Ko Lo Bak (Peranakan) - fried pork with pineapple

Ingredients

• 350 gpork
• 1 tbspkecap asin (Indonesian salted soy sauce)
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 1carrot
• 200 gcucumber or pickle
• 1red lombok chilli, deseeded
• ¼pineapple
• 5 tbsptomato sauce
• ½ tsppepper
• 1 tbspsago or cornflour
• 150 mlwater
• ½ tspsalt
• ½ tsppalm sugar
• 1 tspapple vinegar
• 5 tbspoil

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare ingredients

   Slice the pork into thin pieces, about 0.4 × 3 × 3 cm. Crush 2 cloves of garlic to a paste and finely chop the remaining cloves. Thinly slice the carrot, cut the chilli into strips, cut the pineapple into triangles, and deseed and thinly slice the cucumber.

2. 2

   Marinate the pork

   Mix the pork with the kecap asin and crushed garlic, then leave it for 5 minutes. Stir in the sago or cornflour.

3. 3

   Cook the pork

   Heat 5 tbsp oil in a pan and cook the pork until tender. Set it aside and reserve 3 tbsp of the oil.

4. 4

   Fry the garlic

   Heat the reserved oil in a pan and fry the chopped garlic until golden brown.

5. 5

   Cook the sauce

   Add the water, carrot, pineapple, chilli, tomato sauce and pepper, and mix well. Add the pork, cucumber, salt, the pepper and vinegar, then stir and cook until the sauce thickens.

6. 6

   Serve the dish

   Serve once the sauce has thickened.

What is Ko Lo Bak?

Ko Lo Bak is a Peranakan-style dish combining pork with a sweet-and-sour sauce and fruit. Peranakan cooking reflects the meeting of Chinese and Malay food traditions in Southeast Asia.

This version pairs savoury pork and garlic with pineapple, cucumber and tomato sauce. The fruit and vinegar give the sauce a lively tang, while starch helps it cling to the other ingredients.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 1750 calories, 0g protein, 0g carbs, 0g fat.

The pork contributes most of the protein, while the tomato sauce, pineapple and any rice served alongside provide most of the carbohydrates. The cooking oil is the main source of fat. To balance the plate, serve a moderate portion with rice and add extra vegetables if available.

Choosing the ingredients

Pork: Slice it evenly and thinly so the pieces cook at a similar pace. The recipe does not specify a cut, so choose one suitable for quick pan-cooking.

Kecap asin: This Indonesian salted soy sauce seasons the pork before it is cooked. Sago or cornflour coats the marinated pieces and later helps give the finished dish body.

Produce: Use ripe but still firm pineapple so it holds its shape in the pan. The recipe allows cucumber or pickle; cucumber gives a fresher taste, while pickle brings more acidity.

Getting the pork tender

Thin slices: Cutting the pork to roughly 0.4 × 3 × 3 cm gives it plenty of surface contact with the pan. Keep the pieces close in size to help them cook evenly.

Marinating: Give the pork the full 5 minutes with the kecap asin and crushed garlic before mixing in the starch. Cook it in the measured oil, then set it aside while you make the sauce.

Building the sauce

Golden garlic: Fry the chopped garlic in the reserved oil until golden brown, watching closely so it does not burn. This is the aromatic base for the sauce.

Thickening: Add the sauce ingredients and vegetables, then return the pork to the pan. Stir as it cooks and use the sauce's consistency as your cue: it should thicken before serving.

Balancing sweet and tangy

Pineapple and tomato sauce supply sweetness, while apple vinegar adds a sharp note. Salt and pepper round out the flavour, so taste the finished sauce before serving and adjust only if needed.

The chilli is deseeded in the preparation, giving the dish its chilli flavour without relying on the seeds for heat. Keep the pieces thin so they distribute through the sauce.

Serving Ko Lo Bak

Serve the pork and sauce hot, with rice if you want a more substantial meal. Plain steamed rice is a simple accompaniment that lets the sweet-and-sour sauce remain the focus.

Spoon the sauce over the pork and vegetables so each serving gets some pineapple and cucumber. Serve promptly for the best contrast between the tender pork and the fresh-tasting vegetables.

Recipe notes & tips

• Cut the pork into evenly sized slices so it cooks at a similar rate.
• Prepare and cut all the vegetables before heating the pan, as the cooking stages follow one another quickly.
• Reserve exactly 3 tbsp of the cooking oil for frying the garlic and building the sauce.
• Stir the sauce as it thickens so the ingredients are coated evenly.
• If using pickle instead of cucumber, expect a sharper, more acidic result.

Variations

• Use chicken: Swap the pork for thinly sliced chicken and cook it through before setting it aside.
• Add colour: Include thin strips of red or green pepper with the carrot.
• Adjust the chilli: Use less chilli for a milder dish or leave some seeds in for more heat.
• Choose pineapple: Use fresh pineapple for a firmer bite or drained tinned pineapple if that is what you have.
• Try another starch: Use cornflour in place of sago as the recipe allows.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Uneven pork slices: They cook at different rates, so cut the pieces to a similar thickness.
• Burnt garlic: It can turn bitter; fry it only until golden and keep an eye on the pan.
• Skipping the reserved oil: Set aside 3 tbsp after cooking the pork so there is enough for the garlic and sauce.
• Adding starch too early: Mix it into the pork after the 5-minute marinade, as directed.
• Stopping before the sauce thickens: Keep cooking and stirring until it clings to the ingredients.

How to store

Cool leftovers promptly and keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan over a moderate heat until piping hot, adding a splash of water if the sauce has become too thick.

Frequently asked questions