Shanghai — the Shanghai version of sweet-sour pork developed independently of Cantonese cuisine; it reflects the Shanghainese fondness for sweet-sour flavour balance
Shanghai gu lao rou (sweet and sour pork in Shanghai style): pork loin slices tenderised, egg-coated, deep-fried, then tossed in a sweet-sour-savoury sauce of ketchup, rice vinegar, soy, and sugar. Distinctly different from Cantonese gu lao yuk — the Shanghai version is lighter, less sticky, and uses ketchup as the tomato-based sauce element. A Shanghai home-cooking classic.
Crispy pork, sweet-sour-tangy sauce, slightly sticky — the Shanghainese take on sweet-sour is lighter and more acidic than the Cantonese
{"Pork loin must be tenderised by scoring or bashing — the thin slice must cook through quickly without toughening","The egg-flour coating creates a light crispy shell that remains crispy in the sauce","Sauce prepared in advance — the pork is added briefly to the sauce, not cooked in it","Sauce balance: ketchup provides the tomato-sweet-sour base; vinegar sharpens; soy adds depth"}
{"Some Shanghainese versions add hawthorn slices (shan zha) to the sauce — they add tartness and were the traditional souring agent before ketchup","The pork should be just cooked through when the coating is crispy — timing is the entire skill","Serve immediately — the dish deteriorates quickly as the coating absorbs sauce"}
{"Thick coating — becomes doughy rather than crispy","Long time in sauce — the coating absorbs sauce and loses crispiness","Too sweet — the Shanghai version should be more savoury than Cantonese gu lao yuk"}
Land of Fish and Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop