Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and sour sauce is a popular sauce used in Chinese cuisine. It is commonly made with sugar and rice vinegar, with soy sauce, or tomatoes added for color. Unlike the near-universal soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce is not fermented; the ingredients are simply added together and mixed, usually over heat. Used in cooking, the sauce is often added to stir fried meats, such as pork, beef, shrimp, or chicken.In American Chinese cuisine, sweet and sour is also used to refer to one of two basic types of dishes that use sweet and sour sauce as a main component. Called for example, 'sweet and sour pork,' or 'sweet and sour chicken,' (and sometimes 'sweet and sour shrimp'). They are either small fried cuts of meat, to be dipped in the sauce, or are small cuts of meat cooked or stir-fried using the sauce as a glaze (more common with pork). Both types are usually served with white or fried rice.Another version of the sauce is a combination of soy sauce, granulated sugar, ordinary vinegar, and ketchup (and sauté-ing chunky pineapples, bell peppers, and white onions to the prepared meat and sauce mix). The simpler rendition is also cheaper and faster to make.