Sweet & Sour sauce (choice)

[Booko]

OK, here's my final kitchen-tested recipe for allergen-free sweet & sour sauce! It kills me that now I can't eat dairy, soy or corn, I have to totally give up Tex-Mex and Asian cuisine, unless I do my own!

I'm on the hunt for *any* good kind of sauce, if anyone has any recipes for anything. I can manage making replacements so I can eat them. I'm especially looking for a good lemon-dill or BBQ sauce, if anyone has one.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

1/3 c. water
12 oz. pineapple juice
4 T. apple cider vinegar
2 T tapioca flour (you can use cornstarch too, but probably a little less than tapioca -- do NOT use potato flour)
2 T. brown or turbinado sugar
1-2 T. ketchup or 1/2 t. tomato paste
white pepper
(dash sea salt or soy sauce)

Stir well. Cook on medium heat on stove, stirring often, and especially just before it gets to the boiling point and thickens. It's pretty much like making pudding.

The biggest issue here for someone with a corn allergy is the ketchup or tomato paste. *All* commercial ketchups that I've found use distilled white vinegar, which is derived from corn. And the non-organic brands all use corn syrup.

Fortunately, I now make my own ketchup with apple cider vinegar. It can still be difficult to find tomato paste without citric acid (also often corn-derived), but look to the organic section. In my case, we have several Mexican groceries that carry brands like Hy-Top that have no citric acid.

(Who woulda thunk I'd be going to Mexican stores to get corn-free ingredients???)

Since this is a high-acid food, it can be made in large batches and canned in glass jars for later convenience. (hurrah!)

[Hema]

Thanks Booko. What type of vinegar though? Can it be apple-cider vinegar?

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Hema

Thanks Booko. What type of vinegar though? Can it be apple-cider vinegar?

Thanks, Hema! Yes, it can and I went back and fixed it.

Rice vinegar would work also, though it has a little less "bite" to it. If you like a more delicate flavor, then rice vinegar would be the best choice.

I use apple cider vinegar for most things, except I use wine vinegar for salad dressings and most marinades.

[BFD_Zayl]

I think I will stick to McDonalds brand sweet & sour...it just can't be beat, heh heh heh.

[Ðanisty]

Yeah, unless it will kill you.

[Hema]

Originally Posted by Booko

Thanks, Hema! Yes, it can and I went back and fixed it.

Rice vinegar would work also, though it has a little less "bite" to it. If you like a more delicate flavor, then rice vinegar would be the best choice.

I use apple cider vinegar for most things, except I use wine vinegar for salad dressings and most marinades.

Thanks Booko. I like stuff with a lot of "bite" to it. Plus, we have apple cider vinegar at home and we never opened the bottle as yet. We bought it because we hear of the health benefits but didn't figure out any recipes to use it in as yet.