Does anyone make chinese sweet and sour very often.

It's the only Oriental dish I love that I don't really make myself.
I have a lot of recipes for different versions but would like to know if anyone has personal experience making it and has a good recipe.

Ideally I'm after a sweet and sour recipe similar to the ones from your average chinese takeaway.
Rather than the chicken ball version with sauce on the side I like the one with peppers, onion and pinapple in (referred to as Cantonese style at my takeaway), not sure if this affects the making of the sauce or not.

Thanks.

I don't make this often. Though I do know what is in it.
The sweetness comes from sugar. The sour comes from vinegar. The ratio, I am not certain, but you have to keep adding the sugar to find the right taste for yourself. Some people may use malt vinegar, and some people may prefer clear vinegar. I guess you just have to experiment a little bit.

Personally, I would add other naturally sweet tasting ingredients into it too. i.e. carrots, onions, sweet red peppers and so forth. Pineapples, green peppers are more for end decoration, than the initial taste of the sauce. The natural fruit tartness of the pineapple is why it is added towards the end, and not stewed with the sauce.

To reduce any sauce, you just basically boil and evaporate the water away.

[Added] I forgot to add that, because it has sugar in it, remember to not put it on a high heat which may burn the sauce quicker than you can reduce it. Also to remember to keep stirring. It is also best to make only as much as you will use, because reducing it down will be hard, when it has sugar in it.

This isn't a very gourmet version, but I always use the sweet and sour sauce sold at Jack Fultons, at 3 for £1. It tastes just like the chinese take away version and you can add it to whatever ingredients you want, usually chicken and tomatoes for me.

Actually, there are some nice versions floating around. When I was a student, my housemate found some from Tesco. You can still get this type of sauce around now. I don't know whether it is the BlueDragon brand, or if it was something else.

However, as a chinese cook, I do swear by this brand though. :love:
http://www.lkk.com/

It is as old as Henderson relish.

They also do a sweet and sour sauce too. lol.
I cannot believe that they sell it on Amazon... :hihi:
http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Kum-Kee-Sweet-Spare/dp/B0002EQTKE

I've tried to make it from scratch a few times, using different recipes but it always turns out rubbish, I get the sweet/ sour taste but it seems to be lacking flavour.


If you find a good recipe you will have to put it on here! as I'd love to be able to make it well, it's the one recipe that has always stumped me, though it's a good excuse for a takeaway. :lol:

I've been trying to find the "flavour" for years! I have to say that the packet sauces do have something to them. I've been thinking whether it is because it has soya in some of the recipe or not.

Or unless you use some form of vegetable stock to make the base first...

Uncle bens every time :)
I know at least 2 takeaways that use it...