Sweet and sour pork, are you also so fond of that delicious sweet and sour pork that you can pick up (or eat) at your favorite Chinese restaurant? Here it's also called Koe Loe Yuk. Did you know that you can easily make it yourself at home?
With good available ingredients and a straightforward recipe, you can put this delicious meal on the table without packages and bags. And it's really tasty! With fresh fruit and vegetables, crispy meat with a sweet and sour sauce. This sweet and sour pork is a delicious recipe with the perfect balance between sweet and sour. Enjoy, just like Dutch Chinese takeout!
Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe - Flavorful Chinese-Inspired Meal
The Chinese takeout, who in the Netherlands, hasn't grown up with it? I certainly do! Crispy Babi Pangang, delicious bami goreng, and Foe Yong Hai (Egg Foo Yong). And what is a favorite here is sweet and sour pork. Crispy fried pork tenderloin with a sweet and sour sauce with fresh pineapple and bell pepper. The delicious flavors of this dish are captured in this recipe. The sugar and pineapple make the sauce sweet, and the ketchup and vinegar provide the sour component.
The great thing about making your own sweet and sour pork is that it's easy. You can quickly put this dish together with a few readily available ingredients. Start with the pork tenderloin that you cut into small pieces, coat, and fry until golden brown and crispy.
Meanwhile, you put everything for the sauce in a goofy and put it together. It becomes a delicious evening meal with fried rice or bami goreng and a salad. Or you expand it and make an Asian Buffet. This easy meal is always a hit!
What do you need for Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin?
To prepare this Sweet and Sour Pork, you require the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
Ingredients Crispy Pork Tenderloin
- Pork Tenderloin: A delicious piece of pork that is nice and tender. It comes from the back of the pig and has an elongated shape.
- Cornstarch: As you can see, you don't use a coating of cornstarch and egg, and then you dip the meat in cornstarch again. The coating ensures that the meat remains tender. The second coating gives the crispy layer.
- Egg: For making the batter.
- Oil: For frying the meat. Use sunflower oil or peanut oil.
Ingredients Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Garlic: Gives extra flavor to the sweet and sour sauce.
- Bell peppers: The taste of paprika (bell peppers) depends on the ripening process. Green (unripe) is bitter and pungent. The ripening then goes from yellow to orange to red. This last one is the sweetest. In this recipe, we use yellow and red peppers.
- Pineapple: is a tropical fruit that tastes wonderfully fresh and sweet. The flesh is beautiful yellow. The most delicious is fresh pineapple, but if it is not easy to get hold of (because it's out of season), you can also use canned pineapple in its own juice.
- Sugar: To sweeten the sauce.
- Rice Vinegar: Adds a slight sourness, resulting in a sweet and sour sauce.
- Tomato ketchup: a tomato sauce that falls under the umami flavor. It is made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices and gives a slightly sour taste.
- Sesame Seed: This seed has a nutty flavor. Roasting makes the flavor stronger.
How to prepare Sweet & Sour Pork (Koe Loe Yuk)
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Place the cornstarch, salt, and egg in a bowl and beat until well blended. Add the pieces of pork tenderloin (1 × 1 inch (2 × 2 cm)) and ensure all parts are coated. Put in the freezer for 20 minutes so that the coating adheres well. Put cornstarch on a plate and dip the coated pork tenderloin in it. Then bake them for three minutes at 350 °F (ca. 177 °C). Let them drain and then bake them again for 1 ½ minutes at 400 °F (ca. 204 °C), until the Koe loe Yuk is nice and crispy.
- Pour oil into the pan and fry the garlic for 30 seconds while stirring. Add the bell peppers and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then add the pineapple and heat it for a minute.
- Now also add the ketchup and rice vinegar to the pan.
- Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Make a paste of the cornflour and two tablespoons of water and add it to the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the meat to the sauce and serve immediately.
Garnish with some toasted sesame seeds. Delicious with bami goreng and a spicy cucumber salad.
