Sweet N sour sauce (bottled ok)

[Jinxie]

I don't want to have to buy a whole bunch of ingredients but really want some sweet n sour chicken. Anyone have a quick/easy recipe OR can recommend a "bottled sauce" that tastes LIKE the kind you'd get at the restaurant? The ones that I've tried all had a "funky aftertaste" to em.

[luvrulz]

here's one I've tried - the whole thing is good with chicken too!!

Sweet and Sour Pork
Serves 4 or 5

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean boneless Pork
1 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs, beaten
3 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. Cornstarch
1 medium Green Pepper
7 oz. Bamboo Shoots
4 cups Vegetable Oil for deep-frying
4 tsp. Garlic, sliced
2 Tbs. Scallions, chopped

Sauce Ingredients:
4 Tbs. (1/4 cup) Granulated Sugar
3 Tbs. White Wine Vinegar
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs. Tomato Ketchup
1 cup Water
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp. Water

Steamed White Rice

Cut lean pork into diamond-shaped slices about 1 inch long.
Mix with the salt and let stand for 15 minutes, then mix well
with the eggs and the cornstarch.

Halve the green pepper and deseed while rinsing. Chop the
green pepper, and then chop the bamboo shoots into pieces
about the same size as the pork; set aside.

Warm the vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat to very
hot, about 375-F degrees. Deep-fry the pork slices until they
turn golden brown and float to the surface.

Drop the bamboo shoots into the oil and remove immediately,
along with the pork. Drain well on paper towels and set aside.

Prepare the sweet-and-sour sauce in a separate saucepan.
Blend together the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, water,
salt and cornstarch mixture over moderate heat. Stir
occasionally until the sauce thickens, then reduce the heat
to simmer.

Pour the excess hot oil out of the wok, being very careful to
prevent burns by not allowing it to splatter. Leave about two
tbsp. of warm oil in the bottom of the wok.

Re-heat to very hot, or until the surface of the oil begins to
ripple. Add the garlic, and stir-fry. Then add the scallions
and green pepper and stir fry.

Pour the sauce into the wok. Add the pork and stir to coat
thoroughly. Pour the meat and sauce over a bed of steamed
white rice to serve.

Kitchen Tip: You may prepare your own Sweet & Sour
Sauce from scratch by combining 3/4 cup water with 3/4 cup
brown sugar in a saucepan over moderate heat. When the
mixture comes to a boil, add 1/2 cup cider vinegar and cook
just for a minute more. Stir in 3 Tbs. cornstarch, 2 Tbs. soy
sauce, and about 1/4 cup of water. Simply stir until thickened.
Serve warm or cold on the side of nearly any meal.

[alpacamom]

A friend of mine gave me her recipe for sweet and sour pork chops and we all LOVE it!

4-6 pork chops (season with salt & pepper to taste)

In a small bowl, mix 1 tsp cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold water. Then stir in the following:

3 Tbsp plum jam, apricot jam, or orange marmalade
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp. dijon mustard

Heat a little oil in a large nonstick skillet, brown the seasoned pork chops about 2 minutes per side. Pour in the sauce mixture, stir by pushing the chops around the pan and bring to a boil to thicken. Then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the chops are tender- being careful not to scorch it.

We serve it with broccoli and rice and sometimes I'll just make up a batch of the sauce in case I want some rice for lunch one day. It's so good and SO easy!

[YounGrey]

Mcdonald's Sweet & Sour Sauce -
http://homesteadingrecipes.blogspot....our-sauce.html

[tonasket]

I take pineapple juice and mix in some ketchup and soy sauce to taste.

quick and easy

[Nana2boys]

I use La Choy sweet and sour sauce. I pay around 1.30 to 1.50 a bottle. It's in the asian section.