Korean Sweet & Sour Stir fry! With Deep Fried Crispy Pork tossed in a Korean Sweet & Sour Sauce with Stir Fried Vegetables. It's my version of Tangsuyuk or a Korean Sweet & Sour Pork recipe with a bit of heat. Although, you can also make a Korean Sweet & Sour Beef or a Korean Sweet & Sour Chicken. Using either beef or chicken and processed the same way.The whole thing happens right there on the stove top, with switching effortlessly between deep-frying and stir-frying. Start the Steamed Rice, with a rice cooker, before anything else. After about 15 minutes, start deep-frying. This way, the Korean Sweet & Sour Stir Fry will be ready by the time your rice is done.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- 1 Wok
- 1 Large Pot with fine Sieve to strain and hold the hot oil after frying
- 2 Bowls for the batter and the Sweet & Sour Sauce
- 1 Tong
- 1 Spider
- 1 Digital Scale
- 1 Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pork - Julienne french fry size
- 1 Med Carrot - Sliced thin on an angle
- 1 Large Onion - Halved and each half quartered
- 1/2 Whole Red Bell Pepper - chopped into chunks
- 1/2 Whole Orange or Yellow Bell Pepper - chopped into chunks
- 8 Slices Cucumber - Sliced in half
- As Desired Pineapple Chunks
- As Needed Neutral Oil
Starch Batter
- 1 1/4 C Corn Starch
- 1 C Cold Water
- 3 Tbl Flour
- 1 Whole Egg
- 1/2 Tbl White Pepper
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
Korean Sweet & Sour Sauce
- 1 C Water
- 1/2 C White Sugar - can use Brown for deeper taste
- 1/2 C Red Chinese Vinegar
- 1 Tbl Mirin
- 1 Tbl Potato Starch
- 1 Tbl Gochujang
Instructions
- Battered Protein: Combine the Batter ingredients together, mix and set aside. Slice the Pork into strips (Julienne), about french fry size, and weigh out 1 lb (ca. 454 g) worth. Place into the wet batter and mix. You can use this right away, but it is recommended to let the meat marinade in the batter while refrigerated for about 2 hours. With beef, marinate at least 2 hours or overnight to soften the meat.
- Preparation: Place the pot fitted with a sieve on the back of the stove to strain the hot oil when done. Heat a Wok up, filled halfway or a bit less, with Oil until it reaches 375F while you prepare the vegetables. Set the Cucumber slices & Carrot slices separate and aside. Everything else can go into a bowl. If you prefer firmer pineapple, these can be added the same time cucumbers are added towards the end. Then prepare the Sweet & Sour Sauce by combining all the ingredients into a bowl. Mix and set aside until needed.
- Deep Frying: When the Oil is ready, place half of the pork into the hot oil one at a time, quickly. They will stick together, so break them up with the tongs and deep Fry for about 5 minutes, or until crispy. Scoop them out with the spider and set aside to repeat for the second half. Allowing the Oil to reach 375 F again.Once these are set aside, let the oil reach 375F again and place all the meat back in to deep-fry about 1 minutes or so. Remove and set aside. Once done, strain and empty the hot oil through a fine sieve fitted over a pot on the back burner. The Wok will have a thin coating of oil and ready for stir-frying.
- Stir Frying: Return the Wok to the burner set over max heat. Add in Carrot slices with 2 Tbl of water and cook until the water has evaporated. Add the bowl of Vegetables (except the cucumbers) and stir-fry until softened but still crisp, about 3 minutes. Then add the Sweet & Sour Sauce with Cucumbers and bring it to a boil and hold for about 1 minute. Remove from heat. For firmer Pineapple Chunks, these can be added the same time as the Cucumbers. Toss in the Crispy Fried Meat to coat evenly and serve right away.
Notes
If serving this dish with Steamed Rice. Start the Rice in the rice cooker while you prepare everything else. Start cooking after the rice has had 15 minutes in the rice cooker, so that everything is pretty much ready by the time you are done stir-frying.
You can also use Chicken or Beef for this Korean Stir Fry Recipe too.