Tangsuyuk is a popular Korean-Chinese sweet and sour pork (or beef) dish! This crispy deep-fried meat in a delicious sweet and tangy sauce is easy to make at home.
Tangsuyuk (탕수육) is crispy deep-fried pork (or beef) in a delightfully sweet and tangy sauce! It’s Chinese sweet and sour pork (or beef) dish adapted for Korean taste. Tangsuyuk (also spelled tangsooyuk) is another beloved Korean-Chinese dish along with the two noodle dishes – jajangmyeon and jjamppong.
Every time my family goes out to a Korean-Chinese restaurant, we almost always order a large plate of tangsuyuk to share as an appetizer. At home, I often make this dish for special occasions or gatherings, especially when my extended family gets together, as my mom used to do. Everyone loves it!
Tangsuyuk is easy to make, but the process goes very quickly. So, have all your kitchen equipment and ingredients ready before starting to cook. This tangsuyuk recipe was originally posted in September 2011. I’ve updated it here with new photos, more information, and an improved recipe.
Meat choice for tangsuyuk
Growing up, my mother usually made this dish with pork. I usually do the same thing except when my sister-in-law who does not eat pork will be coming. You can use any meat of your choice for this recipe.
For a vegan tangsuyuk, try rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms. They are meaty, chewy, and packed with earthy flavor.
How to make tangsuyuk batter
You’ll need to pre-soak the potato starch used to make the batter for about an hour or two. This is a traditional method used to create a slightly chewy yet crispy crust. It is important to deep-fry the meat twice for extra crispiness.
How to make tangsuyuk sauce
The key to a successful tangsuyuk sauce is the balance between the sweetness and sourness. This tangsuyuk recipe produces a well-balanced sauce, but you can always adjust to your taste.
The vegetables add different textures and a colorful touch to the dish. In this updated recipe, I used carrot, onion, cucumbers, and wood ear mushrooms. Red and green peppers and green peas are also good options. You can also add some fruits, such as pineapple or apple slices.
Some people like to have the sauce on the side and dip the meat in the sauce as they eat. I prefer the sauce poured over the meat. One of my readers once called the former a “dipper” and the latter a “pourer”. Which one are you?
For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces tender cut of pork or beef (such as pork loin or beef sirloin)
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
Batter
- 1 cup potato starch or corn starch, soaked in 1 cup of water for 2 to 3 hours
- 2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 cups canola or vegetable oil for deep frying
Vegetables -- See note
- 1/2 small carrot
- 1/4 small onion
- 1 ounce wood ear mushrooms - optional
- 1/2 small cucumber or 1/4 green bell pepper
Tangsuyuk Sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons vinegar (or to taste)
- pinch salt
- Starch slurry – 2 tablespoons starch* in 4 tablespoons water
Dipping sauce - optional
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- pinch black pepper
- pinch red chili pepper flakes gochugaru
Instructions
- At least an hour before cooking this dish, combine 1 cup of the starch with 1 cup of water and refrigerate until ready to use. The starch and water will separate, and you will need to pour out the water on top to use the soaked starch at the bottom.
- Cut the beef (or pork) into 2 to 2.5-inch long strips (about 3/4-inch wide and ⅛ - inch thick). Mix well with the grated ginger, and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let it sit until ready to deep fry.
- Prepare the vegetables by cutting into thin bite size pieces.
- In a pan, add 1 cup of water along with the remaining sauce ingredients except the starch slurry. Boil just until the sugar melts and turn off the heat. You will finish the sauce when the meat has been deep fried.
- Carefully pour out the soaking water from the starch. Use your hand to mix the soaked starch with the egg and oil. The starch will be very stiff. The addition of oil will help loosen it a little.
- Coat the meat with the starch batter.
- Add 4 cups of oil to a deep fryer, wok or large pot. Heat over high heat to 350°F. Using metal tongs or chopsticks, drop the meat in the oil one piece at a time. Do not crowd the oil. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes, in two or three batches, reheating the oil to 350°F between the batches.
