Sweet and sour sauce

[DT4K]

Why is it that 90% of chinese restaurants serve almost the exact same kind of sweet and sour sauce and 90% of grocery stores don't carry anything remotely similar?

I've looked through the Asian section of at least 4 different grocery stores and every single bottle of "sweet and sour" sauce has pieces of red and green peppers or some other variety of chunks of something. And I've tried them all and none of them tastes like the plain, red, chunkless, pepperless, sweet and sour sauce that the vast majority of chinese restaurants serve.

WTF is the deal here?

 

[darkxshade]

It's a conspiracy.

 

[gimmewhitecastles]

they get their sweet and sour sauce from the same place they get their duck sauce, hot sauce packets... also referred to as "god knows where".

 

[Krazy4Real]

Why don't you just buy it from the Restaurant?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Buy it from a restaurant. Problem solved.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Thats because sweet and sour sauce is an ancient Chinese secret, like Calgon.

 

[OCGuy]

I highly doubt that crap that they put on chicken at Chinese fast food places is even remotely Chinese......maybe you are looking in the wrong section at the store?

 

[DT4K]

Why don't you just buy it from the Restaurant?

That's a pain because then I have to make an extra stop after I buy the stuff I'm making from the grocery store.

But the real question is why?

People obviously like the plain red sweet and sour sauce or there wouldn't be so many restaurants that served it. So why doesn't anyone sell it at the grocery store?
When we lived in Oregon, our local grocery that had one called "Restaurant style sweet and sour". I don't know what brand it was, but it was perfect. Exactly the same as the restaurant stuff.

 

[Pardus]

This

 

[Ika]

It's because they don't want you opening up your own chinese restaurant and putting them out of business.

 

[bobdole369]

ROFL because Asian groceries are meant for "Asian people" to buy supplies. Since "Asian people" (that is people born and still acclimated to their birthplaces habits and customs) normally don't eat "Chinese food" you won't ever find it there.

Chinese food was invented in New York...

You'll find a lot of noodles and fish based sauces, along with some items you can't find elsewhere locally.

If you really want chinese restaurant style "sweet and sour", find the local chinese restaurant supply concern. There is likely to be only one.

 

[darkxshade]

The actual restaurant sweet and sour sauce is made from scatch in house which is why you can't find it in stores. Now you might ask why isn't that sauce that's made in house sold in stores. Well that's because you wouldn't eat it if you can read the type of ingredients used in its making.

 

[DT4K]

ROFL because Asian groceries are meant for "Asian people" to buy supplies. Since "Asian people" (that is people born and still acclimated to their birthplaces habits and customs) normally don't eat "Chinese food" you won't ever find it there.

Chinese food was invented in New York...

You'll find a lot of noodles and fish based sauces, along with some items you can't find elsewhere locally.

If you really want chinese restaurant style "sweet and sour", find the local chinese restaurant supply concern. There is likely to be only one.

You didn't read my post. I wasn't talking about Asian groceries. I was talking about regular large american grocery stores.

I actually haven't looked for sweet and sour sauce at an Asian grocery.

 

[DT4K]

The actual restaurant sweet and sour sauce is made from scatch in house which is why you can't find it in stores. Now you might ask why isn't that sauce that's made in house sold in stores. Well that's because you wouldn't eat it if you can read the type of ingredients used in its making.

Maybe some of them. But the more americanized places / fast food all have the same sauce, so I'm guessing it comes pre-made from one of the big distributors.

 

[Crusty]

Probably because it takes 1 person 15 minutes to make enough of the sauce for a day and most of that is spent waiting.

 

[DT4K]

I highly doubt that crap that they put on chicken at Chinese fast food places is even remotely Chinese......maybe you are looking in the wrong section at the store?

From what I've read, the basic idea of sweet and sour (vinegar and sugar based) is actually chinese, if not the exact recipe you find at American chinese restaurants.

I've actually made a pretty good approximation with pineapple juice, sugar, rice vinegar, and ketchup.

But I still don't get it. It's not like I'm asking about some unique sauce at one particular restaurant that isn't sold in grocery stores. I'm talking about a very standardized sauce that is served at the vast majority of chinese restaurants.

It's not like all the ketchup at the grocery has extra ingredients that aren't in the ketchup at all the restaurants. So why do Kikkoman and Kraft find the need to throw frickin bell peppers and other crap in their sweet and sour sauce.

I'm starting to think I should start a business that just sells sweet and sour sauce.

 

[ussfletcher]

Try a food supplier like Gordon food service.

 

[lord_emperor]

Why is it that 90% of chinese restaurants serve almost the exact same kind of sweet and sour sauce and 90% of grocery stores don't carry anything remotely similar?

I've looked through the Asian section of at least 4 different grocery stores and every single bottle of "sweet and sour" sauce has pieces of red and green peppers or some other variety of chunks of something. And I've tried them all and none of them tastes like the plain, red, chunkless, pepperless, sweet and sour sauce that the vast majority of chinese restaurants serve.

WTF is the deal here?

You can get it in the grocery store, it's called ketchup and sugar, maybe some extra vinegar if you like it more sour.

Seriously those are the prime ingredients in the "chinese" sweet & sour dishes you get at "chinese" restaurants.

 

[Crusty]

You can get it in the grocery store, it's called ketchup and sugar, maybe some extra vinegar if you like it more sour.

Seriously those are the prime ingredients in the "chinese" sweet & sour dishes you get at "chinese" restaurants.

Don't forget your corn starch to thicken it up

 

[sdifox]

blend some onions
add to ketchup and water
simmer for a bit
add sugar if not sweet enough.

 

[jupiter57]

All the Chinese places I frequent have served the same "red" sauce.
I have found that the LaChoy Sweet & Sour sauce to be identical.

http://www.lachoy.com/products/sauces.jsp

 

[ahenkel]

Are we talking about that bright red sweet and sour sauce? It's pretty easy to make. I do it all the time. Just combine equal parts water, sugar, ketchup, and white or rice vinegar. Simmer for 45 minutes and enjoy.

 

[bobdole369]

Was gonna say, I though lachoy made something like this. I make my own s&s. Very easy to do. Recipe above is quite close. Yup Jupiters got it. They have in Publix down here.

 

[JM Aggie08]

It's the white man holding you down.

 

[seepy83]

A better question is how to make the delicious dipping sauce that one of the chinese restaurants here serves with their fried/steamed dumplings. It's a brown sauce and usually has some chives floating in it. Many chinese restaurants use similar brown sauces, but this one restaurant makes it way better than the rest.