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Sweet and sour is one of the world's great flavor combos. It's the perfect balance of both flavors together that keeps us coming back for more. After all, sour alone would be too powerfully puckery. And a main dish that's all sweet would shock the senses and violate the very rules of dinner ? you'd have a dessert on your hands. Together, though, working in perfect opposition, sweet and sour is a flavor combo that thrills. Here are some of our favorite sweet-and-sour sauces. You'll find familiar sweet and sour chicken, pork, and meatballs recipes, of course, and you just might discover a few surprises, too.
Sweet and Sour Chicken I
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Photo by DIZ
Pineapple and vinegar create the classic sweet and sour flavor in this simple chicken and green pepper stir fry. "Oh my it was wonderful!" raves JTCDMOM. "The best sweet and sour sauce I have ever had. The chicken was great also. I used the deep fryer and it worked great I just did it in batches."
Hawaiian Meatballs
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Ground beef meatballs simmer in a Hawaiian-style sweet and sour pineapple sauce. ice. You won't go wrong adding sliced leftover meatballs to a homemade pizza with pineapple.
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Kielbasa with Pineapple
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Here's a quick one for the slow cooker, which combines sliced kielbasa sausage, pineapple chunks, and a super-simple sweet-and-sour sauce. "This is great to set and forget about until you're ready to eat," says damatto,
Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin
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Photo by LatinaCook
Here's an easy, lighter version of sweet and sour pork. Chef John makes it a little healthier by using lean pork tenderloin instead of chunks of deep-fried pork. His homemade sweet and sour sauce combines brown sugar, rice vinegar, minced garlic, ketchup, hot chili sauce, and soy sauce.
Beef Short Ribs Sauerbraten
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Photo by nwhite949
German cuisine also features the sweet-and-sour flavor combination. "The 24-hour marinade ensures these succulent short ribs have that signature tanginess of Sauerbraten," says Chef John. "Gingersnaps give the sauce a beautiful texture and add a sweet spiciness."
Pork Fried Rice Meatballs with Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce
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"All the deliciousness of pork fried rice in a portable, bite-sized format," says Buckwheat Queen. "Serve these meatballs with homemade sweet and sour sauce for a fun treat at your next game day party."
Hong Kong Sweet and Sour Pork
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Photo by Joah Hawkes
Cubes of pork loin are cooked to crispy and then tossed with bell peppers, fresh chiles, pineapple, garlic, green onions, and a simple sweet-and-sour sauce. "This recipe requires three quick frying steps to seal in the crispy texture of the pork," says BETSYLINDSEY. "Serve with rice or noodles for a filling meal."
Sweet and Sour Vegetarian Meatballs
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Photo by fabeverydayblog
These meatless balls are formed from crackers, pecan meal, Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, minced sweet onion, garlic, and finely chopped spinach. The sauce gets its sweet-and-sour flavor from jars of grape jelly and chili sauce. "My vegetarian sweet and sour meatball recipe is my most requested recipe," says lvscoffee7. "I have served these at so many functions and people swear they are meat! Yes, I deep-fry them! They come out so round and delicious! Test one to be sure the meatballs are done inside. Be careful not to overcook them!"
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs
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Photo by fabeveryday
Cubed chicken thigh meat goes into the slow cooker along with pineapple chunks, red bell peppers, green onions, and a simple sweet and sour sauce.
Sweet and Sour Sicilian Tuna
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This tuna steak recipe showcases the style of sweet and sour often found in Sicilian cooking. Sear the tuna and then smother with caramelized onions and the sweet and sour pan sauce.
Jewish Style Sweet and Sour Brisket
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Photo by Allrecipes Magazine
You'll cook the beef brisket the day before, and then serve the tender beef with a tangy and sweet gravy. "This is the best brisket you will ever taste," says Louise. "It is a very traditional dish for Rosh Hashanah and Passover, but it certainly is a winner any time of the year for anyone who loves very tender beef."
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs
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Photo by Lindsay
In this recipe, sweet and sour flavors combine with terrific crunchy texture, courtesy of the baked chicken thighs' crispy coating. "A delicious sweet and sour sauce simply made with ketchup, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce is baked into breading of fried chicken," says ANGIENAP. "Most often requested recipe of my family. Worth the effort every time. Serve over white rice."