- Remove them with a wire skimmer or a slotted spoon. Drain on a wire rack or in a large mesh strainer set on a bowl.
- Reheat the oil to 350°F. Add the meat (you can do this in one batch for the second frying) and deep fry again for 2 to 3 minute. Drain on a wire rack or in a large mesh strainer set on a bowl.
- Bring the sauce to a boil again. Add the carrot, onion, and optional mushrooms, which take slightly longer to cook than the green vegetable. When the sauce boils, add the starch slurry, stirring well. Taste the sauce and add a little more sugar or vinegar if desired. Turn the heat off, and then add the cucumber slices (or green pepper if using). The green vegetables lose their color quickly if boiled in the sauce.
- Place the meat on a large serving plate and pour the tangsuyuk sauce on top or serve the sauce on the side. Serve immediately with the optional dipping sauce.
Notes
Sara says
I looked this up because it was mentioned in the Kdrama My Demon (ep 2). Even the dipper vs pourer! Lol! Can’t wait to make it. Your recipes are always great.
Caroline Kim says
Can I fry it one day ahead of time and the next day refry it before putting the sauce on?
Hyosun says
Yes you can.
Sheena says
what do you do with the extra sauce?
Hyosun says
I normally don’t reuse, but you can try to dip some veggies in it.
Camilla Jansson says
I a newbie on korean cuisine, inspired by K-drama and use your recept frequently. I wonder why you use an other way to deepfrie than Dakgangjeong?
Hyosun says
They are two different dishes.
Sai says
I almost never eat sweet and sour anything because I find it too sweet, but I found myself with a rare craving and thought I would switch it up and give the Korean version a try. And it was so good! Your sauce is perfect. I looked at other recipes and some had so much sugar, or barely any vinegar for the amount of water. This was just right. It was nice and tangy without being sharp, and it wasn’t cloying. I used cucumber and pineapple along with green pepper, onion, carrot, and wood ear and I LOVED the texture of the cucumber and wood ear so much!
Sneha Amatya says
It was amazing. I had never made anything similar but even for the first time it turned out great. The recipe is very good.
Hyosun says
Awesome! So happy to hear it turned out well for your first try. You must be a good cook. And thank you for the great review!
Kim says
Thank you so much for this recipe! My friend and I were in Seoul in 2020 and ate tangsuyuk and jajjanmyeon at a place in Myeongdong. This tastes exactly like what we had! It was so easy to follow!
Hyosun says
Aww so happy to hear that! Glad you were able to travel to Korea in 2020.
Jona says
Ok this is really goood:) I’ve been trying to perfect this recipe and now I finally did<3 thank you so much :)!
Youshita Gashtil says
This is my second time I’m making this dish! It is a great recipe, I had some guests over last time and my family and guests all loved it! Great success! one of the guests which is my daughter’s best friend later told her she keeps thinking about this food and dreams about having it again, since she unfortunately recently has been tested positive for COVID, I am making it again for her along with some Seaweed Soup (your recipe) hoping she feels better soon. Thank you so much, you are my reference for any Korean Food. You make it simple ,easy to follow and tasteful. Also great explanations regarding history of the food and sides that go with it.
HJ Lee says
I made this last night and it was awesome! It was restaurant quality.
Hyosun says
Aww so happy to hear that, HJ! Thank you so much for letting me know.
Irina says
Hi, I’m currently getting the various ingredients to make this. In the step by step guide, you mention adding green peppers and pineapple bits but it’s not in the ingredients. How much of these things do you add?
Hyosun says
Okay sorry I missed that when I updated the original post which used green pepper and pineapple pieces. It’s been corrected. Thanks!
anonymous says
hi! im confused between the two sauces in the ingredients. In the directions, it doesnt say anything about the dipping sauce. Whats the difference between those two? Thank you!
Hyosun says
The first one is the sweet and sour sauce which is the main sauce for this dish, and the other is a simple dipping sauce made with soy sauce for people who want extra saltiness, which is optional. Hope this clarifies.
