Sweet and Sour Sauce - Simpler

Lazy me; always looking for better results with less work. I realized that there is a difference between "sweet and sour sauce" and "meat and vegetables cooked in sweet and sour sauce".

So, the essence (nice one Chris!) of this page is the sweet and sour sauce. At the foot of the page you'll see a specific use of the sweet and sour sauce.

To make a one-pound jar of sauce

I used

Bring the water to the boil at full speed, then turn down to medium.

While the water is coming to the boil, make a runny paste of the cornstarch and ketchup; set it aside.

Stir in the vinegar and soy sauce. Low-sodium folks might like to try omitting the soy sauce altogether.

Stir in the sugar; take care not to burn it.

When the mixture is at boiling point, turn the heat down to low and vigorously stir in the corn-flour paste; this will cause your sauce to make a slight gel, just like in the restaurants, but without the MSG.

Note 1: If you prefer or need a browner sauce, add up to two tablespoons of molasses; this will, of course, raise the sweetness just a tad.

Note 2: If you prefer or need a red sauce, omit the soy sauce; this will, of course, raise the sweetness just a tad.

Note 3: This recipe scales up, but I recommend making just this amount for your first try. I usually make about three one-pound jars of sauce, then I can use a dash on any leftover roast lamb, or fresh shrimp!

Note 4: I doubled the quantities, omitted the soy sauce, and made 3lbs 8ox of red sauce, which I am storing in a bright red plastic Folgers coffee tub in the 'fridge.

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