Sweet and Sour Sauce (China)
A more authentic version of that neon red sauce you're bound to have seen at pretty much any Chinese restaurant in America. This version adds ginger, garlic rice vinegar and soy sauce for many more layers of flavor.
Equipment
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
Ingredients
- 1/2 C Water Plus An Additional 3 Tbsp
- 1/4 C Ketchup
- 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tbsp Corn Starch
- 1 Tbsp White Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Rice Vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp Minced Ginger Roughly 1/2 Inch of Fresh Ginger Root
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced, About 1 tsp
- 1 tsp Green Onion Whites The Whites of Roughly 2 Green Onions, Finely Sliced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk the cornstarch and 3 Tbsp water into a slurry. Make sure to break up the clumps.1/2 C Water, 1 Tbsp Corn Starch
- In a small sauce pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat.2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- Once heated, add the ginger, garlic, and green onions. Cook 2-3 minutes until the garlic and onions turn translucent.1/2 Tbsp Minced Ginger, 2 Cloves Garlic, 1 tsp Green Onion Whites
- Add all the remaining ingredients, except the cornstarch slurry, to the pot (including the 1/2 C water). Bring to a boil.1/4 C Ketchup, 1 Tbsp White Sugar, 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce, 2 tsp Rice Vinegar
- Once boiling, cut the heat off and stir in the cornstarch slurry. The sauce should thicken almost instantly.
- Use this sauce in stir fry dishes or serve it as a dip for egg rolls and spring rolls.
Notes
Note: The flavors in this sauce will be much more subtle than the Americanized restaurant version. The color also won't be neon red.
You can either use ginger paste or fresh ginger for this recipe. If you use fresh ginger, the best way to peel the skin off is with the back of a spoon.
If you want a more sour sauce, add a little extra rice vinegar.
If you want a sweeter sauce, use a little more sugar.