Sweet and sour flavor, with a slightly crispy exterior and tender meat inside.
“Crack—” One bite and it crunches with a crisp sound—that’s sweet and sour pork tenderloin. Unlike the soft, fluffy texture of soft-fried tenderloin, the coating of sweet and sour tenderloin is much more crispy. To achieve that extra-crispy crust, remember: add water in batches, fry twice, and—eat it while it’s hot!
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
200 g (about 7 oz) pork tenderloin
Here we use pork loin (the tender strip of meat along the inside of the pig's spine), though you can also use the more tender pork shoulder or pork tenderloin. Be sure to use tender meat so that even if you fry it a bit longer, it won't become tough to chew.
Marinade
Scallion-ginger water, to taste
green onion, to taste
ginger to taste
1 g salt
White pepper powder to taste
a small amount of sesame oil
Crispy batter seasoning
250 g (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
25 g cornstarch
14 g (about 1 tablespoon) baking powder
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) white sugar
360 g (about 1 1/2 cups) water
15 g (about 1 tablespoon) oil
The quantities provided here are convenient for measuring, but you may not use them all at once. You can reduce the amounts proportionally, or refer to the "Flexible Usage" section to use the leftover batter for cooking other dishes.
Sweet and Sour Sauce Seasonings
25 g (about 3 tablespoons) ketchup
15 g (about 1 tablespoon) white vinegar
25 g (about 2 tablespoons) white sugar
1 g salt
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Cut the pork tenderloin into slices about 1 cm thick, then cut into strips 1 cm wide and place in a bowl. Slice the scallion and julienne the ginger, then soak them in some cold water for a while to make scallion-ginger water and set aside (Image 2).
Step 2: Gradually add the prepared scallion-ginger water, salt, and white pepper to the pork strips, then add sesame oil and mix well until evenly coated. Set aside (Image 3).
*Why isn't there any starch for marinating the meat here? Because this dish requires coating the meat in a crispy batter before deep-frying—the batter itself acts as a protective layer, so there's no need to worry about moisture escaping from the meat.
*Add the scallion-ginger water in batches so it gradually absorbs into the meat; once the meat no longer absorbs any more water, stop adding.
*Add the sesame oil at the very end, otherwise the liquid won't be able to penetrate the meat.
Step 3: Combine all the sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended; set aside (Image 4).
Mix a batter of flour, cornstarch, and water until smooth and slightly thick, then let it rest for 10 minutes.
Slowly add water to the dry batter ingredients (excluding the water and oil), mixing until a thick, sticky paste forms. Finally, stir in the oil until well combined and set aside.
The amount of water used to mix the crispy batter is crucial; the quantity given here is only a reference, and the actual amount should be adjusted based on consistency—the batter is ready when it can coat the meat evenly (Figure 5).
When mixing, always stir in one direction and add water gradually in small batches rather than all at once, as adding too much water at once will create lumps; if the batter becomes too thick you can still adjust it, but if it becomes too thin you'll have to start over.
Coat the pork strips in batter and deep-fry until golden and crispy.
⑤ Pour plenty of oil into the wok and heat to 350°F (175°C). Add the batter-coated pork strips and fry over medium heat until the surface is set and turns light golden (Figure 6), then remove and drain.
This recipe is versatile and can be adapted to your taste.
In Cantonese cuisine, the crispy coating on sweet and sour pork tenderloin is called "crispy batter." This versatile batter is widely used in dishes such as traditional Cantonese fried milk custard, fried bananas, or Shandong-style caramelized bananas, all of which are coated in crispy batter before frying. Additionally, you can use this batter at home for fried eggplant or lotus root sandwiches, or even for frying small yellow croaker.
A clever shortcut for busy cooks
If you don't have all the seasonings or prefer not to make the batter from scratch, simply mix water with starch to form a paste, then add a little oil and stir until smooth for an easy version of the crispy batter. If you don't have ketchup, substitute with rice vinegar and soy sauce to create a traditional sweet and sour sauce.
⑥ Heat the oil again to about 70% hot (350°F/175°C), return the fried pork strips to the wok, and quickly deep-fry over high heat until the surface is firm and golden brown, then immediately remove (Figure 7).
*Frying the meat in two batches ensures the coating stays crispy longer. The first fry cooks the meat through from the inside out, so use medium heat. Even if the coating feels firm at this stage, don't be fooled—it will soften after a while, so a second fry is essential.
*The second frying is to create a crispy shell. Since the meat inside is already cooked, it should not be fried for too long, so use high heat and work quickly. This is also why you must choose tender meat.
Prepare the sweet and sour sauce.
Pour the oil out of the wok and set aside, then pour the prepared sweet and sour sauce into the wok and bring it to a boil over high heat. Thicken with a little cornstarch slurry, then drizzle in some of the hot oil used for frying the pork (Image 8).
Whether or not to thicken with a cornstarch slurry depends on the consistency of the ketchup; if the sweet and sour sauce already feels quite thick when added to the pan, there is no need to add the slurry. If the slurry makes the sauce too thick, it won't coat the meat evenly—some parts will be too thin and others will clump, affecting the texture.
Stir-fry the pork tenderloin.
Step 8: Add the deep-fried pork strips to the sweet and sour sauce, keep the heat on high and quickly toss to coat evenly (see Figure 9), then remove from the wok and serve immediately.
*Sweet and Sour Pork is best served immediately after cooking, as the coating will quickly soften once it cools down.