Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork Balls in Crispy Batter

Sweet and sour pork balls, a Chinese takeaway classic, tender pork in a crispy fried batter served with a glorious sweet and tangy sauce.

An indulgent and nostalgic recipe that, despite the long list of ingredients, takes right around 30 minutes to cook.

Takeout Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork

Chinese takeout crispy sweet and sour pork balls were probably my first introduction to flavours that were not traditionally ‘British’.

For many years, it was the only thing I would ask for on those rare treat takeaway nights.

To this day, I am still a little bit obsessed with these flavours.

These crispy balls use the same sauce that I use in my sweet and sour prawns recipe, and it unashamedly rocks both tomato ketchup and pineapple!

It is also a sister recipe to my crispy sweet and sour chicken balls recipe and is similar to my crispy lemon chicken and sesame chicken in its concept.

It contains chunks of pork tenderloin or fillet wrapped in a thick and crispy batter.

A batter is simple to make and one that keeps its crispiness right until you slather on that delicious sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

You have options for how much sugar and vinegar to use. Why?

Growing up, sweet and sour pork came with an incredibly sweet sauce. As I have grown up (don't laugh), my tastes have shifted, and now I prefer a much sharper sauce.

I would advise you to make the sauce with the lowest amount of sugar and rice vinegar, then have a taste and adjust to your palate. None of these ingredients need cooking, so tuck right on in!

Remember the flavours will mellow a little as the sauce cooks, particularly the sour elements.

Why is your sauce chunky?

Typically, sweet and sour sauce from a Chinese takeaway comes without any vegetables... I prefer them in there. We all need our veggies, right?

If you omit the vegetables, you end up with a stonking Chinese takeaway-style sauce.

Can I bake the crispy pork balls?

I have experimented with cooking this batter in both a hot oven and an air fryer, and it is really not a viable option.

This is an indulgent dish, go with frying to get the full effect!

How long will the batter stay crispy?

The corn flour used in this recipe will still be pretty crispy 20 minutes after cooking. So there is plenty of time to batch-cook the balls. This is because of the cornflour in the batter.

Sweet and sour sauce on the side or over the pork balls?

Now that's a question people will answer in different ways. I like to slather mine in the sauce. I love the contrast of the batter that has softened a little with the crispy bits that have not soaked in the sauce.

Others disagree; it really is a personal preference.

Serving Suggestions.

I almost always serve my battered sweet and sour pork balls with plain old rice; it's a perfect way to mop up leftover sauce.

If I am trying to impress, then I would throw together a quick egg fried rice (as I do in the video for this recipe), although that does take some planning.

For nostalgia, I serve sweet and sour pork with chips, not quite fries, for my American readers. I cook my chip shop chips, but do not add the vinegar; they are remarkably close to Chinese takeout chips.

An alternative to this would be to serve it with my crispy fried potatoes.

I also, on occasion, like to have a portion of soy sauce noodles or even some sweet chilli noodles on the side.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/stovetop.
• Wok. You can use a deep-fat fryer instead of a wok if you want.
• A thermometer for checking the temperature of the oil. I use a sugar thermometer in a wok.
• 18cm or 7" saucepan.
• Kitchen knife.
• A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, cups and spoons.
• Mixing bowls.
• Whisk.
• Slotted, serving and stirring spoons.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen paper.