Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce
You can make classic Chinese red sweet and sour sauce for chicken, pork, shrimp, and dipping wontons.
Servings 10
Calories 59kcal
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon MSG
- 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- dash of white pepper
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan add white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, MSG, and Tabasco. Cook over medium heat until heated through.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, and add the mixture to the saucepan while stirring constantly.
- Add Worcestershire sauce and a dash of white pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cook until it is bubbly and thick.
- Remove sauce from the stove and add 2 tablespoons of ketchup.
Recipe Tips
Pro Tips for Perfect Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Color expectations: Don't expect a bright red color without food coloring. The natural color will be more of a reddish-brown, but the flavor will be superior.
- Safety first: Be cautious when cooking with sugar mixtures, as they can cause severe burns if they splash on skin. Also, avoid directly inhaling vinegar fumes while cooking.
- Consistency control: For a thicker sauce (ideal for coating chicken or shrimp), add a bit more cornstarch. For a thinner dipping sauce, reduce the cornstarch slightly.
- Flavor balance: Taste as you go! The perfect sweet and sour sauce should have a balance where neither the sweetness nor the tanginess overwhelms the other.
- Quality ingredients: Use a good-quality ketchup that isn't overly sweet, since you're adding plenty of sugar to the recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 9mg | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg
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