Sweet and sour pork is a Chinese dish that is particularly popular in Cantonese cuisine and North American Chinese cuisine. It can also be found on the menu in most UK Chinese restuarants. A traditional Jiangsu dish called Pork in a sugar and vinegar sauce is considered its ancestor.
PreparationThe dish consists of deep frying pork in bite sized pieces, and subsequently stir-fried in a more customized version of sweet and sour sauce made of sugar, ketchup, white vinegar, and soy sauce, and additional ingredients including pineapple, bell pepper, and onion. In more elaborate preparations, the dish's tartness is controlled by requiring Chinese white rice vinegar be used sparingly and using ketchups with less vinegary tastes, while some restaurants use unripe kiwifruits and HP sauce in place of vinegar. Some of the more casual food outlets use diluted acetic acid as a substitute for white vinegar and synthesized red colouring in place of ketchup to keep the costs down, making the dish too pungent and leaving customers thirsty.