Gu Lou Yuk (Cantonese Crispy Pork in Sweet and Sour Sauce)
Crisp cornflour-coated pork pieces tossed with peppers and pineapple in a bright, tangy sauce.
Made with Sweet and sour sauce. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time40
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £1.96 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Toss the pork with the tamari, sherry and a pinch of white pepper and leave for 15 minutes. Cook the rice following the packet.
15 min - 2
Warm your ready made sweet and sour sauce (see the base recipe) gently in a small pan.
- 3
Mix the pork with the cornflour until each piece is coated. Shake off the extra.
- 4
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to 175C. Fry the pork in two batches for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and crisp and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.
5 min - 5
Tip all but 1 tbsp of the oil out of the pan once cool. Stir fry the onion and peppers over a high heat for 3 minutes.
3 min - 6
Add the pineapple and the warm sauce and bubble for 1 minute.
- 7
Return the pork, toss quickly so it stays crisp, and serve straight away with the rice.
Tips
- For extra crunch, fry the pork twice: once for 3 minutes, rest it for 5 minutes, then fry for 2 minutes more at a higher heat.
- Toss the pork through the sauce at the last second. It keeps crisp for a few minutes only.
- Dry sherry stands in for Shaoxing wine, which usually contains wheat.
Storing and freezing
Eat straight away for the best crunch. Leftovers keep up to 2 days in the fridge, cooled within 1 hour. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through and eat without expecting the crispness.
Questions
Can I use pork loin?
Yes, but it dries out faster. Cut into 2 cm cubes, fry for 3 to 4 minutes and check one piece is white inside before the others.
What does gu lou yuk mean?
Gu lou yuk is the Cantonese name for sweet and sour pork. It is the dish that became the Chinese takeaway classic in Britain, usually made with crisp pork, peppers and pineapple.
Can I use green pepper only?
Yes, any mix of peppers works. Red and yellow are sweeter, green is slightly bitter and gives the classic look.
More made with sweet and sour sauce
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.