Vietnam
Tim Heo Xào Chua Ngọt Recipe: Stir-fried Pork Heart with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Tim Heo Xào Chua Ngọt Recipe: Stir-fried Pork Heart with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Hanna Tran Hanna Tran | Updated October 16, 2026

Have you ever tried pork heart? It may sound strange, but it’s really tasty. In this stir-fry the heart is really crispy, and it takes its sweetness and sourness from pineapple and tomato, with some slices of cucumber. Eat it with boiled rice and hot soup as a main dish in a Vietnamese family meal.

Tim Heo Xào Chua Ngọt Recipe: Stir-fried Pork Heart with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 pork heart
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 slice of pineapple
  • ½ onion
  • Fish sauce, salt, pepper, Maggi seasoning
  • Spring onion, garlic
  • Cooking oil

How to make tim heo xào chua ngọt

1. Prepare and marinate the heart

Wash and clean the heart, cut it in half and slice it vertically, removing all the blood inside. Put it in a bowl with a little bit of salt and pepper, mix it all up and marinate for 15 minutes.

2. Prepare the vegetables and fruit

Wash and slice the tomato. Wash the cucumber, cut it in half, remove the seeds and slice it sideways. Slice the pineapple. Remove the dry skin from the onion and slice it.

Sliced tomato, pineapple, onion and cucumber

3. Stir-fry the heart

Heat some cooking oil in a pan and fry the onion. Add the pork heart and stir-fry it quickly until it’s cooked, then take it out and set it aside.

Stir-frying the pork heart in the pan

4. Cook the sauce and combine

Using the same pan, add more onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Onion frying in the pan

Follow this part carefully. Add the tomato, pineapple and cucumber and stir-fry. Add 2 spoons of fish sauce, ½ spoon of Maggi seasoning and 1 spoon of salt, and mix it up.

Finally, add the heart back in, stir-fry and adjust the taste. Turn off the heat.

Serve it with rice, with minced spring onions added and pepper sprinkled on top.

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