Sweet & Sour
A bright, takeaway-style sweet and sour sauce with pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup and soy.
makes 26 cubes, about 10p each
- Time
- 15 min10 min prep · 5 min cook
- Makes
- 26 cubes
- Cost per cubePer cube
- 10p
- Calories per cubeCalories
- 30 kcal
- A serving
- 3 cubes
- Spice
- 1 of 5
You’ll need
- 1 × 435g tinpineapple chunks in juice, blitzed
- 100mlrice or cider vinegar
- 100gtomato ketchup
- 80glight brown sugar
- 40mlsoy sauce
- 3 cloves (15g)garlic
- 15gfresh ginger
- 25gcornflour
- 150mlwater
Allergens: Soya, Sulphites. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.
Use it for
Sweet and sour chicken with peppers and rice · 3 cubes; Sweet and sour pork balls · 3 cubes; Dip for spring rolls · 1 cube
Method
- Step 1: Blitz the pineapple with its juice until smooth.
- Step 2: Put everything except the cornflour in a pan and bring to a simmer.
- Step 3: Whisk in the cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water and simmer for 2 minutes until glossy.
- Step 4: Cool.
- Step 5: Pour into 30ml trays and freeze.
| kcal | protein | carbs | fat | fibre | salt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per cube | 30 | 0.3g | 7.3g | 0g | 0.3g | 0.23g |
| Per 3 cubes | 90 | 0.9g | 21.9g | 0g | 0.9g | 0.69g |
Cook’s notes
- Straight from frozen into a hot wok with the stir-fry.
- Blitzing the pineapple gives body without lumps in the cubes.
- A dash of sriracha makes a sweet chilli version.
Use it for
- Sweet and sour chicken with peppers and rice · 3 cubes
- Sweet and sour pork balls · 3 cubes
- Dip for spring rolls · 1 cube
Freeze, reheat and serve
- Freeze
- Cool it within two hours, freeze it in 30ml ice-cube trays, then bag and label the cubes. It keeps for 4 months.
- Use from frozen
- Straight from frozen into a hot wok with the stir-fry. Never refreeze thawed cubes.
- A portion
- 3 cubes is a serving: about 90 kcal.
Sweet & Sour questions
Can I use fresh pineapple?
Blitz fresh pineapple with a splash of water or pineapple juice to replace the tin and its juice. It gives a fresher, slightly sharper sauce.
What vegetables and tofu suit it?
Crispy tofu, peppers, onion, carrot and mangetout all work well. Stir-fry them first, then add the cubes and toss until glossy.
How do I make it thinner for dipping?
Thaw a cube and stir in a little water or rice vinegar until it's the consistency you want.
Freezer meals that go with it
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Updated . Nutrition, costs and yields are estimates. Gluten-free assumes tamari in place of soy sauce.