If you are a fan of pork recipes cooked in Asian style, take a look at my zesty and flavourful Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Carrot, Zucchini and Radish Slaw. It’s fun to reinvent recipes and I feel like this particular one for pork chops in sweet and sour sauce has been a great success! This recipe carries the classic flavours of Chinese sweet and sour pork but is served in a tangy sauce enriched with a bit of cream similar to French sauces. I’ve also added salty green olives and fresh figs to the mix. My whole family went crazy for this pork loin steak recipe.
Sweet and sour pork marinade
Pork chops are definitely the type of meat that benefits from marinating for two reasons. Tenderising and flavour. It’s easy enough to mix up the marinade the night before and let it do its magic overnight. The end result is so satisfying! Simply mix together plum sauce, soy sauce, honey, gin or rice wine, herb and garlic seasoning for the sweet and sour marinade and pour it over pork chops. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. There are a couple of ingredients in the marinade that could easily be substituted with similar results. All we are looking for is sweet and sour flavours. For example, I have used blackcurrant preserves instead of plum sauce on several occasions. You can also skip the gin and use either dry sherry, rice wine or rice vinegar. We are using them to add acidity (the sour note) to the pork. Alcohol or vinegar also tenderize the meat.
Sweet and sour sauce for pork
The sauce for the pork chops relies on the same sweet and sour flavours that we use the marinade to reinforce them. I’ve also added extra garlic, Dijon mustard and some thyme to bring in the Euro influence as well as heavy cream for a thich, luscious sauce. The sugar in plum sauce and honey gives this sauce a syrup like consistency, so no flour or cornstarch are necessary for thickening it. The mixture of sweet and sour is particularly good with pork chops, but that’s not your only option. Miso is also fantastic, with deep umami flavour, as I used for my Air Fryer Boneless Pork Chops.
Serving suggestions
Plain rice is absolutely the best pairing for these pork chops. Since sweet and sour flavours are so intense and complex we wouldn’t want to introduce anymore flavours or they will compete instead of complementing each other. You won’t want any of that delicious sauce to go to waste, so perhaps a chunk of crusty sourdough bread could also be served!
More favourite pork recipes
Pork Loin Steaks in Creamy Shallot and Mushroom Sauce Slow Cooker Cuban Pork Boneless Pork Chops with Apples and Cider Filipino Noodles with Pork and Shrimp (Pancit) Pork osso buco
