Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is traditional sweet and sour sauce made of? ›

While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.

1. All-purpose flour: You can thicken sauces with all-purpose wheat flour. For every tablespoon of cornstarch, use three tablespoons of flour. Combine raw flour with cold water in a small bowl to form a paste, then add it into the sauce as it's simmering.

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

Sweet and Sour Sauce is a sauce made by combining a sweet component and a sour component with cornstarch as the thickening agent. Some of the common sweet components are brown sugar, granulated white sugar, and honey.

Chinese, specifically the red sweet and sour pork dishes that many Americans are familiar with is Cantonese. However there are sweet and sour dishes and a number of different Chinese cuisines, particularly in the east. It is not at all a part of Japanese traditional cuisine.

Could I use flour instead of cornstarch? Yes, but you may need more flour than what the recipe calls for in cornstarch. The cornstarch is just used to thicken the sauce; flour will also thicken the sauce, just not as well.

In addition to arrowroot, you can also use potato starch or tapioca starch, which are all gluten-free options as well. For all of these options, substitute with a 1:1 ratio for cornstarch and your sauce is on its way to a perfectly thick texture.

How long will homemade sweet and sour sauce keep in the fridge? This sweet and sour sauce recipe should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If you are storing the sauce straight after cooking, let it cool to room temperature first.

If the sauce isn't thick enough, you can add one more tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk it in. But remember, the sauce will thicken even more as it cools down. So only add more cornstarch if the sauce is way too thin. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

What thickens sweet sauce? ›

You can heat about a teaspoon of corn starch or the regular flour in some water. Let the heat be on low. Within minutes the starch water solution will thicken.

If you're dealing with a stir-fry sauce or gravy that's just a little too runny, make a cornstarch slurry with two parts water and one part starch (adding it directly to your sauce will cause it to clump), then whisk it into your hot sauce, keeping in mind your sauce will further thicken as it cools.

Vinegar can be quite tangy and overpowering, but you can counteract this by adding a touch of sweetness. Sugar or honey are excellent choices for balancing out the flavors.

If the vinegar taste is too strong, try adding a pinch of baking soda. Baking soda will help to neutralize the excessive acidity and bring back the desired level of tang.

Vinegar Base

There are all different kinds of vinegar used in cuisine today, from white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, rice wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and champagne vinegar. However, the best and most common kind used for hot sauces is white wine vinegar.

Ingredients: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Apricot Puree Concentrate And/or Peach Puree Concentrate, Distilled Vinegar, Contains 2% Or Less: Soy Sauce (water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Salt, Modified Food Starch, Sherry Wine Powder, Dextrose, Soybean Oil, Xanthan Gum, Spices, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Natural ...

Alternative Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 cup pineapple juice. 1/3 cup water. 3 tablespoons vinegar. 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

Sweet and sour chicken, one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes, is made of puffy, golden brown pieces of fried chicken nuggets with pineapple chunks, onion, bell pepper, carrot, and a side of iconic red, sweet and sour sauce.

It may be used as a glaze on foods, such as poultry. Despite its name, the sauce is not prepared using duck meat; rather it is named as such because it is a common accompaniment to Chinese-style duck dishes.