My Chinese Recipe Menu
- How I Feel About This Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin
- Story Behind Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin
- Original Name
- Cooking Tips
- Cooking Time
- Ingredients to MakeSweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin
- Food
- Seasonings
- How to MakeSweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin
- Preparation
- Cooking
How I Feel About This Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin
As its name suggests, this dish offers a sweet and sour flavor with tender pork coated in a soft, crispy crust. The vibrant red color makes it visually appealing and delicious. Unlike the sweet and sour ribs in another recipe, this version has a distinct flavor profile. While the sauce used to be the same as it was hundreds of years ago, it has evolved over time. Today, the sweet and sour taste comes from tomato sauce and white vinegar, rather than black vinegar and rock sugar, likely for convenience.
However, this change doesn’t compromise the flavor at all. The deep frying adds a satisfying texture to the pork. By the way, the other sweet and sour pork that goes with pineapple is a different dish.
Original Name
- Translated English Name: Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin
- Original Chinese Pronunciation: Tang Cu Li Ji 糖醋里脊
Note: You may use the Chinese name to order in China because the translated English name of the dishes might be different in every restaurant.
Cooking Tips
- Some recipes call for frying the pork twice, but in mine, I only fry it once. This is because when the pork is cooked with the sauce, the crispy texture naturally becomes soft and moist. It’s nearly impossible to maintain a hard crisp in this dish.
- For authenticity, the pork should be tenderloin, and it must be cut into strips—this is rooted in the dish’s history.
Cooking Time
Prep Time: 60 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 90 mins
Ingredients
Serving: 3
Food
Pork Tenderloin — 500g/17.6oz
Egg — 1 piece
Cornstarch — 1 tbsp + 1 cup
Seasonings
Oil — 1 tbsp + 1 cup
Cooking Wine — 1 tbsp
Salt — 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
White Pepper Power — 1/2 tsp
Sugar — 1 tbsp
Chinese White Vinegar — 1 tbsp
Toasted Sesame Seeds — 1 tbsp
How to Cook Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin
Preparation
1. Use the back of the knife to tenderize 500g of pork tenderloin, then cut it into strips. Add cooking wine, salt, white pepper, and 1 egg.
2. Mix well and marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Coat the marinated pork strips evenly with starch.
Cooking
1. Heat oil in a pan to about 60% hot (around 160°C/320℉). Fry the pork over medium-low heat until the surface is golden and crispy. Remove and set aside.
2. Leave a small amount of oil in the pan and stir-fry ketchup over medium heat. Add white vinegar, salt, and sugar. Add a bit of water, then pour in a small bowl of water-starch mixture (water: starch = 1:1). Turn to high heat to thicken the sauce.
3. Add the fried pork strips and toss them until they are evenly coated with the ketchup sauce. Turn off the heat and plate the dish. Sprinkle a bit of toasted white sesame seeds. The sweet and sour pork tenderloin with ketchup is ready to serve! If you like this dish, you may also try the traditional sweet and sour sauce. Check this recipe for reference.
