Tangsuyuk is a very popular Korean Chinese dish. It is crispy deep fried pork coated with sweet and sour sauce. The pork is crunchy and the sauce is irresistible!
I know you’re hungry and your patience is running short after looking at these crunchy sweet little bites. But hold on for a minute and let’s talk.
Tansuyuk / Tang soo yook / Tang su yuk (탕수육) is a very popular Korean Chinese dish known as Korean sweet and sour pork.
The pork is double deep fried and it’s crunchy. What’s more, the sauce! hmmmm
The right balance of sweetness and sourness is totally addictive and irresistible! OK, I’m in love.
Seriously, this is so good!
I order Tansuyuk whenever I go to my local Korean Chinese restaurant. I must say, it isn’t as good as my Tangsuyuk! It somewhat lacks in diversity and generosity. 😉
I must be upfront though. It’s not a quick 10 minutes recipe. You need to do some work (but it’s easy to follow through!) – Double deep frying in some heavy oil.
I know it doesn’t sound healthy but it’s unavoidable if you want crunchy sweet and sour pork! (Some might ask whether you can bake it in the oven? Well, I’m sure it won’t be the same, but you can go for it if you would like. Let us know how it turns out.)
And I will say this. The end result is totally worth it! Every minute of it! Anyway, I hope you try it soon.
P.S. Here are some good companion dishes you could enjoy with Tangsuyuk. Jajangmyeon (Korean black bean noodles), Jjampong (Korean spicy seafood noodle soup), and Korean radish pickles
The original recipe was posted on October 2006 and it’s been updated with new photographs.
Ingredients for Tangsuyuk, Serves 2 to 3
Meat
- 500 g / 1.1 pounds pork loin, cut into thin strips (about 1 cm x 5 cm)
*You can use beef or chicken instead. Use lean and tender parts of the meat.
Marinade
- 1 Tbsp rice wine (or any cooking wine)
- 1 tsp ginger powder (or minced ginger)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- A few sprinkles ground black pepper
Batter
- 1 & 1/4 cup potato starch (or corn starch)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 2 egg whites
Fruit and Vegetables
- 150 g / 5.3 ounces pineapple slices, cut into small chunks (I used canned pineapple)
- 1/2 onion (70 g / 2.5 ounces), cut into small chunks
- 1/2 green capsicum (50 g / 1.8 ounces), cut into small chunks
- 1/2 red capsicum (50 g / 1.8 ounces), cut into small chunks
- 1/4 English cucumber (50 g / 1.8 ounces), thinly sliced
- 1/4 carrot (30 g / 1 ounce), thinly sliced
*Other popular fruit and vegetable options: earwood mushrooms and apple
Sweet and Sour Sauce (mix these in a bowl)
- 200 ml water
- 200 ml pineapple juice (I used the juice from the canned pineapple)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce, regular
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Sauce Thickening Agent (mix these in a bowl)
- 2 Tbsp potato starch (or corn starch)
- 2 Tbsp water
Other
- Some vegetable oil for cooking and deep frying (I used rice bran oil)
*1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml
How to Make Tangsuyuk
1. In order to make the batter for frying, prepare a medium size bowl and add the potato starch and water. Once you have added these ingredients, use a spatula to gently flatten the starch and submerge it under water. It is important that you do not mix or whisk at this time. Instead, leave it on the kitchen bench while you prepare the other ingredients. This will allow the water and starch to separate, which will take approximately 10 to 20 minutes.
2. Combine the pork with the marinade and mix them well. Set aside (in the fridge) until needed.
3. Once the starch and water have been separated (from step 1), gently discard the water (the last part of the water includes a bit of starch but it’s okay to discard it). Combine the starch sediment with the cooking oil and egg whites. Mix them well until the texture is smooth (It will be stiff at first, so you might need to use a fork or equivalent tool to mix.). Set it aside.
4. Add the pork (from step 2) into the batter bowl (from step 3). Mix them well. Allow the batter to rest for about 10 minutes to allow it to thicken. This will help ensure that your fried pork is very crisp.
5. Fill a wok with a generous amount of oil and bring it to boil until it reaches 175 C / 350 F (or boiling). (It takes about 5 mins.) Add the battered pork into the wok one at a time and cook the meat. (It takes about 1 to 2 mins to cook.) Make sure the wok doesn’t get crowded. Scoop out the meat and move them onto kitchen paper to soak away the excess oil. Repeat this with the remaining meat.
