Sweet and Sour Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken
I have to admit to loving all things sweet and sour. Sometimes the color of commercial sweet and sour sauce is off putting to me. I like my own better. It’s not hard to make. With Chinese New Year here I seem to be making more Asian meals lately. I made this chicken for dinner the other day and made extra sauce to take to an Asian dinner last night.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. pineapple juice
3 T. ketchup
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. cornstarch
1 t. dried minced garlic
1-t. fresh grated ginger
Hot pepper flakes to taste
In saucepan combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring as mixture gets hot, until sauce begins to bubble. It will also get much clearer. Boil gently 1 minute, stirring constantly before removing from heat. Makes 1 1/2 c. Keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
Sweet and Sour Pork or Chicken
1-2 lbs. boneless pork or chicken
1 egg
1 t. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
1 t. soy sauce
Additional cornstarch for dredging
2 T. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced thin
1 sweet green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 sweet red or yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained, reserving juice for sauce
1/2 c. almonds, optional
1 recipe sweet and sour sauce (see note)
Cut meat into cubes and place in bowl. Combine egg, 1-t. cornstarch, salt and soy sauce and pour over the meat, stirring to coat. Allow marinating at least 1 hour in fridge.
When ready to cook, heat 1T. oil in large skillet or wok. Sauté onions on high until tender. Add carrots and stir fry 3 minutes. Add peppers and sauté 3 minutes more. Remove to bowl and stir in pineapple. Dredge the meat in additional cornstarch and sauté in remaining oil until browned and when juices run clear when pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Return vegetables to pan with meat and almonds, if adding, and add sauce to desired amount. There is usually extra sauce for a later use. Serve over rice, makes 4-6 servings.
Note: If you make the sweet and sour sauce ahead of time it will get runny when reheated if made with regular cornstarch. Either use modified cornstarch (Clear Gel ) or make sauce just before using. You may also want to use only some of the sauce and save the rest for another use.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
