Crispy Sweet-and-Sour Pork (Guo Bao Rou)
锅包肉
English: Crispy Sweet-and-Sour Pork
Chinese: 锅包肉
Pinyin： guo bao rou
Literal: Pot-Fried Pork
One of my earliest memories of Chinese food in the UK — and I suspect I'm not alone — is takeaway pork deep-fried in thick balls of batter, served with a polystyrene cup of lurid orange sauce. This dish, adapted from a Cantonese original, was brought to the West by the first wave of Cantonese restaurateurs opening kitchens across the UK and US. But if I had to choose between the sweet-and-sour Cantonese version and its northern cousin, I’d pick the sharp-sauced, brittle-crisped Guo Bao Rou (锅包肉) every time.
Guo Bao Rou, or Crispy Sweet-and-Sour Pork, is one the most famous dishes from Northeast China, a region known for its hearty flavours and cold-climate comfort food. It originated in the frozen city of Harbin, in Heilongjiang province, where it was first created as a banquet dish for the wealthy — an indulgent preparation featuring the rare luxury of deep-frying. However, as meat and oil became more accessible, it evolved into a beloved home-style classic throughout the region.
The sweet-and-sour (糖醋 | táng cù) method is closely associated with Shandong cuisine (鲁菜 | Lǔ cài), but the technique — literally "sugar and vinegar" — has spread widely across China. In Dongbei, it's the backbone of Guo Bao Rou’s sharp, glossy sauce: nose-twitchingly sour balanced with just enough gooey sweetness to round it out.
The pork itself is simply seasoned and coated in potato starch. Ask any serious foodie in China, and they’ll tell you there is no substitute for potato starch. It gives a thin, crisp, slightly chewy shell that stays crunchy even after being tossed with sauce. That’s the real draw. Unlike the syrupy, doughy versions found in many UK takeaways, Guo Bao Rou is light, bright, and sharp, with a delicate, almost glassy crust that shatters on the bite.
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
For the pork
200g pork tenderloin
150g potato starch
150ml water
½ tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon oil
For the sweet-sour sauce
50g white sugar
50g white rice vinegar
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon sesame oil
⅛ teaspoon light soy sauce
15g ginger - peeled and julienned into 4cm strips
2 spring onions, julienned
25g of a carrot, julienned into 7cm strips
For deep frying
2 cups of cooking oil
Method
Place the potato starch in a large bowl and cover it with cold water—just enough to submerge the starch completely and mix until the starch has dissolved. Leave it undisturbed for 20 minutes. The starch will settle at the bottom, separating from the water.
Slice the pork into 0.5cm thick slices. In a separate bowl, add the pork slices and pour over the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and a pinch of salt, mix together and set aside for 15 minutes.
While the pork marinates and the starch settles, julienne the ginger, spring onions, and carrot as finely as possible — aim for strips about half the width of a typical julienne.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, vinegar, salt, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Stir to dissolve the sugar and set aside.
After 20 minutes, carefully pour off the water from the bowl of starch, leaving behind the thick starch paste at the bottom. Add the marinated pork slices directly into the paste, along with 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. Use your hands to mix and gently squeeze the pork into the starch until each slice is evenly coated. The mixture should resemble the consistency of Greek yogurt — thick but spreadable. If it feels too dry, add a small splash of water. Make sure each piece has a thin coating of the starch.
Heat the oil in a wok or deep frying pan to about 180°C (350°F), or until a drop of batter sizzles immediately. Carefully lower in the pork slices in batches, being sure not to overcrowd the pan as they love to stick together. Fry for 2–3 minutes, turning as needed, until golden and crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the pork is fried.
Return all the pork slices to the hot oil and fry again for about 30 seconds. This final fry helps lock in crispiness even after saucing.
In a clean wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the ginger, carrot, and spring onions, and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Pour in the sweet-and-sour sauce and let it simmer for 1–2 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Add the double-fried pork slices to the wok and toss quickly to coat in the glossy sauce. Serve immediately while still hot and crisp.
