Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe

This easy stir-fry of pork with vegetables and sweet-and-sour sauce uses a great, hassle-free water-velveting technique for tender, silky strips of meat.

Shao Z.

Updated February 02, 2024

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Overhead view of stir-fried sweet-and-sour pork, served on a white platter. — Serious Eats / Shao Z.

Why It Works

Marinating the pork strips in a mixture of cornstarch, egg white, wine, and seasonings—a process known as velveting—guarantees silky, tender meat.
Par-cooking the meat in a bath of boiling water with just a little oil is much easier for home cooks than the more traditional hot-oil-bath velveting method, with equally good results.

I previously explained water-velveting: a meat-tenderizing technique I prefer to use when stir-frying at home instead of the more traditional oil-heavy method. In my side-by-side tests, I saw almost no differences between stir-fries made with the water method and those made with the oil method.

This delicious sweet-and-sour pork stir-fry is one of the recipes I'm sharing that uses the water-velveting technique. And for those of you who don't eat pork, this recipe also works well with chicken; just substitute strips of chicken breast for the pork and follow the rest of the recipe as written.

Here's how I make it:

A prep bowl of raw sliced pork is held over a wok. — Serious Eats / Shao Z.

I start by marinating the pork in a mixture of egg white, cornstarch, wine, and seasonings for 30 minutes, just as I would with traditional velveting. But then, instead of par-cooking the pork in a hot oil bath, I use water with just a small amount of oil floating on top.

The water-velveted pork is removed from the wok with a perforated skimmer. — Serious Eats / Shao Z.

I cook the pork until it's nearly, but not all the way, cooked through, then remove it from the water. It's important to let the meat dry well afterward, since adding very wet meat to the stir-fry will halt the browning that you're aiming for. Several good shakes in a colander should do it.

Sliced bell pepper and onion are added to the skillet. — Serious Eats / Shao Z.

Then I clean my wok, add a small amount of oil and start my stir fry, here with onion and bell peppers.

I add the velveted pork next and give it a good toss.

The velveted pork slices are added to the skillet. — Serious Eats / Shao Z.

Sauce is added to the wok. — Serious Eats / Shao Z.

Then it's time for the sauce! I start by pushing the pork and vegetables up the side of the wok so that the sauce sits in the bottom by itself and begins to boil. Once it's boiling, I stir it all together until the sauce has thickened and coats the meat and vegetables. After tossing in some pineapple chunks, the dish is ready to serve.

July 2014

Recipe Details

Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe

Prep 5 mins

Cook 20 mins

Active 30 mins

Marinating Time 30 mins

Total 55 mins

Serves 2 servings

Ingredients

For the Pork:

1 tablespoon egg white from 1 large egg, lightly beaten (see note)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or sake
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pound pork loin, sliced 1/8 inch thick (see note)
6 cups water
1 teaspoon vegetable, canola oil, or peanut oil

For the Stir-Fry:

1/2 cup canned pineapple chunks plus 4 tablespoons canned pineapple juice
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable, canola, or peanut oil
1/2 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
1/2 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
1/2 small white onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

For the Pork: In a small bowl, stir together egg white, cornstarch, rice wine, and salt until thoroughly mixed. Place sliced pork in a bowl, pour cornstarch mixture on top, tossing to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Fill a wok with water and bring to a boil over high heat, then add oil. Add pork, stirring with chopsticks or a strainer to separate the pieces, and cook until pork is opaque and nearly cooked through, about 40 seconds. Drain work into a colander and shake well to remove excess water. Wipe wok clean and dry thoroughly.
Serious Eats / Shao Z.
For the Stir-Fry: In a small bowl, stir together pineapple juice, tomato paste, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch.
Heat vegetable oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Add bell peppers and onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add pork and continue to stir-fry until browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, push pork and vegetables up side of wok, then add sauce so that it pools in center. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring, then toss with pork and vegetables until sauce thickens and coats them well. Turn off heat and toss in pineapple chunks. Transfer to a platter immediately and serve with rice.
Serious Eats / Shao Z.

Special Equipment

Wok

Notes

To make the egg white easier to measure, beat it with a fork until it has a thinner viscosity.

This recipe can also be made with an equal amount of chicken breast cut into strips. Just use the chicken in place of pork and proceed as directed.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
557	Calories
18g	Fat
66g	Carbs
29g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories	557
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g	24%
Saturated Fat 4g	21%
Cholesterol 68mg	23%
Sodium 536mg	23%
Total Carbohydrate 66g	24%
Dietary Fiber 2g	9%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 29g
Vitamin C 76mg	378%
Calcium 68mg	5%
Iron 3mg	17%
Potassium 632mg	13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.