | 24% |
| Saturated Fat 4g | 21% |
| Cholesterol 68mg | 23% |
| Sodium 536mg | 23% |
| Total Carbohydrate 66g | 24% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 9% |
| Total Sugars 13g | |
| Protein 29g | |
| Vitamin C 76mg | 378% |
| Calcium 68mg | 5% |
| Iron 3mg | 17% |
| Potassium 632mg | 13% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
