Peking Sweet & Sour Pork Chops

Given how diverse Chinese cuisines are among its different regions, it is not a surprise that there are so many variations of sweet and sour pork and they are all equally delicious.

The one I am most familiar with is, of course, the Cantonese version with slices of pineapples, bell pepper, and onion, which I have covered in my sweet and sour chicken recipe.

Today I am going to share the recipe for Peking sweet & sour pork chops, which I think may turn out to be an easier version for most since it doesn’t require as many fresh ingredients other than pork chops of course :)

What do I need to prepare Peking style sweet and sour pork chops?

Like I mentioned earlier, the only fresh ingredients you will need is 900 gram (2 lbs.) of thinly sliced pork chops, preferably cut to a mere 2 cm (1/16") thick.

To marinate the pork chops, you will need:

• 1 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce, or regular soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, best if you can get drinking grade with zero salt content
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

For the deep-frying batter, you will need:

• 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoon water

For the Peking style sweet and sour sauce, you will need:

• 3 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, or sub with Japanese tonkatsu sauce
• 2 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar, or sub with balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, or sub with oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoon honey, or sub with maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon oil

First step: Deep fry marinated pork chops

This dish requires a two-step process, the first step is to deep fry the marinated pork chops, and the steps are as follow:

1. Marinate pork chops.

Mix together pork chops with light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and Chinese five-spice powder. Set aside to marinate for 2 hours, preferably overnight.

2. Add deep-frying batter.

Return the pork chops to room temperature, then mix together all the batter ingredients and add this to the marinated pork and mix well.

3. Deep fry marinated pork.

Prepare a pot of oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot (190 Celsius/375 Fahrenheit), deep fry the pork slices in batches. It should take about 3 minutes per batch. Set aside deep-fried pork over a wire rack to remove excess oil.

Second step: Prepare the sweet and sour sauce for the deep-fried pork chops

Once we fry the pork chops, the next step is to prepare the sweet and sour sauce following these steps:

1. Mix the sauce.

Mix together tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, black vinegar, hoisin sauce, honey, sesame oil, and water.

2. Cook the sweet and sour sauce.

Heat oil in a wok over medium heat and swirl to coat. Pour the sauce mix (from step 1) and bring it to a boil. Then thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry made from a mixture of 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water.

3. Coat deep-fried pork chops.

Once the sauce is thick, return the deep-fried pork chops into the wok. Gently toss to coat the pork.

4. Garnish and serve.

Transfer the coated pork chops to a serving platter, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallions. Serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Other Chinese pork recipes to try

If you love this Peking sweet and sour pork chops, you may want to try these Chinese pork recipes too:

• char siu
• hong shao rou - red braised pork
• pork belly in black bean sauce
• Chinese roast pork
• spareribs with shallots
• steamed spare ribs black beans
• sweet and sour pork bellies