Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe | Pinoy
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 4
This Filipino style Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe is the ultimate comfort food that perfectly balances crispy, savory meat with a vibrant tangy sauce. Made with crispy golden fried pork tossed in a rich flavorful sweet and sour sauce, this dish brings classic restaurant quality right into your own home. It is a family favorite that pairs perfectly with steaming hot rice, making it a reliable crowd pleasing go to for any weeknight dinner or special weekend celebration.
Since this recipe uses pantry staples like pineapple, ketchup, and oyster sauce to build the flavor, you can easily pull this together whenever you are craving something festive and exciting for your dining table. The crispy pork coated in that glossy sweet and tangy sauce is something the whole family will keep coming back to.
Sweet and Sour Pork Ingredients
- 325 grams Pork
- 1 Piece Green Bell Pepper
- 1 Piece Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour (for coating)
- 1/4 Cup Cornstarch (for coating)
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch (for slurry)
- 2 Tablespoons Water (for slurry)
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 1/4 Cup Ketchup
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 2 Pieces Onion
- 1/4 Cup Vinegar
- 1 Piece Egg
- 1 Sachet Oyster Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 200 grams Pineapple Chunks (reserve the syrup)
- Onion Powder to taste
- Garlic Powder to taste
- Garlic Granulated to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
How to Cook Sweet and Sour Pork
Step 1: Marinate the Pork
-In a bowl, combine the pork with fish sauce, a dash of black pepper, onion powder, and garlic granulated. Add one egg, mix until everything is well combined, and let the meat marinate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to penetrate the pork.
Step 2: Prepare the Coating
-In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, a dash of onion powder, garlic granulated, salt, and black pepper, then mix thoroughly until well combined.
Step 3: Dredge the Pork
-Dredge the marinated pork pieces in the dry coating until fully covered, making sure to shake off any excess flour before frying to keep the oil clean.
Step 4: Fry the Pork
-Deep fry the coated pork in hot oil until it turns golden brown and crispy. Fry in small batches so the oil stays hot and the coating crisps up properly, then remove from pan and set aside.
Step 5: Sauté the Garlic and Onion
-In a pan, add oil and sauté 5 cloves of garlic and 2 onions until fragrant and slightly softened.
Step 6: Add the Bell Peppers
-Add the red and green bell peppers and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not overcook them so they keep their color and crunch.
Step 7: Build the Sauce
-Pour in the pineapple syrup from the can, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 1/4 cup ketchup, then mix until well combined.
Step 8: Add Oyster Sauce and Pineapple
-Add one sachet of oyster sauce and stir. Let the mixture simmer for a moment then add the 200 grams of pineapple chunks and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 9: Thicken the Sauce
-Pour in the slurry made from 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. Add it slowly while stirring constantly so the sauce thickens evenly without clumping.
Step 10: Add the Pork and Serve
-Add the crispy fried pork back into the pan and toss until every piece is generously coated with the sauce, then serve immediately so the pork stays crispy.
Tips on Cooking Sweet and Sour Pork
Tip 1: Use the pineapple syrup as part of the sauce – The syrup from the 200 grams of pineapple chunks adds a natural sweetness that balances the acidity of the vinegar and ketchup perfectly. Do not throw it away.
Tip 2: Dredge the pork right before frying – Coat the pork in the flour and cornstarch mixture right before you fry it. If you coat it too early the coating absorbs the moisture from the meat and becomes sticky before it hits the oil.
Tip 3: Shake off excess flour before frying – Shake off any loose flour and cornstarch from each piece before dropping them into the oil. This prevents loose flour from burning in the pan and keeps your frying oil clean.
Tip 4: Taste the sauce before adding the slurry – Taste your sauce after adding the ketchup and vinegar but before thickening it. Different ketchup brands vary in sweetness so add a little more sugar if needed before the slurry goes in.
Beginner Troubleshooting Guide
Problem 1: The pork coating is soggy
Solution: Fry the pork in smaller batches so the oil temperature stays hot throughout. Overcrowding the pan drops the oil temperature and the coating absorbs the oil instead of crisping up.
