Hong KongGu lou yuk (Cantonese sweet and sour pork)
Gu lou yuk (咕嚕肉): crisp-fried pork with peppers and pineapple in a bright sweet-sour sauce
Ask a Hong Kong family what they order at a dai pai dong for the children, and gu lou yuk is near the top: nuggets of pork shoulder fried twice until shatteringly crisp, then tossed at the last moment with pineapple, green and red pepper and onion in a shiny, tangy, scarlet sauce. Cantonese cooks in Guangzhou and Hong Kong have made it for well over a century, and it is a fixture of wedding banquets and takeaway menus worldwide. Eat it fresh with steamed rice while the coating still crunches. A common pitfall is simmering the pork in the sauce, which turns the crust soggy within a minute; thicken the sauce first, then toss for a few seconds only. Chef's tip: the second, hotter fry is what makes it crisp, so don't skip it.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 520 kcal
Ingredients
For the pork
- 16 oz pork shouldercut into 2.5 cm cubes
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 ⅞ oz potato starchor cornflour
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
For the sauce
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 4 tbsp white rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp plum sauce
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cornflourmixed with 2 tbsp water
For the vegetables
- 7 oz pineapplefresh or canned, in 2.5 cm chunks
- 1 green bell pepperin 2.5 cm pieces
- 1 red bell pepperin 2.5 cm pieces
- 1 onionin 2.5 cm pieces
- 2 cloves garlicfinely chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 16 oz pork shoulder with ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, 1 tsp light soy sauce and 1 egg yolk until the yolk is absorbed. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 2: Mix 4 tbsp tomato ketchup, 4 tbsp white rice vinegar, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp plum sauce, ¼ cup pineapple juice and ¼ tsp salt in a jug, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Step 3: Toss the pork pieces one by one in 2 ⅞ oz potato starch, pressing so it clings. Leave for 5 minutes until the coating looks damp, then toss again in the starch.
5 minStep 4: Heat 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil to 350°F. Fry the pork in 2 batches until pale gold and cooked through to 160°F in the centre of a large piece. Drain.
6 minStep 5: Heat the oil to 375°F and fry all the pork again until deep golden and very crisp. Drain on a rack.
2 minStep 6: Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil. Over a high heat, stir-fry 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper and 2 cloves garlic until bright and just tender-crisp.
2 minStep 8: Turn off the heat, add the pork and toss quickly until every piece is coated. Serve at once with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gu lou yuk (Cantonese sweet and sour pork) take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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