Homemade Sweet And Sour Sauce Recipe

It's safe to say that a good sauce can make or break a meal. A mediocre plate of food can soar with a little dollop of a flavor-packed sauce. Sweet and sour sauce has been around for hundreds of years and for good reason — its tanginess is just that good! 

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for homemade sweet and sour sauce and says, "This sauce takes less than 10 minutes to make, and uses standard ingredients that most people have on hand. It's so much better than bottled sauces that are usually full of preservatives. Why not just make it fresh?" The sauce is good on many things like meatballs, chicken, eggrolls, tofu, rice, and vegetable skewers. It also stores for up to 2 weeks in a sealed container in the fridge. "I usually make a double batch when meal prepping, and come up with 2 different dinners to use it with for the week," Hahn says. 

To make this recipe, you'll need some sugar for the "sweet" aspect. You can use regular sugar, brown sugar, or even coconut sugar. For our "sour" component, we'll need white vinegar. Then, to round out the flavors, grab some soy sauce, ketchup, and cornstarch. Water will help thin out the sauce, and Hahn tells us to use filtered or bottled water, as opposed to tap.

In a small pot over medium heat, combine the sugar, water, white vinegar, soy sauce, and ketchup. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Then, add the cornstarch.  "I like to add this 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking as you add to eliminate large clumps." Once all of the cornstarch has been added, bring the mixture to a boil, and stir continuously for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick and silky in consistency. 

Your homemade sweet and sour sauce is now ready to spoon over meatballs, toss with rice, drizzle over skewers, or marinate with your protein of choice. No more boring, sauceless food in your house, thanks to this quick and easy recipe.