Susie says
Made it for dinner along with fresh package of Jjajang Myun as a side and it came out better than most Korean Chinese restaurants. That’s saying a lot as I live in Los Angeles where there are probably the most Korean Chinese restaurants. Thank you, your website is always reliable.
Hyosun says
aww I’m incredibly happy to hear that! Thank you!
Wendy says
Made this for dinner. I was scared that I might have over soaked the corn starch… that the beef might be hard beneath the coating. It turned out great! My family loved this!
Loved the crispy sound and the meat was tender.
The green pepper and pineapple bits wasn’t on the list of veggies, but it’s ok. It turned out good.
For the dipping sauce, since we’re on quarantine and Asian stores are closed, I substituted gochugaru with togarashi and it went well.
I’m turning Korean!!! 감사합니다 gamsahabnida and God bless you! Take care and stay safe.
Hyosun says
Nice! I’m glad it turned out well for you and your family loved it! Thank you for stopping by to tell me the good news.
Jenifer Huynh says
Hey haven’y tried it yet but when you say vinegar/or for tasting do we have to include it in the sauce when we put it in the pan or add it on the sauce to dip later. Not very experienced in cooking aha
Hyosun says
In the sauce in the pan to get the sauce vinegary to taste. Hope you try it.
Alex says
Thanks, Hyosun! The pictures are making my mouth water 🙂 I’ll try this recipe this weekend.
Keyla says
Just got done trying out this dish. Wow!! completely worth the time and effort, it has the perfect balance of sweet and sour, savory, and the texture is pleasantly chewy. I can see why this would make an excellent party dish, thank you Hyosun for all the recipes you’ve posted on your blog. I have tried many and they have all been delicious!
Keep up the amazing work!
Hyosun says
Hi Keyla! So happy to hear that! And thank you so much for such nice words!
Priscilla Moya says
What type of vinegar do you use please? Thank you
Hyosun says
I usually use rice vinegar for Korean cooking, but for this dish any clear vinegar is fine.
Y says
The ingredients do not list green bell pepper or pineapple
amy says
ginger is listed as one of your ingredients. when do you add that in?
Hyosun says
oh sorry! It should be mixed with the meat in step 2. Revised it. Thanks for letting me know!
SKim says
Hello,
I really want to make this, but can I leave the egg out or is there a substitute? My kids are very allergic to eggs.
Thank you!
Hyosun says
You can leave the egg out. Add more oil to loosen up the soaked starch. The texture and color will be different, but I’m sure it will still be delicious!
Ellie says
Is there a way to adapt this recipe to avoid the deep frying; perhaps a baked version?
Adilah says
Saw this at kdram Wok of Love..
joongkoogjip says
Thanks for sharing such an amazing blog post.
luzviminda lola says
.this is a big help to those who wants to learn how to make korean food……now its easy for me to know how to make korean food..thank you
Hyosun says
Thank you!
larni says
wonderful recipe and even better taste i want more 🙂
Annie says
I love tangsooyuk but I cannot eat deep fried food. Can I bake the meat and dip in the sauce? Would it have the same taste? Is there a baked version? Thanks!! Love your site!
Hyosun says
hmmm I haven’t tried baking the meat for tangsuyuk. Try it! I am sure it will be different but it may still be good. Let me know how it turns out if you try. Thank you so much for the love!
Unknown says
Hi Hyosun, I tried your jabchae recipe and it was absolutely delicious. I wanted to try your tangsuyuk recipe but I was wondering- we have a deep fryer. Should I still fry twice? Thank you!!!
Hyosun Ro says
So happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know. You don’t have to if you prefer not to, but it will be crispier with double frying. Thanks for trying out my recipes. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Wow, I love love your website. I’ve been looking for a good site for Korean food, but it’s been hit or miss. Everything looks wonderful. My husband is Korean and I’m not…so he doesn’t get to eat much of his native food…but now with your site, I will be sure to surprise him with all these dishes. Going to try this dish this week.