What caused it: Too much pork was added to the pan at once, which dropped the oil temperature and resulted in a greasy soft coating instead of a crispy one.
Problem 2: The sauce is clumpy or unevenly thickened
Solution: Add the slurry very slowly while stirring constantly and lower the heat slightly when adding it so the starch thickens the sauce evenly without clumping.
What caused it: The cornstarch mixture was added all at once or the heat was too high when the slurry was poured in.
Common Mistakes to Avoid Failed Sweet and Sour Pork
Mistake 1: Overcooking the bell peppers
What people do wrong: They add the bell peppers at the beginning together with the garlic and onions, which makes them lose their bright color and crunchy texture.
How to do it right: Toss the bell peppers in during the last 1 to 2 minutes of sautéing so they stay vibrant and slightly crunchy.
Why it matters: Overcooked bell peppers turn dull and mushy, which affects both the appearance and texture of the final dish.
Mistake 2: Adding the fried pork to the sauce too early
What people do wrong: They add the pork to the sauce and let it sit in the pan for too long before serving.
How to do it right: Toss the pork in the sauce right at the very last second before serving so the coating stays crispy.
Why it matters: The longer the pork sits in the sauce, the more liquid it absorbs and the crispy coating becomes soft and soggy.
Mistake 3: Frying at too low a temperature
What people do wrong: They start frying before the oil is hot enough, which causes the pork to absorb grease instead of crisping up.
How to do it right: Test the oil by dropping a tiny piece of the breading in. If it bubbles immediately the oil is ready for the pork.
Why it matters: Oil that is not hot enough makes the coating greasy and heavy instead of light and crispy.
Alternative Ingredients
-If you prefer not to use pork, this recipe works just as well with chicken thighs or shrimp, which cook even faster than pork.
-While regular white vinegar gives that sharp Filipino tang, you can use apple cider vinegar if you want a slightly fruitier and more mellow flavor in the sauce.
FAQs
Question 1: Can I make this dish ahead of time?
You can prepare the sauce and chop the vegetables early, but fry the pork and toss it in the sauce right before serving. This ensures the coating stays crispy rather than soaking up the sauce and becoming soft.
Question 2: Why do I need both garlic powder and garlic granulated?
Using both gives you a deeper and more rounded garlic flavor in the meat coating. The powder dissolves into the crust while the granulated provides little bursts of savory flavor in every bite.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheating: To bring back some of the crunch, reheat the leftover pork in an air fryer or toaster oven for a few minutes instead of using the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
This dish is best served immediately alongside a big bowl of steaming white rice. You can garnish the platter with a few chopped spring onions or sesame seeds to give it a clean and restaurant style presentation.
Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe | Pinoy
Ingredients
- 325 grams Pork
- 1 Piece Green and Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 Cup Cornstarch
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 1/4 Cup Ketchup
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 2 Pieces Onion
- 1/4 Cup Vinegar
- 1 Piece Egg
- 1 Sachet Oyster sauce
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 200 grams Pineapple Chunks
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine your pork with the fish sauce, a dash of black pepper, onion powder, and garlic granulated. Add one piece of egg, mix it until everything is well combined, and let the meat marinate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to penetrate the pork.
- In a new bowl, combine the 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, a dash of onion powder, garlic granulated, salt, and black pepper. Mix this thoroughly, then dredge the marinated pork pieces in this dry coating until they are fully covered. Deep fry the pork until it turns golden brown, then remove it from the pan and set it aside.
- In a pan, add oil and sauté 5 cloves of garlic and 2 onions until fragrant. Add the red and green bell peppers, cooking them for about 1 to 2 minutes. Next, pour in the pineapple syrup, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 1/4 cup ketchup, and mix until well combined.
- Add one sachet of oyster sauce to the pan, stir it, and let the mixture simmer for a moment. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste, then add the 1 pack of pineapple chunks. Pour in your slurry, which is made by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, to thicken the sauce. Finally, add the crispy fried pork back into the pan and mix until the meat is generously coated, then serve immediately.