Bo Luo Gu Lu Rou (Pineapple Sweet and Sour Pork)
Soy pork and pineapple are a sign of the "real thing"! Cantonese-style fruity pork
Description
While Japan intensely debates 'whether pineapple belongs in sweet and sour pork', authentic Cantonese 'Gu Lu Rou' ABSOLUTELY requires fresh pineapple. Unlike the pitch-black Northern spare ribs, this features a bright orange, fruity sauce powered by hawthorn and plum sauce.
Restaurants serving Bo Luo Gu Lu Rou (Pineapple Sweet and Sour Pork)
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We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Pork butt
- Fresh pineapple
- Bell peppers
- Hawthorn(or Ketchup)
- Plum sauce
- Vinegar
- Sugar
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe & Differences]
- (Meat) Chop pork butt into bite-sized pieces. Marinate with salt, wine, egg white. Coat heavily in starch and squeeze by hand into 'round balls'. Double-fry at 160°C and 190°C to create rock-hard outside, juicy inside meatballs.
- (Veg & Fruit) Chop bell peppers, onions, and the absolutely mandatory 'Fresh Pineapple (Bo Luo)'.
- (Sauce) Instead of a simple ketchup/black vinegar base, the traditional sauce uses 'Hawthorn berry juice', 'Plum Sauce (Suan Mei Jiang)', 'Rice vinegar', and 'Sugar' to create a bright orange, fruity, translucent glaze. (Modern places add a touch of ketchup).
- Flash-fry veg, add the sauce, and thicken.
- Toss the fried pork and pineapple in simultaneously, glazing perfectly in seconds without killing the crunch.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Tropical sweet-sourness of pineapple and plum sauce
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Japanese Subuta (but lacks the deep fruity acidity in the sauce)
Pairing
Jasmine Tea / White Rice
Trivia
[Trivia] 'Gu Lu' mimics the sound of 'gulping' (swallowing saliva) upon smelling this incredibly appetizing dish. It conquered Western Chinese restaurants as the ultimate 'Sweet and Sour Pork'.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] The pineapple is not a garnish; it is a 'crucial seasoning' that cuts the pork fat. Eat the crispy pork together with the hot, cooked pineapple, which has amplified its sweetness.
Allergen
Pork, Wheat, Soybeans, Eggs