Description
A homemade sweet and sour sauce with complex flavor from roasted red pepper and gochujang, offering a perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and savory depth for a quick weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large roasted red pepper (or 200 g jarred)
- 0.25 cup apple cider vinegar
- 0.33 cup granulated sugar
- 0.25 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 0.5 cup water or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare Roasted Red Pepper: Roast fresh red pepper until charred, then peel and deseed. If using jarred pepper, drain excess moisture.
- Blend Sauce Ingredients: Combine red pepper, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, gochujang, garlic, ginger, and half of the water/broth in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- Heat and Thicken Sauce: Pour blended sauce into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk cornstarch with remaining water/broth to form a slurry. Slowly pour slurry into simmering sauce while whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes until thick and glossy. If sauce doesn’t thicken after 2 minutes, add more cornstarch slurry.
- Finish and Garnish: Remove from heat and stir in toasted sesame oil. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions right before serving.
Notes
Use fresh garlic and ginger for best flavor; do not use dried powders. White vinegar or tamari can be substituted. Adjust gochujang level for heat preferences or omit for children.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 0.375 cup (90 g)
- Calories: 130 calories
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: sweet and sour sauce, homemade, weeknight meal, gochujang, red pepper, easy sauce, family friendly, versatile, asian fusion