It’s been a long time since I added a recipe to the online cookbook! I started a new job (that I love!) in January, and time to do little extra things like post on the website has just not been available. But then! School started! The germ factory is in full swing and we are all sick. So, I get to take it easy this morning by actually sitting down for a few minutes with a cup of coffee, and figured I can still *do* something, so here I type!
This recipe has developed over the years, by removing and adding things to the point that we always make it the same way every time because it’s just so, so good! We’ve tried more and less sugar and vinegar, different additions, different thickeners, and this resulting recipe is just the best. We actually prefer to make sweet and sour chicken or pork at home, with white or fried rice (I’ll eventually add that recipe too) instead of getting take-out, as this recipe has a lot more flavour, a lot better flavour (and we usually love sweet and sour take out!) , and it’s a lot cheaper.
It’s really easy to make sweet and sour chicken or pork, because the Sweet & Sour Sauce carries all the flavour, the chicken only needs to be simply breaded and fried to absorb the sauce. I like to use 1 cup of flour with 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tsp baking powder (double/triple as needed), dip diced bits of chicken or pork into the flour, then into a bowl of milk or water, then back into the flour. Shake off and set on a plate until you have enough to fill a frying pan. Use your preferred oil (we’re using peanut oil these days, it’s cheaper than olive), add enough to fill the pan about 1/2″ deep. Heat on medium/medium high heat, and gently drop the coated meat into the oil, leaving room between each so they don’t stick. Fry until browned on one side, then use a fork to flip each and brown on the other side. Be careful not to overcook, it only takes a few minutes on each side. Cook until chicken is at an internal temperature of 170f, pork 145f. Remove, drain on paper towels. To serve, you can either place all the cooked meat into a bowl and pour the sauce over, gently mixing to coat, or you can pour the sauce over the served chicken on each plate (or allow individuals to serve themselves).
Sweet & Sour Sauce
Ingredients
- 1½ cups water
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ bell pepper, cut into ½" chunks red, yellow, or orange
- 1 cup pineapple tidbits with juice
- ⅔ cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp sriracha sauce recommended but optional
Thickener
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- In an 8-12 cup sauce pan, whisk together water, sugar, ketchup, bell pepper, pineapple, vinegar, soy sauce, worchestershire sauce, and sriracha sauce.
- Over medium heat, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- To thicken, increase heat to a bring sauce up to a boil. Place cornstarch in small bowl and add water, stirring with a fork until all clumps are gone and pour into sauce. Immediately turn heat to low and stir sauce until cornstarch is completely incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool 10 or more minutes before using or serving.
- To store, allow to cool completely and pour into a storage container with lid or cover with plastic wrap. Use within 3 days or freeze to use within 8 weeks.
Notes
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