Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs is a delicious Chinese-style dish made with crispy pork ribs, juicy pineapple and a rich sweet and tangy sauce. Perfect served hot with rice or in a festive pineapple shell.
Watch How To Make Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs – Recipe Video
Juicy ribs coated in rich sweet and sour sauce.
Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs is a flavourful Chinese-style dish made with crispy deep fried pork ribs, juicy pineapple and colourful vegetables tossed in a rich sweet and tangy sauce. The natural sweetness and slight acidity of the pineapple perfectly balance the savoury flavour of the ribs, creating a refreshing and appetising dish.
Fresh pineapple not only adds fruity aroma and flavour, but also gives the dish a vibrant tropical touch. For a more festive presentation, serve the dish in a hollowed pineapple shell.
Why You’ll Love Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs
Crispy on the outside and juicy inside
Rich sweet and tangy sauce
Fresh pineapple adds natural sweetness and aroma
Colourful vegetables add texture and crunch
Delicious balance of sweet, savoury and fruity flavours
Beautiful presentation when served in a pineapple shell
Common Types of Pork Ribs
Not all pork ribs are the same. Different cuts have different textures, flavours and fat content, making them suitable for various cooking methods and dishes.
Baby Back Ribs
These ribs come from the upper ribcage near the backbone. They are smaller, leaner and naturally more tender. Because they cook faster, they are great for grilling, baking and sweet and sour dishes.
Spare Ribs
Spare ribs come from the belly area and are larger, meatier and fattier. They have richer flavour and stay juicy after cooking, making them especially suitable for Chinese-style deep-fried, braised and sweet and sour rib dishes.
St Louis Style Ribs
St Louis style ribs are trimmed from spare ribs into a more even rectangular shape by removing the cartilage and rib tips. They have a good balance of meat and fat, making them flavourful, juicy and easier to cook evenly.
Recommended Ribs for This Dish
Spare ribs are most commonly used for sweet and sour dishes because they stay juicy after frying and absorb the sauce well. Their slightly higher fat content also gives better flavour and texture.
If you prefer a leaner and more tender texture, baby back ribs are also a good choice. For home cooking, small chopped spare ribs to about 2-3 inch pieces are preferred for easy frying and eating.
Ingredients for Making Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs
Main Ingredients:
Pork Ribs
Pineapple
Green Bell Pepper
Red Bell Pepper
Red Onion
Pork Rib Marinade:
Salt
Sugar
Egg
Sesame Oil
Ground White Pepper
Shaoxing Wine
Cornstarch
Coating For Pork Ribs:
Cornstarch or Tapioca Flour
Rice Flour
Ground White Pepper
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
Tomato Sauce
Plum Sauce
Salt
Sugar
Pineapple Juice
Rice Vinegar
What You’ll Learn in This Recipe
How to marinate pork ribs for better flavour
Tips for crispy fried pork ribs
How to make balanced sweet and sour sauce
The right way to fry ribs without drying them out
How to use fresh pineapple for better aroma and flavour
Overview: How to Make Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs
Part 1: Prepare Ingredients
Wash, drain and marinate pork ribs for at least 20 minutes. Coat marinated pork ribs with a mixture of cornstarch and rice flour. Then set aside.
Cut the pineapple to remove the flesh while retaining the hollowed shell without skinning the pineapple. Cut the flesh into chunks. Scrape with a spoon to collect the natural pineapple juice from the hollowed pineapple shell. Strain the juice through a sieve.
Cut the green, red pepper and onion into chunks of equal pieces.
In a bowl, combine well all the sweet and sour sauce ingredients.
Part 2: Cook Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs
Heat up enough oil in wok and deep fry the floured pork ribs till golden brown and crispy. Drain well and set aside.
Heat up a little oil and sauté cut green, red peppers and onion till aromatic. Remove and set aside.
Heat up a little oil and add in the premix sweet and sour sauce. Cook till sauce thickened. Then add in the fried pork ribs, sautéed vegetables and lastly the cut pineapple chunks. Drizzle in a little oil. Stir fry to make sure the pork ribs are coated with the sauce and mix well with the vegetables and pineapple.
Serve hot with rice.
How To Serve Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs
This dish can be served in several delicious styles. It can be served family-style on a large plate with steamed white rice or fried rice. Or, presented in a hollowed pineapple shell for a festive touch.
For restaurant-style plating, arrange the pork ribs in the centre with pineapple and colourful vegetables around the sides. Garnish with coriander if desired.
Practical Tips for Perfect Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs
Choose ribs with some fat for better flavour Spare ribs and soft bone ribs work especially well because they stay juicy after frying while still absorbing the sweet and sour sauce beautifully.
Marinating makes a big difference A short marinade helps season the ribs properly and keeps the meat flavourful and juicy after frying.
Press the coating firmly onto the ribs Grab and squeeze the flour coating onto the ribs so it sticks better and creates a crispier crust when fried.
Cut vegetables into similar-sized pieces This helps them cook evenly while keeping a nice crunchy texture.
Maintain the oil temperature when frying Fry in batches and avoid overcrowding the wok so the ribs stay crispy instead of turning soggy.
Do not over-fry the ribs Fry until golden brown and crispy outside while keeping the meat juicy inside.
Fresh pineapple gives the best flavour It adds natural sweetness, fruity aroma and a fresher taste compared to canned pineapple.
Balance the sauce carefully The sauce should have a good balance of sweet, tangy and savoury flavours. Taste and adjust before adding the ribs.
Toss quickly before serving Once the ribs are coated with sauce, stir-fry briefly over high heat and serve immediately to keep the ribs crispy.
Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs is a flavourful Chinese-style dish made with crispy pork ribs, juicy pineapple and colourful vegetables tossed in a rich sweet and tangy sauce. Perfect served hot with rice or in a festive pineapple shell.
