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How Chinese sweet and sour pork evolved via British takeaways to become a dish ‘everyone just likes’, and the Hong Kong chefs serving twists on the dish

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How Chinese sweet and sour pork evolved via British takeaways to become a dish ‘everyone just likes’, and the Hong Kong chefs serving twists on the dish


“In the 60s or even earlier, Western people learned about this dish. Westerners thought it was not well-mannered to spit out bones, so the chefs used pork shoulder instead.”

Jacky Chung, executive chef at Yue, in Tung Chung, Hong Kong. Photo: Sheraton Hong Kong Tung Chung hotel
Cheng Kam-fu, head chef of The Demon Celebrity in Central, has a different memory of sweet and sour pork from his childhood in the 1950s and 60s.

“Back in the day, the standard of living was not very high,” Cheng recalls. “I remember when my mum made sweet and sour pork for the family, she would only use pork fat.

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Sweet and sour pork: how one of the most beloved Chinese dishes went global

Sweet and sour pork: how one of the most beloved Chinese dishes went global

“She covered it in batter and deep-fried it, and it would look like [the version served in my restaurant]. We usually ate only very simple food, so I was always excited about this dish – fragrant, crispy and served with sweet and sour sauce.”

Such varied versions of the dish meant it could be enjoyed by all levels of society.

While expatriates, merchants and upper- and middle-class travellers who frequented Hong Kong would eat meatier versions, lower-class families such as chef Cheng’s could afford only the more unhealthy cuts of meat.

“Pork fat was a lot cheaper than lean meat when I was growing up,” he says.

Cheng Kam-fu, head chef of The Demon Celebrity, in Hong Kong’s Central neighbourhood. Photo: The Demon Celebrity
A version of deep fried sweet and sour pork, served with sauce on the side, inspired by chef Cheng Kam-fu’s childhood. Photo: Llewelyn Cheung

The ingredients for sweet and sour sauce, however – namely sugar and vinegar – were something that both rich and poor could afford.

“The spare ribs of the original recipe were braised in sugar and vinegar sauce,” says Chung. “But nowadays, the ingredients that create the acidity are different, because there are many types of vinegar. For the ribs, I use traditional Zhenjiang black vinegar and Italian balsamic vinegar.”

Wendy Ho, owner of 1908BC in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, migrated with her husband to Britain in the 70s and bore witness to the evolution of sweet and sour dishes on foreign soil.
Wendy Ho makes sweet and sour pork at her restaurant 1908BC in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Photo: Llewelyn Cheung

“At that time, it was much easier to make a living [in Britain] compared with Hong Kong,” says Ho. “I found a job in a restaurant two weeks after I moved there. I was responsible for most entry-level chores, like peeling potatoes. But I was also keen on learning how to cook.”

Two years later, Ho’s first daughter was born. Unable to care for her child while working as a kitchen hand, she decided to open her own business.

“I bought a fish and chip shop and added Chinese food to the menu. The business did well, so I opened a second restaurant.”

Chips and curry, like that served at 1908BC, is a typical dish served at Chinese takeaways in the UK. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Unable to source authentic Chinese ingredients, the chefs often had to think on their feet and recreate dishes that were as true to the original flavours as possible.

The sweet and sour sauce that Ho learned to make in Britain is made with fruit, ketchup and tomato purée instead of Chinese vinegar.

She uses chicken, which she shapes into balls, and the sauce is served on the side as a dip instead of being stir-fried with the meat.

Fried chicken balls with sweet and sour sauce at 1908BC. Photo: Jonathan Wong
British-Chinese food is also a part of Cantonese cuisine. But we have to adjust the flavour to cater to the local palate,” adds Ho’s eldest daughter, Suzanna.

“Diners in the UK love deep-fried food and strong flavours, so we made our sweet and sour dish with a thicker batter, so it is crispier.”

As Hong Kong’s economy picked up in the late 70s and 80s the Hong Kong diaspora also changed, with the arrival of more international students, and sweet and sour pork, or gu lou yuk, started to appear on more menus.

Suzanna Ho, Wendy Ho’s daughter, at 1908BC. Photo: Jonathan Wong

“When I started working in restaurants in the 80s, gu lou yuk was already on the menu,” recalls Chung, who has also tweaked his recipe for the sauce. “I use rice vinegar, sour plums, hawthorn berries and ketchup.”

The name of the dish has also changed. When the preferred Chinese cut of pork spare ribs was changed to the all-meat pork shoulder, the dish was referred to in a derogatory way as gweilo yuk, literally “white man meat”.

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Suzanna Ho of 1908BC

To make the name more politically correct and to reflect that this new recipe was adored by Chinese and Westerners alike, it was eventually put on the menu as gu lou yuk.

Cheng’s version has its origins in one of Hong Kong’s tycoon families.

“I worked for decades as a private chef for tycoons, mainly [Peter Lam Kin-ngok’s] family and the bosses of listed companies on the Far East Exchange,” recalls Cheng. “They had very high standards when it came to food.

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“One night, the son of a boss came home and had a sudden craving for sweet and sour pork. But I only had a block of frozen pork. I didn’t have time to thaw it out and cook the normal, ball-shaped version. So I had to cut the meat into very thin slices.

“My boss picked up a slice and said, ‘Look at this, your sweet and sour pork looks nothing like everyone else’s.’

“His next line was the most important. He said, ‘And this is better.’ So now I have introduced this dish in my restaurant.”

Thinly sliced sweet and sour pork, a version of the dish inspired by Cheng’s time cooking for tycoon families in Hong Kong. Photo: Llewelyn Cheung

The Demon Celebrity’s version is more fragrant and crispier because there is a larger surface area coated by the sauce. “It’s not just that,” Cheng clarifies. “We use only what we call ‘the first cut’ of pork shoulder for this dish.

“Each pig has only around 12 taels [454 grams, or 1 lb] of that cut, and it’s the best for this dish. It has a similar texture to Wagyu beef. It’s delicious, but it’s also healthier because the cut is leaner.”

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Ho and daughter Suzanna’s version has brought a taste of British cuisine back to Hong Kong.

“While Hong Kong has some top-notch sweet and sour pork dishes, a lot of our clients have nostalgia for our chicken ball version,” says Suzanna. “I don’t think one is better than the other, everybody just likes this dish.”



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