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Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Simple Candy and Bitter Pork {Prepared in 25!}


Candy and Bitter Pork

A skillet filled with stir-fried sweet and sour pork, bell peppers, onions, pineapple, and green onions.

Higher than takeout? Sure! With a sticky candy and tangy sauce, crispy pork, tender-crisp veggies and pineapple, this Candy and Bitter Pork recipe simply earns that title! Accomplished in below half-hour, it’s a weeknight meal that can have everybody working to the desk.

A skillet filled with stir-fried sweet and sour pork, bell peppers, onions, pineapple, and green onions.

A lightened up model of a takeout traditional.

cookbook author erin clarke of well plated

Whereas typically I hesitate to say my takeout fakeout model of a dish is healthier than the restaurant model, I’m absolutely assured that this Candy and Bitter Pork blows away the competitors. Let’s talk about:

  • Some candy and bitter sauces lean approach too heavy on the candy, whereas others are acidic in a approach that makes the again of your throat really feel bizarre. This sauce is sweetened with honey and it’s obtained simply the precise stability of flavors. (My Candy and Bitter Hen and Crockpot Candy and Bitter Hen are certain to please too!)
  • It’s additionally extra than simply candy and bitter. Sesame oil, a lot of garlic, and contemporary ginger layer in a lot of taste within the sauce.
  • Items of pork tenderloin are coated in cornstarch and pan-fried to crispy perfection, with a extra modest and wholesome quantity of oil than the restaurant model of candy and bitter pork.
A skillet filled with stir-fried sweet and sour pork, bell peppers, pineapple, and green onions on a gray surface.

Key Components

You’ll discover the total listing of elements within the weblog publish beneath, however listed below are some notes to remember.

For the Sauce:

  • Honey. Retailer-bought candy and bitter sauces are sometimes made with high-fructose corn syrup. Honey provides sweetness with out being cloying.
  • Vinegar. You should use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar for the bitter complement to the candy.
  • Pineapple Juice. Poured off of the canned pineapple.
  • Ketchup. For that signature candy and bitter sauce colour and an added layer of taste.
  • Soy Sauce. I take advantage of low-sodium soy sauce, however you may swap in tamari for a gluten-free choice.
  • Sesame Oil. Toasted sesame oil has a improbable nuttiness.
  • Garlic and Ginger. A dynamic duo in Asian sauces and stir-fries. Contemporary is a should!

For the Stir-Fry:

  • Cornstarch. That is what makes the items of pork crispy when pan-fried.
  • Pork Tenderloin. The right lower of pork for a stir fry! Lower it into items earlier than you get began.
  • Vegetable Oil. Or one other impartial, excessive smoke level oil you want to make use of for cooking.
  • Bell Peppers. Use a mixture of inexperienced bell pepper and sweeter pink bell pepper.
  • Onion. I take advantage of a small yellow onion, however pink onion works too.
  • Pineapple Chunks. Whereas I’d usually go for contemporary or frozen pineapple, I choose canned for this recipe. For one, the juice within the can is used within the sauce. But additionally, the extra tender texture and sweeter taste lends itself properly to candy and bitter pork.
  • Inexperienced Onions. For the stir fry and for garnishing.

Learn how to Make Candy and Bitter Pork

Make the Sauce. Whisk every little thing collectively in a small bowl. Set it inside arm’s attain of the range—this strikes quick!

Coat the Pork. Whisk collectively the cornstarch and salt in a big bowl, then add the pork and toss till it’s evenly coated.

Begin the Stir Fry. Warmth a tablespoon of oil in a skillet set over medium-high warmth. Add the bell peppers, onion, pineapple, and a lot of the inexperienced onions (besides what you’re utilizing for garnish) to the pan and cook dinner till the veggies are juuuust beginning to get tender. Switch to a plate.

Prepare dinner the Pork. Add the remainder of the oil to the skillet and return it to medium-high warmth. Add the pork to the pan and brown it on all sides, working in batches if it’s essential to. You need to let either side cook dinner undisturbed till it’s obtained a crispy-crusty brown coating, then flip it.

Put It All Collectively. Pour the sauce into the pan. Improve the warmth to excessive and cook dinner till the sauce is thick and clings to the pork. Add the veggies to the pan and cook dinner for a minute or two extra.

Serve. Plate the candy and bitter pork with rice, garnish with the reserved inexperienced onions, and ENJOY!

A bowl of sweet and sour pork with bell peppers, pineapple, and rice, placed on a striped napkin.

What to Serve with Candy and Bitter Pork

White rice is, after all, the traditional, however under no circumstances is that your solely choice!

A skillet filled with stir-fried sweet and sour pork, bell peppers, onions, pineapple, and green onions.

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Candy and Bitter Pork

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With a sticky sauce, crispy pork, a lot of veggies and pineapple, this candy and bitter pork recipe is bound to please. Accomplished in below half-hour!
Course Dinner, Important Course
Delicacies Asian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Prepare dinner Time 15 minutes
Complete Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Energy 364kcal

Components

For the Sauce:

For the Stir-Fry:

  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 (1 ½-pound) pork tenderloin lower into ½-inch items
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
  • 1 inexperienced bell pepper lower into ½-inch items, about 1 cup
  • 1 pink bell pepper lower into ½-inch items, about 1 cup
  • 1 small onion sliced into ¼-inch wedges, about 1 cup
  • 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks drained and liquid reserved
  • 5 inexperienced onions thinly sliced, divided

Directions

  • In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the sauce elements: honey, vinegar, pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger till clean.
    White bowl filled with sweet and sour sauce sits on a grey, textured surface.
  • In a big bowl, mix the cornstarch and salt. Add the pork and toss to evenly coat.
  • Warmth 1 tablespoon of oil in a big skillet over medium-high warmth. Add the inexperienced and pink bell peppers, onion, pineapple, and inexperienced onions (reserving a number of tablespoons of the inexperienced tops of the onions for garnish), and cook dinner, stirring continuously, till simply starting to melt, 3 to 4 minutes. Switch the greens to a plate.
    Colorful sautéed vegetables and pineapple chunks in a black skillet on a gray surface.
  • Warmth the remaining 1 tablespoon oil within the skillet over medium-high warmth. Add the pork, shaking off any extra cornstarch. Prepare dinner, undisturbed, till properly browned on the primary aspect, 1 to 2 minutes, then flip and cook dinner till browned on all sides. Work in batches if essential. You’ll want about 5 to six minutes per batch. Return all pork to the skillet.
    Cast iron skillet with browned, crispy pork pieces on a gray countertop.
  • Add the sauce to the skillet and enhance the warmth to excessive. Prepare dinner, stirring, till the sauce is thickened and coats the pork, about 2 minutes. Return the greens and cook dinner till the pork is cooked by means of and the greens are heated and crisp, 1 to 2 extra minutes.
    A skillet filled with sweet and sour pork, mixed with bell peppers, pineapple, and sauce, being stirred with a spatula.
  • Serve over rice, garnished with reserved inexperienced onion tops.

Notes

  • TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover candy and bitter pork in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days.
  • TO FREEZE: Freeze in an hermetic container or freezer bag for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge earlier than reheating.
  • TO REHEAT: Heat in a nonstick skillet over medium-low warmth, or within the microwave.

Vitamin

Serving: 1(of 4) | Energy: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 37g | Fats: 7g | Saturated Fats: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 3g | Trans Fats: 0.1g | Ldl cholesterol: 111mg | Potassium: 968mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 1234IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 3mg

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