Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce

Homemade sweet and sour sauce. You heard me right. Nothing wrong with the store bought stuff, but it's nice to know you can make it yourself when you get the craving. Throw it on some chicken, use it for some egg rolls, etc. It's one of those recipes that can come in handy.


¾ cup white sugar
⅓ cup white vinegar
⅔ cup water
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoons cornstarch


Place the sugar, vinegar, water, soy sauce, ketchup and cornstarch in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir continuously until the mixture has thickened.

Asian Greens and Noodle Stir Fry

I got a mix of Asian leaf vegetables from my co-op. The mix included bok choy, choi sum (Chinese flowering cabbage), kai-lan (Chinese broccoli), and gai choy (Chinese mustard greens). What better way to use them than to come up with a stir fry! This turned out quite delicious and was definitely a hit.

Ingredients
- 1 lb Spaghetti noodles (you can use asian noodles, but spaghetti will do just fine)
- Favorite mix of stir fry vegetables
- 4 T Corn Oil
- 4 T Sesame Oil
- 4 T Soy Sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you want it)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1. Cook the spaghetti noodles according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a wok or large skillet heat oils and soy sauce. Add in stir fry vegetables. If you are using a mix of Asian greens cook them until they wilt and soften up. If you are using more americanized stir fry vegetables (carrots, broccoli, etc) cook until they soften up a bit, but remain crisp. Stir frequently.

3. After vegetables are cooked, add in ground ginger, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Cook 2-3 more minutes, stirying frequently.

4. Add cooked noodles to the wok/skillet and toss everything until well mixed.