6. In a separate pan, pour the sweet and sour sauce into the pot. Heat the sauce on medium high heat until it bubbles up. Add the carrots into the sauce and boil for 1 min. Add the remaining fruit and vegetables and boil the sauce a further 2 mins. Add the thickening agent and stir constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
7. Return to the wok. Heat the oil again until it reaches 175 C / 350 F (or boiling). Deep fry all the meat (from step 5) briefly again to make it crispier. (The wok can be crowded this time.) Scoop out the meat and place it onto kitchen paper.
8. Serve the meat on a plate with the sweet and sour sauce over it. Alternatively, you can serve them in a separate plate and a bowl. This will prevent the fried pork from getting soggy. (Some restaurants also serve a Korean dipping sauce for your fried meat. If you want, you can try the meat with it instead of the sweet and sour sauce.)
Note
- It tastes best when served immediately after cooking.
- If you are refrigerating Tangsuyuk, keep the sauce separate to the meat so that the crispness last a bit longer.
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Tangsuyuk (Korean Sweet and Sour Pork)
Ingredients
MEAT
- 500 g pork loin (1.1 pounds), cut into thin strips (about 1 cm x 5 cm)
MARINADE
BATTER
- 1 1/4 cup potato starch (or corn starch)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 2 egg whites
FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
- 150 g pineapple slices (5.3 ounces), cut into small chunks (I used canned pineapple)
- 1/2 onion (70 g / 2.5 ounces), cut into small chunks
- 1/2 green capsicum / bell peppers (50 g / 1.8 ounces), cut into small chunks
- 1/2 red capsicum / bell peppers (50 g / 1.8 ounces), cut into small chunks
- 1/4 English cucumber (50 g / 1.8 ounces), thinly sliced
- 1/4 carrot (30 g / 1 ounce), thinly sliced
SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE (MIX THESE IN A BOWL)
- 200 ml water
- 200 ml pineapple juice (I used the juice from the canned pineapple)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
SAUCE THICKENING AGENT (MIX THESE IN A BOWL)
- 2 Tbsp potato starch (or corn starch)
- 2 Tbsp water
OTHER
- Some vegetable oil for cooking and deep frying (I used rice bran oil)
Instructions
- In order to make the batter for frying, prepare a medium size bowl and add the potato starch and water. Once you have added these ingredients, use a spatula to gently flatten the starch and submerge it under water. It is important that you do not mix or whisk at this time. Instead, leave it on the kitchen bench while you prepare the other ingredients. This will allow the water and starch to separate, which will take approximately 10 to 20 minutes.
- Combine the pork with the marinade and mix them well. Set aside (in the fridge) until needed.
- Once the starch and water have been separated (from step 1), gently discard the water (the last part of the water includes a bit of starch but it's okay to discard it). Combine the starch sediment with the cooking oil and egg whites. Mix them well until the texture is smooth (It will be stiff at first, so you might need to use a fork or equivalent tool to mix.). Set it aside.
- Add the pork (from step 2) into the batter bowl (from step 3). Mix them well. Allow the batter to rest for about 10 minutes to allow it to thicken. This will help ensure that your fried pork is very crisp.
- Fill a wok with a generous amount of oil and bring it to boil until it reaches 175 C / 350 F (or boiling). (It takes about 5 mins.) Add the battered pork into the wok one at a time and cook the meat. (It takes about 1 to 2 mins to cook.) Make sure the wok doesn't get crowded. Scoop out the meat and move them onto kitchen paper to soak away the excess oil. Repeat this with the remaining meat.
- In a separate pan, pour the sweet and sour sauce into the pot. Heat the sauce on medium high heat until it bubbles up. Add the carrots into the sauce and boil for 1 min. Add the remaining fruit and vegetables and boil the sauce a further 2 mins. Add the thickening agent and stir constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
- Return to the wok. Heat the oil again until it reaches 175 C / 350 F (or boiling). Deep fry all the meat (from step 5) briefly again to make it crispier. (The wok can be crowded this time.) Scoop out the meat and place it onto kitchen paper.
- Serve the meat on a plate with the sweet and sour sauce over it. Alternatively, you can serve them in a separate plate and a bowl. This will prevent the fried pork from getting soggy. (Some restaurants also serve a Korean dipping sauce for your fried meat. If you want, you can try the meat with it instead of the sweet and sour sauce.)
Notes
- For meat, you can use beef or chicken instead. Use lean and tender parts of the meat.
- Other popular fruit and vegetable options: earwood mushrooms and apple.
- 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
