Sweet and Sour Pork

“This recipe was the closest to what I’ve eaten at Chinese restaurants.What gave it its most genuine chinese restaurant quality, was the breaded pork.I added a little baking soda to the batter, and deep fried the pieces of battered pork, which made it very authentic.Before I deep-fried the pork, I baked the pieces in the oven on a large cookie sheet for about 20 minutes, so they were actually already done all the way through.The deep-frying took very little time, and they came out golden brown.If I hadn’t pre-baked, they may have been a little undercooked inside.I also used rice vinegar, instead of white vinegar, because it’s been sitting in my cabinet for months, and I wanted to use it.I used about a quarter cup less, because it was all the rice vinegar I had, but I didn’t need to add any white vinegar, because it turned out just perfect.I also sauteed my vegetables in a separate sautee pan.Even though it sounds like I changed this recipe a lot, I’m sure if I had followed it to the letter, it would have been excellent too.The Chinese restaurant version I am used to has a red sweet and sour sauce, and this is not red, but it is very good!If you want red, go buy it, unless you know how they make that stuff.I would love to know.But this sauce is excellent.The batter is an excellent recipe for batter.I plan on using it for onion rings and mushrooms too!Thanks for posting!By the way…this recipe was about the only one without stars posted behind it, and I chose it anyway, because of the batter, which was what I was looking for to mimic the Chinese restaurant’s version.I’m glad I can give it the credit it’s due – now it will have 5 stars.Thanks again!”

“Oh boy, this was excellent and as good or better than the Sweet and Sour Pork I have had in restaurants. The pork was tender with a wonderful battered crust. I threw in some onion rings and mushrooms. The sauce was a perfect blend of ingredients. Thanks BarbaraK, for sharing this recipe.”

“A very nice sweet and sour dish!I made it almost as directed – just used fresh pineapple and also added some onion wedges.The batter was great and one day I will figure out how to keep the coating from getting soggy once the sauce is introduced.That is true of every battered dish with sauce that I have made not just this one. 🙂
Thanks very much for sharing this recipe.I expect to be making it again in the near future!”

“Hey there-this is the recipe for Sweet and Sour Pork I’ve been waiting for.The sauce is a perfect balance of vinegar/sugar/juice.The veggies were great-tender crisp.I did add 1 onion sliced, and the pork came out just right, a little juicy with a nice crust.Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.My family thanks you as well.Di”

“This was fabulous!An absolute keeper!I thought it looked like a lot of extra work to cook the pork like that, but it made the dish.I loved it!Since I have a “thing” about sweetness, I did reduce the amount of brown sugar I used in the sauce to 3 Tbls. and think I could have reduced it even more for my own personal tastes.But it is, after all, “sweet and sour pork” and actually nearly perfect.I’d not hesitate a minute to serve it to guests.”

“This was very good, throughly enjoyed it as did my hubby, the only thing was the directions were just a little confusing, had to read a couple of times to make sure the process was in the right order.But otherwise it was great!!and I really liked the batter for the pork, going to try it on some chicken breast. Thanks for the post !!will make again.”

“Wonderful. I also used 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 cup vinegar instead of a whole cup of vinegar like one other reviewer said. I also like to use a bit more cornstarch b/c I like my sauce thick and syrupy not runny… yummy yummy – it’s now a family favorite!”

“Only reason I give this a four, is for my taste it was a bit on the sweet side and thess the sour side. Other then that having been my first attempt it was very good, I enjoyed it. I used apple cider vinager instead of white, as apple and pork go together so much better in my oppinion.I will make this again and decrese the suger a tad, maybe 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup.
Thankyou for posting this wonderfull recipe.”

“I’m a huge sweet and sour fanand this was alright, I had to add tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce (for tang). I also added some bi carb to the batter to make it rise a bit. If your sauce tastes to vinegary you should cook it for longer.”

“I substituted almond meal for the flour, rice wine vinegar for the white and at the end added some Sweet Chili Sauce for the red!Yummo!This is the same recipe from my old Betty Crocker cookbook.Try it, yur sure to like it!”

“Yummm.I cooked my carrots sauce just in a large saucepan -didn’t seem to need a double boiler and it came out fine.The frying of the battered pork pieces was definitely putzy/tedious,but well worth it. To make it more healthy I will omit that step next time. Also I think I will add celery, onion, and maybe water chestnuts next time too – it was missing just a little something.”

“I made this dish for my sister-in-law and her husband…it was a hit!I hesitated at first because the ingredient list looked so long.And even though this is a bit vinegary for my taste, I loved it. The only thing I did differently was to use only half the carrots (I used large carrots.)This is a definite keeper.Who knows, maybe I’ll learn to love vinegar … until then, I’ll just use a little less.THANK YOU FOR SHARING!”

“This turned out really good! I think even better than the takeout place here. I halved the recipe and used boneless chops instead of tenderloin. I cut the chunks about an inch cubed and fried three batches in a deep fryer for 5min each. By this time the sauce was ready for the cornstarch mixture. We LOVED this recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing!”

“I have to admit, I used your recipe only for the batter and the method to make the pork cubes crisp.It was perfect.I had already bought a packaged sweet and sour mix that didn’t call for crispy pork, and I really wanted that.Next time, I will use your entire recipe.”

“Flavor explosion! Lovelly coating! The breading was just fantastic–crisp and it allowed the pork to stay juicy and tender! this is a recipe I’ll make again and again. Thanks, BarbaraK, for sharing.”

“I really liked this recipe but found when it was frozen and reheated some of the batter pulled away from the meat so there were clumps of batter in with the dish. I think for me it is better eaten asap. Thanks for posting though. I will use a variation of it in the future.”

“We really enjoyed this the other night which I served with some fried rice.I have to say it was delicious.Even my son who ate later when he got home came made a special point of looking for me, thanked me and told me that dinner was really good. Thank you and we’ll be making this again.”

“uuuumm, Not bad but we found it a tad bit sweet, I was looking for the tangy taste that i got used to in my favorite Chinese restaurant.Perhaps using cider vinegar and lessening the amount of sugar will help next time. Oh well, maybe just a matter of personal taste. I love the batter though. thanks!”

“Wonderful, restaurant quality for sure! Didn’t change a thing!”