Cook's Note:I always use the pineapple juice from 2 cans of pineapple chunks and crush 4 to 5 of the chunks for the crushed pineapple, then the pineapple chunks are ready for your sweet and sour pork or chicken.
Editor’s Note: This recipe originally appeared as part of the Sauced series that explored recipes for popular side sauces. High school was all about strip mall Chinese and large plates of sweet and sour chicken. I was so fond of the stuff, I scoured used book stores for any cookbook with a good looking sweet and sour sauce recipe. I wish I could find the one I finally decided on—it documents all my adjustments to the original recipe. But years later, I've settled on one that isn't too far off. While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor. Serious Eats / Debbie Wee Unlike my duck sauce, which felt like an improvement on the take-out version, this recipe is more or less what you'd expect from anything labeled "sweet and sour." It has the fruity base with rice vinegar providing the sour, and brown sugar adding the sweet. It's thickened with a cornstarch slurry that brings the whole thing to the thick, gelatinous consistency that's a requirement in my mind. Quick and easy to make, it's great tossed on standard fried chicken to create one of the best plates of sweet and sour chicken you'll eat, or
as an accompaniment to some of our favorite DIY Chinese-takeout dishes. It brought me right back to those high school days. Click Play to See This Sweet and Sour Sauce Come Together
Special equipmentMedium saucier or saucepan
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(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.) Does sweet and sour sauce contain pineapple?While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.
What is Mcdonalds sweet and sour made of?McDonald's Sweet 'N Sour blends flavors of apricot and peach flavors with savory spices and leaves a slight lingering heat. This sauce is the perfect Chicken McNuggets® dipping sauce when you want something slightly sweet with a touch of heat.
Is pineapple sweet or sour?Knowing anything about the fruit, let alone how to tell if a pineapple is ripe, seems like a doomed endeavor from the start. But inside, it's a different scene entirely. Ripe pineapple is perfectly sweet, slightly tangy, and somehow packed with warm, sunny energy.
What can I use instead of pineapple in sweet and sour?Swap the pineapples for these instead: the sourness with vinegar and the sweetness with sugar. Vinegar is just as sour as pineapples but without the sweetness. That can be remedied by using sugar. Both are an easy and simple ingredient substitutes that you already have!
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