Have ready all ingredients needed to cook the dish.
Cut green, red peppers and onions into chunks or diamond shape of equal sizes.
Then set aside in a bowl.
Prepare Pork Ribs:
First wash pork ribs with 1 tbsp of flour. Mix well to remove smell. Rinse with water for 2 times, till water runs clear. Then squeeze to remove excess water and drained well before marinating the ribs.
Have ready ingredients to marinade the pork ribs.
To marinate the pork ribs, add ½ egg, salt, sugar, ground white pepper, shoaxing wine, sesame oil and cornstarch into the ribs.
Mix well and marinade for at least 20-30 minutes.
Then prepare to coat the marinated pork ribs. Have ready cornstarch, rice flour and a dash of ground white pepper to coat the marinated pork ribs.
Place 1 cup of cornstarch (or tapioca flour), 1 tbsp rice flour and a dash of ground white pepper on a plate. Give everything a good mix.
Coat the marinated pork ribs with the flour. Grab and squeeze the coated ribs so the flour sticks well on the ribs. Place the coated ribs on a plate and set aside for a short while before frying.
Prepare the pineapple:
To prepare the pineapple, first place the pineapple on its side on a cutting board. Cut the bottom and slice the whole pineapple into halves lengthwise. Using a knife, carefully cut around the inside to loosen the flesh without piercing the skin. Remove the flesh, dice into chunks of equal size.
Using a spoon, gently scrap the inside of the hollowed pineapple shell to collect the natural pineapple juice. Strain the pineapple juice over a sieve to remove the pulp. Keep the hollowed pineapple shell intact for presentation.
Prepare Sweet and Sour Sauce:
Meanwhile, prepare the sweet and sour sauce. Have ready all ingredients for the sauce.
In a bowl, add tomato sauce, plum sauce, salt, sugar, pineapple juice and vinegar. Mix well and set aside. We are now ready to cook the dish.
To cook Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork Ribs:
Heat up enough cooking oil in wok. Dip the tip of wooden chopstick into the oil. Oil is ready when small steady bubbles form around it. Add in the floured pork ribs and deep fry for 20 minutes over low heat. Then turn heat to high and continue to deep fry till the pork ribs turn golden brown. Remove and set aside to drain off the excess oil.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok. Stir fry briefly the cut green and red bell peppers as well as onions till aromatic. Remove and set aside.
Then cook the sweet and sour sauce. Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil. Add the premix sweet and sour sauce. Cook till sauce thickened. Then add in the deep fried pork ribs and sautéed vegetables. Stir fry to mix well.
Add some oil and mix well. Lastly add in the cut pineapple cubes. Stir fry to combine everything together. And we are done!
Serve hot the sweet and sour pineapple pork ribs.
Compliments well with a bowl of white rice too. So Enjoy!
Angie Liew (known as Huang) has a strong love for cooking from a young age. Being a self taught chef, she focuses on improving cooking recipes, simplifying and documenting cooking methods so that her great home cooked dishes can be served and shared among family and friends.
Have ready all ingredients needed to cook the dish.
Cut green, red peppers and onions into chunks or diamond shape of equal sizes.
Then set aside in a bowl.
First wash pork ribs with 1 tbsp of flour. Mix well to remove smell. Rinse with water for 2 times, till water runs clear. Then squeeze to remove excess water and drained well before marinating the ribs.
Have ready ingredients to marinade the pork ribs.
To marinate the pork ribs, add ½ egg, salt, sugar, ground white pepper, shoaxing wine, sesame oil and cornstarch into the ribs.
Mix well and marinade for at least 20-30 minutes.
Then prepare to coat the marinated pork ribs. Have ready cornstarch, rice flour and a dash of ground white pepper to coat the marinated pork ribs.
Place 1 cup of cornstarch (or tapioca flour), 1 tbsp rice flour and a dash of ground white pepper on a plate. Give everything a good mix.
Coat the marinated pork ribs with the flour. Grab and squeeze the coated ribs so the flour sticks well on the ribs. Place the coated ribs on a plate and set aside for a short while before frying.
To prepare the pineapple, first place the pineapple on its side on a cutting board. Cut the bottom and slice the whole pineapple into halves lengthwise. Using a knife, carefully cut around the inside to loosen the flesh without piercing the skin. Remove the flesh, dice into chunks of equal size.
Using a spoon, gently scrap the inside of the hollowed pineapple shell to collect the natural pineapple juice. Strain the pineapple juice over a sieve to remove the pulp. Keep the hollowed pineapple shell intact for presentation.
Meanwhile, prepare the sweet and sour sauce. Have ready all ingredients for the sauce.
In a bowl, add tomato sauce, plum sauce, salt, sugar, pineapple juice and vinegar. Mix well and set aside. We are now ready to cook the dish.
Heat up enough cooking oil in wok. Dip the tip of wooden chopstick into the oil. Oil is ready when small steady bubbles form around it. Add in the floured pork ribs and deep fry for 20 minutes over low heat. Then turn heat to high and continue to deep fry till the pork ribs turn golden brown. Remove and set aside to drain off the excess oil.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok. Stir fry briefly the cut green and red bell peppers as well as onions till aromatic. Remove and set aside.
Then cook the sweet and sour sauce. Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil. Add the premix sweet and sour sauce. Cook till sauce thickened. Then add in the deep fried pork ribs and sautéed vegetables. Stir fry to mix well.
Add some oil and mix well. Lastly add in the cut pineapple cubes. Stir fry to combine everything together. And we are done!
Serve hot the sweet and sour pineapple pork ribs.
Compliments well with a bowl of white rice too. So Enjoy!