Make This Sweet and Sour Pork With Pineapple Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the main ingredients in sweet and sour pork? ›

Pineapple is a perennial favorite as a marinade ingredient because it contains an enzyme called bromelain, which works to soften muscle fibers and better enables the meat to absorb the flavors of the marinade.

While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.

How do you tenderise pork for stir fry? Velveting is a Chinese technique that helps keep meat tender during stir frying. Adding cornstarch and bicarb to your meat during the marinating process helps to coat your meat, giving it a velvety feel that makes the meat feel extra soft.

Cornflour/cornstarch – for thickening. Sweet and sour sauce is thicker than most stir fries so it clings to the pork pieces!

However, it is believed that the sweet and sour pork dish was originally made with ribs rather than sliced pork. After eating the dish, these foreigners enjoyed it but didn't like the bones, so they modified the recipe, and chefs ditched the ribs and replaced it with a well-marbled pork shoulder.

Know the soaking time: As pineapple is acidic in nature, the resting time for the marinade should not be more than 12 hours. Soaking the meat in pineapple juice for longer may result in the cooking of the meat in the marinade.

Pineapple has an enzyme that works to tenderize meat

As Global Research Online points out, pineapple juice does more than just add flavor, it also carries an enzyme called bromelain. This can help the meat become more tender as it marinades because it dissolves collagen fibers.

The key ingredient lies within the pineapple itself: bromelain. This enzyme is the active ingredient that tenderizes meats naturally, breaking down tough protein fibers. As the meat marinates, bromelain gently breaks down these fibers, resulting in a noticeably softer, more tender texture.

Sour mix (also known as sweet and sour mix) is a mixer that is yellow-green in color and is used in many co*cktails. It is made from approximately equal parts lemon and/or lime juice and simple syrup and shaken vigorously with ice. This produces a pearly-white liquid with a pronounced flavor.

Why is sweet and sour pork so red? ›

The original Cantonese sweet and sour pork (traditional Chinese: 咕嚕肉; simplified Chinese: 咕噜肉; pinyin: gūlūròu; Cantonese Yale: gūlōuyuhk; lit. 'rumbling meat') is made with vinegar, preserved plums and hawthorn candy for an almost scarlet colour and sweet-sour taste.

Directions. Stir together sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and ketchup until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk the vegetable oil into the onion mixture until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour; shake well before using.

Boil the pork belly for about 5 minutes. This will remove a lot of the impurities from the pork and you will see a film of scum on the surface. Remove the pork belly and allow to cook on a plate or rack.

Soak your pork in a salt-based brine before cooking it using your desired method. Pork chops need to soak between 12–24 hours, an entire pork tenderloin needs to soak for 6–12 hours, and an entire pork loin requires 2–4 days of soaking. Rinse the brine from the meat after the brining period is complete.

Briefly soaking meat in a solution of baking soda and water raises the pH on the meat's surface, making it more difficult for the proteins to bond excessively, which keeps the meat tender and moist when it's cooked.

There are a few sweet pork recipes out there but I've found the best one to be this near-perfect imitation of Cafe Rio's sweet pork. The key ingredients are (besides pork, of course) Coca-Cola, brown sugar, chilis, enchilada sauce, and spices. Accept no substitutions!

This cold dish combines salad vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, and onion with a mixture of pineapple (or pear), vinegar, and sugar. In China, the sauces are traditionally made by mixing sugar or honey with a sour liquid such as rice vinegar or soy sauce and spices such as ginger and cloves.

The sour often is from white rice vinegar, but can also include soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Garlic, clove, and ginger also can make an appearance. Western sweet and sour sauce will often include the following: vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, tomato paste or ketchup, pineapple, green bell pepper, garlic, and onion.

The traditional version is usually composed of sugar or honey combined with rice vinegar, soy, and ginger or cloves. The Westernized version, borrowed more specifically from the Cantonese, includes the addition of ketchup, pineapple juice, pineapples, and bell peppers.