Sweet and sour sauce is a sweet, tangy, and somewhat fruity sauce that pairs perfectly with crab rangoons, eggrolls, fried chicken, rice, and much more. Every time I go to a Chinese buffet I came back to the table with a plate of food, bowl of egg drop soup, and a bowl of sweet and sour, because it's delicious with just about anything. This specific recipe was developed along side my Crab Rangoon recipe and the two are the perfect pair. Let's Get Cooking! or continue reading.
Tools You'll Need:
Medium Saucepan
Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Small Bowl/Cup
Fork
Ingredients:
Pineapple Juice-Fresh is always best, but who has time and energy to cut up and juice a whole pineapple? Not me. You should be able to find canned or bottled pineapple juice at most grocery stores, but if not, buy a can of pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup) and use that.
Light Brown Sugar-Does it have to be light brown sugar? No. But white sugar doesn't offer the same depth of flavor and dark brown sugar takes away from that neon red color sweet and sour is known for. Light brown sugar really is the best option here, but it can be substituted if necessary.
Rice Vinegar-Rice vinegar has a certain tang to it that other vinegars just lack, in my opinion. While I think apple cider vinegar would probably be great in this recipe, it's not as sharp as rice vinegar, so it'll be closer to sweet and sweet sauce, rather than sweet and sour.
Ketchup-I have used both tomato ketchup and banana ketchup for this recipe and both are wonderful, but tomato ketchup give more of the expected flavor from sweet and sour sauce. As long as it's red though (looking at you Heinz Purple Ketchup), any ketchup should work.
Cornstarch-Cornstarch, in combination with water, is used for thickening the sauce. When you mix cornstarch and water you create a cornstarch slurry, which can then be added to any liquid and will thicken it as it heats up.
Water-As specified both above and below, you must use COLD water when making a slurry. Hot water will make the cornstarch clump and prevent it from working as intended. Make sure to check your faucet before you turn it on right into your cornstarch and it's still hot from last use!
Notes:
Taste As You Go-Every amount listed in this recipe is flexible. What I have listed below is what I feel is the best combination of sweet and sour, but if you want it to be more sour add more vinegar. If you want it to be sweeter, add more sugar. If you want it to be fruitier, add more pineapple juice. This sauce is whatever you want to make it! Taste as you go and find the amounts that suit your taste!
The Thickening-1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water is the perfect amount to thicken this sauce to the consistency you'll likely find at restaurants. If you want it thicker, add more. You will also want to add more if you end up adding in more liquids while adjusting the ingredient amounts to your taste.
Let's Get Cooking!
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