If you’re going to have a party or get-together with your friends, one dish you can serve that almost everyone loves is Chinese sweet and sour pork. Koreans have their own Chinese-Korean variation of it called tangsuyuk. It’s crunchy pieces of fried pork coated in a jelly-like sweet and sour sauce filled with colorful fruits and vegetables.
This was always my #1 favorite dish when I was young, and we used to order it from restaurants as a treat on special days. Over time I became a tangsuyuk connoisseur! lol! And my satisfaction varied depending on the skill of the cook. There are a couple of important criteria for top-level tangsuyuk: a delicious sauce and super-crispy crunchy pork.
Eventually a friend of mine in Korea showed me her secret for a crunchy batter, and it’s turned out perfectly for me ever since: solidified starch soaked in water, mixed with egg white, fried twice.
Since I learned this, I make tangsuyuk whenever I feel like it, and it always turns out crunchy crunchy and delicious. When I have a party, my guests always tell me: “This tangsuyuk is better than any restaurant!”
You can replace the pork in this recipe with beef, chicken, or even shiitake mushrooms for a vegetarian version. This video is an HD remake of an earlier video I made where I used beef, but the recipe is pretty much the same. I added less sugar this time, but if you want to make it sweeter, add ⅓ cup sugar instead of ¼ cup.
And be sure that when you fry the pork for the second time, the pork looks super-crispy to the point of becoming breakable. That way, when it’s finally mixed with the gooey sauce, it’ll stay crunchy for a long time. Your guests will be totally knocked out!
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork shoulder or tenderloin, cut into 2 inch x ½ inch strips
- ½ teaspoon minced ginger
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2-3 dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in cold water for 1½ hour
- 1 cup plus ¼ cup potato starch
- 1 large egg white
- ⅓ cup sliced onion
- 1 small carrot, sliced thinly
- ⅓ English cucumber, sliced thinly
- 2 rings of pineapple (canned or fresh), cut into halves
- 1 small red apple, cored, and sliced into ⅓ inch thick pieces
- ¼ cup sugar (white, brown, or turbinado sugar)
- 2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons white or apple vinegar
- 4 cups plus 1 teaspoon corn oil or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- water
Directions (Serves 4)
- Combine the pork, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, the ginger, and the ground black pepper in a bowl. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate.
- Mix 1 cup starch and 3 cups of water in a bowl with a spoon. Let it sit on the kitchen counter until the starch sinks to the bottom of the bowl and turns solid (about one and a half hour).
- Drain the mushrooms, remove the tough roots, and cut into bite size pieces.
- Mix 2 tablespoons starch with 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl, and let it sit for later, to thicken the sauce.
- Fill a deep 10 to 12 inch skillet with 4 cups of corn or vegetable oil. Heat it up over medium high heat until it reaches 330°F.
- Take the pork out of the refrigerator and mix with the remaining 2 tablespoons of starch.
- Pour out the water from the bowl of starch that was soaking. Add the egg white and mix well.
- Add the starch mixture to the pork. Use your hand to gently mix it in.
- Dip a piece of pork in the oil to see if it’s ready. If it sizzles, it’s ready.
- Drop the pork pieces into the oil. Use tongs to split them apart if they stick to each other. Fry in batches if you need to, until they are crispy and turn light golden brown (5 to 7 minutes). There should be plenty of room in the skillet for them to fry without always touching each other.
- When done, transfer to a strainer set over a bowl to drain.
Make the sauce:
- Heat the 1 teaspoon of corn oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and carrot and stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Add the apple and stir-fry 1 minute.
- Add 3 cups of water, the sugar, the vinegar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and bring to a boil.
- Stir the small bowl of starch water one last time before adding to the sauce. Stir it in with a wooden spoon. The sauce will thicken and shiny.
- Let it sizzle for a few minutes and then remove from the heat.
Serve:
- Mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl, to use as a dipping sauce.
- Heat up the oil and fry the pork for the second and last time, until they are very crispy and golden brown (about 3 to 4 minutes). You can crowd them in the skillet this time, but the color of the pork should be golden brown and shatteringly crisp. You should be able to feel the crispness through your tongs.
- Transfer to the strainer to drain, then put on a large plate.
- Reheat the sauce over medium high heat until it bubbles. Stir in the cucumber and pineapple for 1 minute. Add the sesame oil and stir for 10 seconds.
- Pour the sauce into a large bowl and serve on the side with the fried pork, allowing diners to dip their pork into the sauce as they eat. Alternatively you can pour the sauce over the pork and let everyone dig in. Whichever you choose, the soy sauce-based dipping sauce always goes on the side.
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Hello Maangchi, this recipe is wonderful!
My wife always loved my traditional Chinese style cooking of this dish, but she loves this Korean version even more ~ since she is Korean. And I’m glad that I’m not the only who uses apples for this ~ some ppl think its weird until they taste it. Have you ever tried using a 1 tbs of ketchup in the end in the sauce ~ it sounds ridiculous but it actually tastes pretty good.
Who can say it’s a ridiculous idea about adding some ketchup!
Nobody! : ) When I make fried shrimp dish, I use ketchup.
hi maangchi,, how to make spicy chicken?
There are so many ways to cook spicy chicken in Korean cuisine. Please give us more description about the spicy chicken you had. Leave your request here:
https://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/recipe-request
I tried this recipe today, it was amazing! Usually i am reluctant to try recipes out, but Maangchi’s always go well. Thank you for sharing these wonderful dishes with us!
Thank you very much! I’m very happy to hear that your tangsuyuk turned out delicious! Now you can make tangsuyuk anytime you feel like. Cool!
