Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce
This sweet and sour sauce is an easy to make recipe that tastes like your favorite Chinese restaurant version. It is delicious as a dip, in stir-fry, or drizzled on chicken, pork, vegetables, noodles, or rice.
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 45kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 8 fresh cherries or substitute 1/8 cup cherry juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup white vinegar or apple cider or rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari sauce
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
Instructions
- Combine the pineapple juice with the corn starch to make a slurry, and set aside (this will be used to thicken the sauce later).
- Stem, pit and slice the cherries in half. Extract the cherry juice by combining the prepared cherries with 3 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan.
- Simmer over low heat until the fruit softens. Gently mash the cherries with a potato masher, and continue simmering until the juices are released.
- Strain and discard the solids. Measure out 1/8 cup of cherry juice (add more water if needed).
- Add the cherry juice, ketchup, vinegar, and soy sauce to the saucepan. Heat and stir over medium heat until combined.
- Add the sugar and continue simmering over medium heat while stirring. Taste and add more sugar if you want a sweeter flavor.
- Once the sugar is dissolved, stir the pineapple juice slurry, and add it to the saucepan.
- While stirring, bring the saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow the sweet and sour sauce to cool. Makes about 2 cups.
- Use immediately, or store the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 0.2g | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 14mg | Sugar: 10.5g | Calcium: 4mg