Easy Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
Gu Lou Rou, also known as Sweet and Sour Pork, is a traditional and distinctive dish from Guangdong, China. It features a delightful sweet and sour flavor profile, with a crispy exterior and tender interior. The taste is rich and complex, combining sweet, sour, and savory elements harmoniously. It's not greasy at all and is very appetizing.
INGREDIENTS
- 400g pork belly
DIRECTIONS
Dice the onion and green and red bell peppers into chunks and set aside.
Dice the pineapple into chunks and set aside.
Choose good quality pork belly. Remove the pork skin and cut the pork belly into approximately 1cm pieces. It's recommended to remove the skin because leaving it on can result in a tougher texture when eaten.
tip:
It's generally recommended to choose pork belly because its alternating layers of fat and lean meat can make the texture smoother and more tender.
Add 10 grams of salt and 10 grams of granulated sugar.
Add one beaten egg yolk and mix well.
Then add a small amount of cornstarch and mix well.
Coat the evenly mixed pork belly with a layer of cornstarch. Squeeze it firmly with your hands to ensure the coating sticks well. This will help keep the coating intact during frying, resulting in a crispy outside and tender inside texture.
Heat oil in a pan until it reaches 120°C. Carefully add the pork belly pieces into the hot oil. Fry them over low heat until they are golden and cooked through, flipping them halfway through to ensure even frying. Once cooked, remove them from the oil.
Heat the oil again until hot. Refry the pork belly pieces for about 20 seconds, just until they become crispy again. This second frying enhances the crispiness of the dish.
Heat a small amount of oil in the pan. Add tomato sauce, granulated sugar, lemon juice, water, and white vinegar. Stir fry over low heat until the sugar melts.
tip:
The amount of sauce ingredients can be adjusted according to personal preference. Add more sugar for sweeter flavor or increase tomato sauce and lemon juice for a tangier taste.
Add the diced onion, green and red bell peppers, and pineapple into the pan. Stir-fry together.
Continue cooking over low heat. Add the fried pork belly pieces into the pan and quickly stir-fry until they are evenly coated with the sauce.
tip:
Remember to keep the heat low to prevent the sauce from penetrating the pork belly too quickly. This helps maintain a crispy exterior and tender interior texture.
Stir-fry well and then you can take out of the pan.