Tips, Substitutions, and Variations
- Pork tenderloin: Can be replaced with unbreaded schnitzel, ham steak, or pork chop. If you prefer vegetarian, you can use tofu or tempeh.
- Bake twice: As you can see in the recipe, the meat is baked twice. The first time you cook it, it becomes golden brown. The second time you turn the temperature higher, bake the pork tenderloin again. This makes it nice and crispy. You can stop after the first step if you have very little time. But the pork tenderloin stays crispy longer if you also use the second step.
- Deep-frying: You mustn't overfill the pan; it will cool the oil temperature too much. Therefore, divide the meat into two or three portions.
- Air fryer: You can also make this recipe in the Air fryer. But make sure you don't dip the meat in the cornstarch again. Otherwise, you will be left with a layer of cornstarch. So after 20 minutes of marinating, bake immediately! Heat the Air fryer to 400 °F (ca. 204 °C). Spray some oil on the pork and fry until the tenderloin is golden brown. Shake well halfway through.
- Broccoli: Boil some broccoli florets until they are nice and crispy, and mix them with the pork tenderloin through the sauce for extra vegetables.
- Spicy: If you like spicy, add some chili sauce or chili flakes to the sauce.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Ingredients
Crispy Pork
- 1 ¼ pound pork tenderloin, cubes of 1 x 1 inch (2 x 2 cm)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 egg, size L
- deep frying oil, sunflower
- 1 cup cornstarch
Sweet and sour sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic, crushed
- ½ red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
- ½ yellow bell pepper, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup pineapple, diced, fresh
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Crispy pork
- Mix the cornstarch with salt and egg in a bowl and add the pork tenderloin. Make sure each piece of pork tenderloin is coated on all sides with the coating.1 ¼ pound pork tenderloin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 egg
- Place in the freezer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the deep fryer to 350 °F.deep frying oil
- Put the cornflour on a deep plate and press the pork tenderloin in the cornflour on all sides. Beat off the excess.1 cup cornstarch
- Fry the meat in the deep fryer for three minutes in 2 batches. Drain on kitchen paper.
- Now set the deep fryer to 400 °F.
- Fry the meat for another minute and a half at this temperature. Drain on clean kitchen paper.
Sweet and sour sauce
- Add oil to the pan and stir the garlic for thirty seconds.2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons garlic
- Add the red bell peppers and stir-fry for two minutes.½ red bell pepper, ½ yellow bell pepper
- Now also add the pineapple and warm it.1 cup pineapple
- Pour the ketchup and rice vinegar into the pan and sprinkle the sugar on top. Bring the sauce to a boil.¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- Make a paste of the cornflour with the water and add it to the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water
- Quickly toss the meat into the sauce so that it is well coated.
- Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately!1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Notes
- Pork tenderloin: Can be replaced with unbreaded schnitzel, ham steak, or pork chop. If you prefer vegetarian, you can use tofu or tempeh.
- Twice: As you can see in the recipe, the meat is baked twice. The first time you cook it, it becomes golden brown. The second time, you turn the temperature up and bake the pork tenderloin a second time. This makes it nice and crispy.
- You can stop after the first step if you have very little time. But the pork tenderloin stays crispy longer if you also use the second step.
- You mustn't overfill the pan; otherwise, the frying oil will cool too much. Therefore, divide the meat into two or three portions.
- Broccoli: Boil some broccoli florets until they are nice and crispy, and mix them with the pork tenderloin through the sauce for extra vegetables.
- Spicy: If you like spicy, add some chili sauce or chili flakes to the sauce.
Cool the meat quickly. You can store the meat well, but because the meat has been in the sauce, the outside is no longer crispy after heating (but still delicious).
- Refrigerator: Store covered for up to 2 days.
- Freezer: Put everything in a freezer box and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: You can warm it up in the microwave. Or add two tablespoons of water and heat for 20 minutes at 320 °F (160 °C) in a preheated oven (covered with aluminum foil). You can also add the water and heat it in a pan while stirring.
Nutrition
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