Sweet and Sour Chicken (The BEST Recipe!) - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

FAQs

What country did sweet and sour chicken come from? ›

ABOUT THE RECIPE

The original sweet and sour sauce originated in the province of Hunan, China. The sauce was a light vinegar and sugar mixture with very little resemblance to the bright orange dish served in our takeaways today.

Our sweet and sour dishes are either 'Cantonese style' (which is the same as 'Hong Kong Style') or Sweet and Sour 'Balls' (thick battered). Our Cantonese style is cooked with the sauce, onions, peppers and pineapple. Whereas the Sweet and sour Chicken or King Prawns balls come with a separate pot of sauce.

Basically, the sauce is what distinguishes one flavor from the others, so when making orange chicken, the sauce base is orange juice, with lemon, lemonade, pineapple, pineapple juice, and sweet and sour is tomato sauce or juice and vinegar and sugar or honey.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make homemade sweet and sour chicken: For the sauce: water, pineapple juice from a can, white sugar, white vinegar, and orange food coloring. For the batter: cornstarch, self-rising flour, vegetable oil, an egg, salt, and white pepper.

Sweet and sour chicken is a dish frequently served in Chinese restaurants in various countries in Oceania, Europe, North America and South America, and is available at some restaurants in East Asia and Southeast Asia in an essentially identical version.

As we've already mentioned, sweet and sour dishes do actually exist in China. (Unlike other Chinese American dishes like General Tso's Chicken or Chop Suey.) However, it is a dish that has been heavily Americanized as well. Many sweet and sour sauces here in the U.S. are much sweeter than the Chinese version.

Unlike the Chinese version, Thai sweet and sour is a stir-fry with pineapple, onion, tomato and cucumber (and any other embellishments you fancy). The sourness comes from pineapple juice with a little vinegar thrown in. There's no cornstarch in the sauce; it's thickened by being wok-caramelized.

General Tso's chicken and sweet and sour chicken are completely different dishes. Starting with the sauce, General Tso's chicken is a sweet, spicy, and slightly tangy while sweet and sour sauce is often served on the side and is just sweet and tangy.

Honey Sesame Chicken is one of the sweeter chicken dishes in Chinese cuisine. In short, Orange Chicken is subtly sweet with a citrusy taste, while Sweet and Sour Chicken is sweeter and tangier. No Chinese takeout is complete without a delicious side of rice– try out my favorite fluffy basmati rice recipe here!

The origin of sweet and sour chicken was in the 18th century or even earlier from China. It spread to the United States in the early 20th century after the Chinese migrant gold miners and railroad workers turned to cookery as trades. In some countries, the dish is known as Ku lo yuk.

Why is Chinese chicken so juicy? ›

“It might seem counterintuitive to marinate before boiling, but the velveting marinade tenderizes the meat, keeps it moist, and adds flavor. The meat ends up juicy and flavorful, a result you don't get with a standard blanching process.”

Pineapple juice furnishes the sauce's fruity flavor, while ketchup boosts its sweetness and provides the signature red color. A slurry of cornstarch and water thickens the sauce to an appropriately viscous consistency.

A corn starch slurry thickens the sauce – this sauce is a medium thickness, so depending on your preference add little more or less corn starch slurry (but go slowly – the sauce will take a little time to thicken up once the slurry is added).

In a large bowl, mix {@10:}, Dried Thyme (1/2 tsp), Dried Ginger (1/2 tsp), Garlic Salt (1 tsp), Dried Basil (1/2 tsp), Dried Oregano (1/4 tsp), Celery Salt (1/2 tsp), Dry Mustard (1/2 tsp), Ground Black Pepper (1/2 tsp), Ground White Pepper (1/2 tsp), {@11:}, and Buttermilk (2 1/2 cups) together.

It is said that this sauce evolved from the Cantonese culinary tradition, emigrating to the United States in the late 1800s and evolving into what we know today. However, China is a massive country with a long history and huge variety of food cultures; each province has its own sweet and sour cooking traditions.

While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.

General Tso's chicken and sweet and sour chicken are completely different dishes. Starting with the sauce, General Tso's chicken is a sweet, spicy, and slightly tangy while sweet and sour sauce is often served on the side and is just sweet and tangy.

China

Sweet and sour pork / Origin

China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a country in East Asia. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the world's second-most populous country. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land.

Wikipedia