This Sweet and Sour Pork is an easy, lighter version of the Asian take-out classic.
Sweet and Sour Pork
If you order sweet and sour pork from a Chinese restaurant, then you might remember that the pork is often heavily fried in oil before tossing with the sauce. In this recipe, the pork is fried in a very small amount of oil. The sauce is a little lighter than the restaurants deliver too.
How to trim Pork Tenderloin:
In this recipe, you want to remove any visible fat on the tenderloin. Once the fat is removed, you’ll remove the silverskin too. The silverskin is the thin shiny membrane attached to the tenderloin. To remove, slip the tip of your knife under the silvery skin and start slicing back and forth with the sharp edge of the blade angled upward, keeping the membrane tight as you are cutting. Continue to slice the skin off in this manner until all the skin is removed. Then your tenderloin is ready to cut into cubes for stir-frying.
How to make Sweet and Sour Pork:
The pork is tossed with a little bit of cornstarch before frying in the oil. Fresh ginger and garlic are added in with the pork and stir fried until fragrant. Green bell pepper and chopped pineapple are added next and cooked until crisp-tender. At this point, your dinner is going to start smelling really, really good!
Next you’ll add the sauce- a simple mixture of cornstarch, water, rice vinegar, sugar, ketchup and soy sauce. You’ll let that sauce boil and simmer for a couple of minutes, just until thickened. That’s it. Dinner is done!
If you are following the Weight Watchers WW program, there is a link to WW Points in the recipe card below There are four servings in this recipe. If you’re not following a diet, then don’t worry about that. Eat as much as you want, and enjoy it!
I like to serve Sweet and Sour Pork over steamed rice. Then you can spoon a little bit of the extra sauce on top. Now you can enjoy eating Chinese take-out at home!
Best Pork Tenderloin Recipes:
- Hoisin Pork Stir Fry
- Pork Tenderloin with Mango- Lime Salsa
- Family- Style Pork Tacos
- Island- Style Pork Tenderloin
- Maple- Glazed Pork Tenderloin
- Honey- Sesame Pork Tenderloin
- Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin
- Sweet and Spicy Pork Tenderloin
Sweet and Sour Pork
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork tenderloin (trimmed of fat), cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch pieces
- One 8-ounce can pineapple chunks (in juice), drained and each chunk cut in half
- steamed rice, for serving (optional)
- chopped scallions, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the pork with 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a medium bowl; toss well to coat and set aside. Whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, water, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
- Heat a nonstick wok or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in the oil, then add the pork. Stir-fry until almost cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the bell pepper and pineapple; stir fry until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add the vinegar mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens and the pork is just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.
Notes
- Weight Watchers Points computed without the rice.
- This recipe is gluten-free adaptable- just be sure to use brands of ketchup, soy sauce and pineapple that are GF.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How much is one serving? A cup?
I don’t have a measurement for you- but you can divide the whole dish into four equal servings.
Just tried this for the first time…it was perfect. Restaurant-quality but without that unhealthy feeling!
awesome!
Loved it! Added 2 thinly sliced carrots that we pre-cooked.