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A square photo with a gray dish filled with crispy pork tenderloin in a sweet and sour sauce. Two chopsticks grab a block of meat

Sweet and Sour Pork (Koe Loe Yuk)

Andréa
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!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinate 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Asian, Chinese
Servings 4 persons
Calories 482 kcal

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

Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic

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

1. 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.
2. Substitution:
  • Pork tenderloin: Can be replaced with unbreaded schnitzel, ham steak, or pork chop. If you prefer vegetarian, you can use tofu or tempeh.
3. Deep-frying:
  • 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.
4. 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; you will be left with a layer of cornstarch after baking. So after 20 minutes of marinating, bake immediately! Heat the Air fryer after 400 °F (ca. 204 °C). Spray some oil on the pork and fry until the tenderloin is golden brown. Shake well halfway through.
5. Variations:
  • 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.
6. Storage
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.
7. Nutritional value: The nutritional value shown is for the meat and sauce. But the added value for frying cannot be calculated and has therefore not been included. So the values will be higher!

Nutrition

Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 754mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 621IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Iron: 2mg
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