This mouthwatering sweet and sour sauce is the perfect compliment to any rice or noodle dish and makes for a wonderful main course. Dead easy to prepare!
For anyone wanting to cook Chinese sweet and sour sauce at home, things just got a whole lot easier. Here is the simplest most savoury sweet and sour sauce recipe that will deliver results like a pro. Not only is this dish great on its own, it is the perfect compliment to stir fry rice or noodles and will titillate taste buds of all ages.
The best thing about this sweet and sour sauce is that it is quick, easy to make and extremely healthy as well. So if you are looking for a quick but professional meal for lunch or for dinner, or better still, if you are having guests over, this is the perfect dish to top your menu. Go on then, give it a go!
Ingredients for sweet and sour sauce
- Chicken breast, cut into small cubes, 200g
- Garlic, peeled and chopped, 1 tbsp
- Red chilli paste, 2 tsps (If you don't have red chilli paste, dissolve 3/4 tsp of red chilli powder in 2 tsps water)
- Tomato sauce/puree, 1 1/2 tbsp
- Sugar, 1 tsp
- Stock, vegetable or chicken, 1/3 cup (You can use stock cubes dissolved in water)
- Cornflour, 1 tsp
- Oil, 4 tbsp
- Vinegar, 1 tsp
- Peppers (capsicum), 2 to 3, cut into squares
- Onion, finely chopped, 1 tbsp heaped
- Pepper, ground, as per taste
- Salt, as per taste
Ingredients for marinade for sweet and sour sauce
- Egg, 1, beaten
- Salt, 3/4 tsp
- Cornflour, 1 tbsp
- Oil, 1 tbsp
- Chinese salt (ajinomoto), optional, a pinch
Sweet and sour sauce recipe
- In a bowl, put together all the sweet and sour sauce marinade ingredients and mix well. Add in the cubed chicken breast, mix well and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic and chilli paste and stir fry until the garlic turns golden.
- Add in the tomato sauce/puree and chopped onion. Stir fry for a minute.
- Add the marinated chicken breast, stock, sugar, salt and Chinese salt. Stir well, cover and simmer until the chicken is tender (12 to 15 minutes)
- Once the chicken is tender, add the peppers/capsicum and cook while stirring for a minute.
- Dissolve the cornflour in 2 tbsp water and add to the wok. Stir continuously until the sauce thickens to the right consistency
- Check and adjust the seasoning (salt and pepper) and finish it off with a dash of vinegar
- Serve hot with rice or noodles. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe is best served with my quick and easy Chinese Egg Fried Rice
- For meal ideas, try my gorgeous Crispy Fried Chinese Shrimp Balls as appetisers
The copyright of the article Sweet and Sour Sauce in Chinese Food is owned by Mehreen Ali. Permission to republish Sweet and Sour Sauce in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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