Sweet & Sour - So Tasty!

My husband has been making this delicious Sweet & Sour sauce since 1979, before he and I had even met. So, I have no idea where the recipe originated. But I do know that it has been a favorite at our house for many years!

The ingredients are basic and easy to find. The only preparation that takes a bit of time is preparing/cooking the meat, and steaming the rice. For the meat, you could marinate and saute' thin strips of beef, you could cook chicken in a variety of ways, use ground pork or beef in homemade meatballs, or use frozen pre-cooked meatballs. I'll include instructions for using chicken or homemade meatballs today.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Yield: about 6 servings

1 lb  Chicken
1      Onion, large diced
1      Green pepper, large diced
1/2 c Water
1 c     Ketchup
1 can Pineapple chunks (20-oz), drained; reserve juice
1/2 c Vinegar
3/4 c Sugar
1 ts    Salt
1 dash Pepper, to taste
2 TB   Cornstarch
3 TB   Cold water
4 c      Hot, cooked rice

Boil chicken in water or broth until tender, about 45 minutes. De-bone chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. In large frying pan, saute' chicken pieces with onion and green pepper, adding a little vegetable or olive oil if needed to prevent sticking. Cook until vegetables are tender. In separate pan, combine 1/2 cup water, ketchup, pineapple juice (reserved from drained pineapple chunks), vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally until hot and bubbly. Add sauce to meat and vegetables. Add pineapple chunks. [note: combine ingredients in whichever pan is larger - your saucepan or your frying pan.] Dissolve cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of cold water, and add to the sauce. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serve immediately over hot, cooked rice.

Homemade Meatballs

1 lb    Extra-lean ground beef or pork
2 TB  Dehydrated onion (you can use fresh, but the onion flavor will be strong)
1/4 ts Pepper
1 ts    Kosher salt
1        Egg, beaten
1/4 c Bread crumbs

Combine meatball ingredients in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Using a cookie-scoop, shape into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place under oven broiler for 5-7 minutes or until meatballs begin to brown. You could also use a toaster oven to brown them. Add meatballs to Sweet & Sour sauce, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often, to completely cook the meatballs. Then add the cornstarch-water mixture (see above) to thicken the sauce.

Enjoy!!