A dap of Sweet and a touch of Sour

Ever since that redeeming con, had continued cravings for sweet and sour, and finally satiated the hunger for good ones by going to Amcorp Mall for the Sweet and Sour dish. Was a choice between the “oink-oink” at Overseas Restaurant or the “bak-bak” at Sri Melaka, and finally decided on Sri Melaka. Both outlets do good sweet and sour dishes (by my standards at least – and yes, have been told I am quite particular about this dish!).

Giving in to gluttony, decided to go for the "medium" sized portion instead of the "small" portion, even knowing well that the servings at Sri Melaka are quite big. And yes, filled my tummy till I have some discomfort (oh, also had a veggie dish and a tau foo dish [small portions of course] - as well as eating my dessert of red ruby thingy before my main meal!).

So, here’s me dedicating a post to one of my favourite dishes of all time! I have tried making the dish before, but not up to my own “standard’ yet. Come to think of it, the last time I made this dish was at least 5 years back! I actually like to eat deep fried stuff, but don’t like to deep fry food myself – due to the smell of oil sticking on the clothes, etc.

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Extracts from: http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodasian.html#sweetandsour

Note 1: Sweet and sour pork (chicken, beef, shrimp, etc,), as most know it today, is a far cry from the traditional Chinese cuisine. It does, however, derive from classical combinations of the "five flavors." [Alex says - see? at least got some Chinese in the dish, no matter how "banana" the dish may be]. In China, sweet and sour sauce is not traditionally paired with pork. It is a seafood dip. Other pungent sauces, such as hoisen and bean paste, are more commonly used in pork cookery. It is also important to note that tomatoes (tomato paste/ketchup are typically used in American sweet and sour recipes) are not native to China. They are "New World" foods. "In China, vinegar is an important flavoring in dips, sauces (including sweet-and-sour sauce), dressings, and in cooking of all sorts. Sweet-and-sour sauce is common in a range of dishes, whereas other vinegar sauces and dips seem to be used especially with fish and other seafoods..."

Note 2: Since sweet, along with sour, salty, pungent, and bitter, is one of the "five flavors" of classical Chinese cooking, its use in cooking is commonplace but always with the intent of retaining a balance among the flavors. As a result, the amounts of sugar used are ordinarily quite small [Alex says - Cool! Not fattening then? :P]. Even sweet and sour dishes are apt to be a bit on the tart side, with sweet and sour sauce commonly served separately so that the discriminating diner may use it in appropriate amounts. There are, nevertheless, regional differences in use of sugar in cooking, as to counter the salty taste of soy sauce in red-cooked dishes.

Note 3: Some say that the sweet and sour flavour principle originated in Honan, though others see its origin elsewhere in China. Wherever the principle first developed, the sweet and sour sauce of Honan and the north, made simply by mixing vinegar and sugar without tomato sauce or fruit, is, in the eyes of the Cantonese, lacking in refinement... Traditionally the Cantonese did not like sweet and sour dishes very much, the main exception being fish. They, like other Chinese, are amused at the popularity among Westerners of pork and chicken prepared this way; in fact, some Cantonese are now rejecting sweet and sour pork "because it is so thoroughly linked with the barbarians'." [Alex says - and yes, so I have been told many times that it is not very "chinese" to eat sweet and sour pork or chicken, especially by my Hong Kong friends!].

Note 4: The French habit of serving everything drowned in sauses would repel a Chinese gourmet; he prefers to dip the food in sauce at will, thus keeping it crisp and controlling the amount of sauce per bite. Sweet and sour dishes are often served with the sweet and sour sauce on the side, and among sophistcated Cantonese this is especially typical. The method of drowning the meat in the sauce, but for Chinese restaurants outside the country, is a concession to undiscriminating tastes. Many dishes have their "official" dip sauce. In Cantonese food, examples would be chili and soy sauce for boiled prawns, and vinegar for fresh crab. In Teochiu food, vinegar and freshly crushed garlic for steamed goose, and a strange, fascinating sauce with a malt syrup base for certain types of fish balls.

So there! For those who know how to make good sweet and sour dishes, or know where are the good places to go for the dish, don’t forget to invite me over for lunch or dinner, ya! :P