Recipe: Naturally Sweet and Sour Sauce
There is a myth that the sweet and sour dish so beloved from our Chinese takeaways and restaurant menus is a Western invention. Perhaps it’s because the dish is more likely to be massacred than it is to be done well, or perhaps because of its enduring popularity and association with guilty pleasure, that the Western palate can’t compute this as an ‘authentic’ Chinese dish.
Well, here is where we can get nerdy! Sweet and sour sauce is indeed an authentic Chinese flavour — and not just a classic, but one with regional interpretations and variations. First I must point out what might not be so obvious, which is that sweet and sour are two of the five flavours considered to represent a balanced palette. So according to traditional Chinese ingredients the two components of sweet and sour would be sugar and rice vinegar.
The version with which we are most familiar is the Cantonese version, defined by lightly battered pork (sometimes chicken or spare ribs), stir fried with pineapple and bell peppers, and served in a sauce that has any combination of interchangeable ingredients. Famous Hong Kong chefs have revealed their secret ingredients to be preserved salted plums and hawthorn candy; while more standardised recipes might call for plum sauce, ketchup or Worcestershire sauce; in a cheap takeaway, however, you would be alarmed to know that the sauce is bulked with acetic acid and food colouring — which have earned sweet and sour its unfair reputation as thick, orange gloop.
Now, onto the curious etymology of this dish’s Cantonese name: ‘gu lo yuuk’ (咕老肉). Yuuk means meat, fair enough. ‘Gu lo’, however, has a more obscure origin. Some say gu lo is a phonetic phrase that describes a gulping sound, made when the fragrant dish arrives at the table. Others say gu lo means that the dish has ancient origins, since the words for ancient are also pronounced gu lo (albeit in different tones). And its origins do indeed date back; some its roots can probably be traced back to a traditional sweet, vinegary spare rib dish from Jiangsu province, which would eventually have travelled via internal migratory patterns to Canton (now called Guangzhou), and then further with the global migrant diaspora to the North American railroads and beyond…
So, in defence of sweet and sour sauce, I have this to say:
Sweet and sour sauce is quintessentially Chinese in that it is equally layered with rich history and mythological origin, defined by a complex and balanced flavour when its ingredients are wielded correctly, and an example of culinary proficiency for competent Chinese cooks!
Now a word of warning for those like me who are nutritionally aware. Do NOT buy a ready made sauce. If you need discouragement, simply read any jarred sauce label and you will find that the top two ingredients are: water, sugar. Instead, follow the below recipe for a very simple, sugar free version!
Let me know if you try this recipe and share your results on Instagram with #CelestialPeach.
Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Half an onion, diced into even bitesize pieces
A few slices of ginger, peeled and smashed
1 medium chilli pepper, chopped (optional)
1 bell pepper, diced into even bitesize pieces
300g pineapple, diced into even bitesize pieces
300g choy sum, sliced into even bitesize pieces (optional)
200ml orange juice
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
Cornstarch or plain flour
Vegan mock meat, prepared from 5–6 beancurd sticks (recipe here), or substitute with tofu puffs
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok to smoking point.
Stir fry the onion on medium/high heat, keeping everything moving until translucent (3–5 minutes).
Add the ginger, chilli pepper and bell pepper and continue stir frying (3 minutes).
Add the pineapple and choy sum, allowing the vegetable to wilt in the heat for a few minutes. Keep everything moving but be careful not to break up the pineapple chunks.
Add in all the wet ingredients, bringing everything back up to a boil before lowering to a simmer.
Sprinkle in cornstarch or plain flour slowly to thicken the sauce to a desired consistency.
Add the mock meat for the last few minutes, ensuring it is coated in the sauce.
