Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

sweet and sour sauce for chicken/pork/fish

(2 ratings)
Recipe by
Holly Watson
Tampa, FL

One of the many things I love to do is to collect local and home-made cookbooks! I found this wonderful recipe in a cookbook I bought from my local thrift store. I sometimes wonder about the journeys these books take. This one traveled all the way from Virginia to Florida! It looks to be older and the pages are brown around the edges so I am guessing it is from the 70's-80's. This recipe comes from "The Divine Cookbook" from St.Thomas Episcopal Church from the city McLean in Virginia (still an active church!). This recipe was submitted by a Mrs. Diep My Trung. I have substituted a few items such as MSG and added a few items as well to give it a more restaurant quality. It has more of a citrus taste than some sauces. I have also adjusted the directions as best as I could due to some of the directions in the book being vague. Please feel free to send me a message if you need clarification on any step! :) Feel free to adjust the sweetness/sourness as your family likes! [If you want it more sweet just add more sugar. If you need more sour add more vinegar or soy sauce.] Enjoy! Bon Appetite! :) -Holly P.S. There is a batter that goes along with the sauce. I am still trying to tweak it to my liking. Will post it as soon as I get it right! :) _________________________________ Tip#1: Quoted from the book (such a good tip!): "A careful cook will always taste the liquid mix before combining with the garlic/ginger to make sure the sweet and sour balance" If it doesn't - just adjust to your liking. [If you want it more sweet just add more sugar. If you need more sour add more vinegar or soy sauce.] Tip #2: Got leftover Sauce? Use as a marinade!

(2 ratings)
yield 5 -6
prep time 5 Min
cook time 5 Min

Ingredients For sweet and sour sauce for chicken/pork/fish

  • 3/4 c
    vinegar
  • 1 1/2-2 c
    warm water
  • 2-3 Tbsp
    corn starch
  • 1/4 c
    soy sauce
  • 1
    lemon
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 5+ Tbsp
    sugar
  • 4-5 clove
    garlic (chopped)
  • 2-3 Tbsp
    ginger root (chopped very fine)
  • 1 Tbsp
    sesame seeds
  • 1-3
    spring onion for decoration (optional)

How To Make sweet and sour sauce for chicken/pork/fish

  • 1
    In a medium sauce pot; drizzle a little oil in the bottom.
  • 2
    Saute garlic and ginger for approx 3-5 minutes on med-low heat, making sure it does not burn. The smell will be strong :).
  • 3
    While the garlic and ginger are cooking; In a medium bowl combine the following: Vinegar, Warm Water, Corn Starch, Soy Sauce, Salt, Sugar, Juice AND Zest from 1/2 the Lemon. Whisk together until completely combined. [Zest the whole lemon and set 1/2 of it aside for later]
  • 4
    Once Garlic/Ginger is done add the liquid mixture. __________________________________________________ **Tip: A careful cook will taste the liquid mix to make sure the sweet and sour tastes balance BEFORE combining with Ginger/Garlic mix**
  • 5
    Cook at medium heat about 5-10 minutes; stirring every few minutes until it has a glossy like sheen and has a honey like consistency.
  • 6
    Add 1 tablespoon sesame seeds into the sauce.
  • 7
    Ladle into small bowls and serve with your favorite Asian dish! Decorate bowls with a pinch of the lemon zest you set aside and/or finely chopped spring onion (the green part). You can even used shredded carrots. Enjoy! :)
  • 8
    ________________________________________________ ** Another Tip: Have leftover sauce? - Use as a marinade! ** ________________________________________________
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