Sweet and Sour Sauce, a staple in Chinese cuisine with its distinctive sweet and sour taste, is simple to make at home in less than 10 minutes. Comprising soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, pineapple juice, and cornstarch, this versatile sauce is perfect for sweet and sour chicken or pork, as a dipping sauce, or as a marinade for meats.
Begin by heating pineapple juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and ketchup in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
In a separate small bowl, create a cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch with a little water. Gradually add this to the saucepan, stirring continuously.
Cook the mixture until it thickens, which should take about 1-2 minutes.
Once the sauce has thickened, remove the saucepan from heat. Your Sweet and Sour Sauce is now ready.
Serve the sauce as a dipping option for fried chicken, egg rolls, wontons, chicken nuggets, popcorn chicken, or use it in the traditional sweet and sour chicken dish.
Notes
Toiler to Your Needs: To ensure your Sweet and Sour Sauce has the most delicious flavor, start with the ideal balance of ingredients. Feel free to adjust to your taste - add more sugar if you prefer it sweeter, or increase the vinegar and ketchup for extra tang. This way, you can tailor the sauce to perfectly suit your palate.
Color: The rich red hue of Sweet and Sour Sauce typically comes from ketchup. However, be aware that store-bought versions might use food coloring for added vibrancy.