Sophia K. says
I made your tangsuyuk for dinner tonight. My family enjoyed it very much and there were no leftovers! I’ve tried to make this many times before with other recipes, but your recipe was the yummiest! Thanks again for posting and I love your blog.
Hyosun Ro says
Hi Sophia – I am so happy to hear your family enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know!
Hyosun Ro says
Jimin – I do that sometimes too when I want to add a nice citrus flavor. Thank you for the nice words, and hope to see you here often. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
I really enjoy your website. I will have to bookmark it and refer to it often. When I make my tansuyuk, I buy canned pineapples and use the juice in the can as part of the sauce. What do you think?
Jimin Hong-Noden
Oakville, Ontario. Canada
Hyosun Ro says
Thank you, Soyeon! I know you can make this easily.
csk says
Ooh! Your Tangsuyuk is so much more delicious than any restaurant’s… and now I can try making it myself! Thank you!
Hyosun Ro says
Evan – We used to do that when I was growing up – just plucked them off a pine tree. That was fun. But, it’s okay to steam songpyeon without pine needles. We have several places in the DC area we can buy good songpyeon from, but now I want to make some after talking to you about it.
bossacafez says
hi again hyosun-ssi, i’m glad you like my blog as well. anyway i’ve linked you up, your blog is too good to be missed 🙂
are you making anything for chuseok? i thought of making songpyeon but i’m not sure where to get pine needles. do you just pluck them off a pine tree? lol. i wonder if its ok to steam the songpyeon without the pine needles?
Hyosun Ro says
Hi Evan-ssi – Thank you so much! I am very happy to hear that you’ve been a big fan of my blog and liked my jeyuk bokkeum recipe. You have a lovely blog, which I am going to follow.
Biren – Please try it. You will like it. Thanks for stopping by!
Biren @ Roti n Rice says
Your sweet and sour beef looks delicious! I also like your photography as it alwaqys looks so clean and sharp. I have never tried using potato starch for batter but would like to try it next time. 🙂
bossacafez says
hi hyosun-ssi, thanks for dropping by my blog! i’ve actually been a big fan of yours for a long time, i made the jeyuk bokkeum few mths back and it was absolutely delicious!! thanks for sharing the recipe and i really look forward to trying more of yr fantastic recipes 🙂
5 Star Foodie says
An excellent dish with sweet and tangy flavors!
sartorialselectivity says
I miss good tansuyuk, thanks for the detailed recipe. I’ll have to give it a shot and then compare my results to the “real thing” when I get to visit Korea again in a couple weeks!
myfudo says
Mmmmmlicious, terrific and sumptuous stuff. I could have this for my meat lover dad.
Hyosun Ro says
Thank you, Sandra. You have a good weekend too. I will come over soon to see what you’re cooking.
Hyosun Ro says
Bliss Bunny – Thanks for your kind words. You have a great labor day weekend too!
Nami – That’s interesting! I didn’t know there was a Japanese version. I look forward to seeing it on your blog one day. Thanks!
Hira – Apparently your coworkers need to have their priorities straight. Lunch first and then work! LOL. Hope you get to enjoy them over the weekend. Thanks for visiting and leaving comments!
Andrea – It’s hard not to love them, isn’t it? Hope you had a great summer. Thanks for stopping by!
Andrea@WellnessNotes says
We love Korean-Chinese restaurants, and this one is one of our favorites, too! (Besides jajangmyeon and jambbong of course!) It’s going on my list!
Hira says
This is a terrible site to go to, especially when the rest of your coworkers won’t hurry up and get their work done so we can go to lunch!
thanks for another excellent recipe. I used to always order this with 짜짱면 so maybe I’ll make these two over the weekend!
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
How interesting – we do have Japanese-Chinese sweet and sour pork too. LOL. Yours look MUCH closer to Chinese version and looks so delicious. My kids love this dish too and I should make your version one day. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Roger Z says
I like that the sweet-sour sauce is not as sweet compared to the Chinese version
Bliss Bunny says
Yummy! This looks wonderful. Have a great Labor Day weekend! I really do love this blog.