Sweet and Sour Jam
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Photo by mauigirl
This fresh apricot condiment is like a cross between a fruity jam and a spicy chutney. It makes a great base for sweet and sour chicken, pork, or meatballs. "What a great recipe," raves andi. "Everyone I've shared this with is hooked whether it's spread over cream cheese and eaten with crackers or on salmon and chicken, its a real winner!"
Sheet Pan Sweet and Sour Chicken
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Inspired by the takeout classic and converted to the sheet pan, this version features canned pineapple tidbits and vegetable. "In order to make it sheet-pan friendly, the chicken is not breaded or fried," says Bibi. "Add as much of the delicious sauce as you like, and if there is any left, it's also a great dipping sauce for Asian-style appetizers. Serve over hot steamed rice."
Slow Cooker Sweet-and-Sour Pot Roast
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Photo by Allrecipes Magazine
Beef chuck roast, potatoes, carrots, and onions cook in the slow cooker with tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and cider vinegar. "A bit different than the usual pot roast," says corrie46. "Family absolutely loved this recipe! I did saut? the onions as others had suggested right in the same pan as I had browned the roast. Deglazed with a splash of white wine and followed the rest of the recipe as written."
Oktoberfest Chicken and Red Cabbage
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Here's another German expression of the sweet-and-sour flavor pairing. Chicken thighs are baked with red cabbage, bacon, apple, and a sweet and sour sauce. "I adore Bavarian cuisine," says HerbanSpoons. "This recipe is crazy simple."
Sweet and Sour Chicken Tenders
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Photo by llgrotts
Kid-friendly chicken tenders get the sweet-and-sour treatment. The tangy sauce features chicken broth, cider vinegar, ketchup, and a touch of soy sauce. "Each piece of chicken had a perfect crispiness on the outside and soft and tender inside," says Julia&Evan'smom. "My family loved this dish. It reminded them of General Tsao's chicken from our favorite Chinese restaurant."
Sweet and Sour Beef
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Photo by lutzflcat
Transform stew meat into a quick sweet-and-sour dish that's terrific tossed with stir-fry vegetables and served over rice or used as a sandwich filling. "The meat was tender and the sauce thickened to the perfect consistency," says reviewer lutzflcat. "The beef flavor definitely infused the sweet-sour sauce in a good way"
Lana's Sweet and Sour Meatballs
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Photo by TTV78
A great appetizer or main dish with rice, these beef meatballs simmer in a brown sugar sauce with pineapple chunks, carrots, and green peppers.
Instant Pot® Sweet and Sour Pork
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Photo by lutzflcat
Cubes of pork loin combine with colorful bell peppers, fresh pineapple, onions, and a flavorful sauce made with water, ketchup, rice vinegar, pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. "Sweet and sour pork is a traditional and delicious Chinese dish," says lutzflcat. "There's no need for takeout when you can make it with very little effort at home."
Sweet-and-Sour Orange Sauce
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Photo by SunnyDaysNora
"This is sweet and sour with a bit of spice and a beautiful, yet light, orange taste," says duboo. "Perfect over egg rolls, or as a stir-fry sauce for shrimp, chicken, rice, or veggies."
Sweet and Sour Pickled Fennel
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Photo by Kim's Cooking Now
Serve this Italian-inspired sweet and sour pickled fennel as a side dish or as an appetizer. "One of the things that I love about our trips to Italy is sampling the various items that my husband's relatives have conserved from their gardens," says Kim's Cooking Now. "Finocchi (fennel) in agrodolce (sour-sweet) is one of them!"
The Best Sweet and Sour Meatballs
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Photo by Allrecipes Magazine
Here's a great party appetizer. Ground beef meatballs are browned and then simmered in a simple sweet-and-sour sauce of brown sugar, soy sauce, water, and distilled white vinegar.
Sweet and Sour Tamarind Sauce
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Photo by Nicholas Butts
A versatile sweet and sour sauce with tamarind powder, chopped peanuts, red onion, and cilantro. "This is my version of a popular sauce that can be tweaked in a lot of ways to suit one's taste, either more to the sweet side or sour side," says Lana. "It's great with small fried items like fried tofu, egg rolls, or samosas."
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork Chops
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"Slow cooking is not very traditional, but way less messy for these sweet and sour pork chops," says CYNTHIA. "It is an easy cold weather meal with some rice and crispy egg rolls, fried noodles, or fried wontons on the side."
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