Sweet-and-pungent sauce #2

Yield: 4 Servings

Measure Ingredient
1 \N Clove garlic (up to)
1 cup Vegetables
½ cup Sugar
½ cup Vinegar
½ cup Water
2 tablespoons Soy sauce
2 tablespoons Oil
1½ tablespoon Cornstarch
½ cup Water

1. Mince garlic. Slice, dice or sliver vegetables.

2. Combine sugar, vinegar, water and soy sauce.

3. Heat oil. Add garlic and stir-fry a few times. Add vegetables; stir-fry until slightly softened (2 to 3 minutes).

4. Add sugar-vinegar mixture. Stir in over medium heat to dissolve and heat through.

5. Meanwhile blend cornstarch and remaining cold water to a paste; then stir in to thicken. Pour over deep-fried meat or fish and serve.

NOTE: For the vegetables, use any of the following in any combination: mushrooms, onions, bamboo shoots, carrots, cucumbers, green peas, green peppers, pickles and snow peas. You may also add, at the end of step 4, fresh tomatoes or canned pineapple chunks, lichees or crab apples. See recipe for "Typical combinations".

VARIATIONS:

1. For the garlic, substitute 2 slices fresh ginger root and 1 scallion stalk, both minced.

2. For the oil, substitute chicken fat or lard.

3. For other substitutions, see variations 1 through 4 of Sweet-and-Pungent Sauce #1.

4. For other ingredients that may be added in step 2, see variation 5 of Sweet-and-Pungent Sauce #1.

5. Omit the cornstarch paste in step 5. Instead, combine the cornstarch directly with the ingredients in step 2, increasing the water to 1 Cup.

Add, as in step 4, and cook, stirring, to thicken.

From <The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook>, ISBN 0-517-65870-4. Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, .

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