Maangchi…I want to prepare Tangsuyuk for a dinner party, but the timing is what I’m concerned about. I won’t have an opportunity to refry the meat pieces before serving. I was wondering if I laid out the pieces and kept it crisping in the oven while I prepare the rest of the food for my party, will I get the same texture and crispness??
Please follow my recipe tightly!!
Hi! I tried your recipe today and I used potato starch. However, I didn’t soak the batter for a few hours, only for about an hour or less, just until the starch and water have separated. Is it important to soak the starch for a few hours?
I followed your method of frying two times. The chicken was crunchy after the second frying but after coating with the sauce, the batter did not remain crispy! It was a little bit chewy and ‘soggy’. What did I do wrong? Is it because I did not fry it long enough? Any tips?
Thank you! :)
please follow the recipe tightly! “I didn’t soak the batter for a few hours, only for about an hour or less,”
Sorry! I will follow your instructions next time. I decided at the very last minute to make it so I didn’t have time to soak it for a few hours. Next time I will plan ahead and do so.
J,
Good luck with making delicious and crispy Tangsuyuk! : )
hi,maangchi i work in korean house i’m the cooker here in philippines but my boss told me that there is spicy sauce in tangsuyuk.i’m so confused coz i don’t know how to make the spicy sauce of tangsuyuk.
ryza,
I don’t get your question! Your boss wants you to make spicy tangsuyuk sauce? Anyway this is my recipe. If you want to talk more about spicy tangsuyuk sauce, leave your comments here
https://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/general-discussion
hi,maangchi is it ok if i will serve yhis in a bar?and how to make spicy sauce of tangsuyuk?
yes, I think you can serve this dish anywhere. Tangsuyuk sauce is never spicy. I can’t imagine spicy tangsuyuk even though I like spicy food. : )
Hi Maangchi!
Can I use chicken instead of beef for this?
hi,maangchi can i use pork instead of beef?
yes, you can use pork or chicken!
Aram,
oh my god! so many dishes! For tangsuyuk, you must use starch following my recipe.
Let me know how you make your mom impressed on her birthday!
Hi Maangchi,
My moms birthday is coming up real soon and i was gonna cook her a birthday dinner~ so far i have an idea of what i want to cook… such as, 갈비찜, 무우나물,오이 소바기, 야채 전, 호박 튀김, 잡체, 가지 나물 그리고 감자 조림. but was insisting of making 탕수육 too~ *^^* i was wondering if i can use 튀김까루 instead of starch… i will wait for your reply 감사함니다 망치 언니!
hi,
i so love your videos.i will try them one by one…thanks for the effort
portugalbear,
yes, it’s very different.
That’s the best way to make it crispy.
Hi Maangchi,
Just wondering why we need to wait for the potato starch to settle at the bottom before mixing it with the beef.
is there any difference if we mix the beef with starch immediately?
i like tan su yuk when it is less vinegary!
i love yangyumtondak! :D
hello maangchi!!!
감사의 말!!!(i hope i got that right..heheh)
i tried your recipe and my family said it was delicious. i got your tangsuyuk recipe from youtube.thank you so much for sharing!!!
cheers from malaysia:)
OMG Maangchi I made your Tangsuyuk finally today for dinner everyone loved it I made a blog post about it here:
http://nathanscomida.blogspot.com/2009/01/tangsuyuk-korean-style-sweet-sour-pork.html
Thanks a lot :)
Portugalbear,
You can use any part of beef that doesn’t contain much fat. You can use brisket, too
I found this for you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisket
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirloin_steak
Hi Maangchi,
Which part of the beef did you use? Was is sirloin?
Mike,
You must be a good cook! : )
Thank you and Happy New Year!
Maangchi,
Your recipie for this looks good. The main difference between yours and mine is that I use ketchup in the sauce. I am still experimenting with my recipie, though, and will send it in once I have it perfected. You are absolutely right with the two important features: sauce flavor and crispiness.
Happy New Year!
maangchi, i am the girl singing and playing the cello. can i just say that i love you even more than i already did before? thank you for the comment, 너무나 감사합니다. :)
annie,
Are you the cute girl playing the cello? : ) Nice music!
maangchi :) i’m in a band and we made a holiday song and put it together in just a few hours. so it’s not perfect but it is made with a lot of love. if you get a chance could you view and comment? :) happy holidays!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvoyb37uTT4
Jennifer,
Whatever you want to use, do it, experiment! : )
That’s my recipe.
It looks good! I’m gonna try to make it.
Can I add cucumbers after the dish is cooked? Because I like the cucumbers not cooked. Or can I use a zucchini?
annie,
you are the first person who sent me the photo of tangsuyuk you made. very colorful and looks delicious! Congratulation!
http://flickr.com/photos/yeheunkim/3124412112/in/photostream/
:) i made it with red bell pepper instead of carrot since i didn’t have carrot. oh maangchi, i love you.
deborah,
yes, that’s actually one of my specialty dishes. Let me know how it turns out. Happy Holidays!
maangchi, that is one of my favourite dishes at a chinese-korean restaurant! thank you for posting it up! i will be sure to make it for my parents one weekend.
annie,
please leave the link of your website here so that other people can see your tangsuyuk photo. Or send me a photo of tangsuyuk if you have. : )
hi maangchi! i made this last night and have it on my flickr :)
maxivera,
You will be popular if you invite your friends with this dish. : )
Ooh my mom used to make this all the time but now I can make it in college!
Justopia,
haha, I understand how you feel! When I learn a new recipe that I really like, it’s difficult for me to wait until I can cook it.
This looks so good! I can’t wait to go out and get the ingredients. This is going to be on my list for next week, for sure. Thank you!