Alicat
Assistant Cook
Hey all! I appologize for the length but I have been searching and researching this for a darn decade online. I joined DC the beginning of the year but have had SO much family "stuff" going on that I haven't been active at all.
I really need all of your collective knowledge to help me out. I have Googled and searched all the corners of the web (including DC) and have not found a recipe or name for this sauce (knowing the name would help, no?).
I've lived in Michigan (east and west coasts) all my life and almost every "Americanized" Chinese sit-down restaurant I've eaten at has this sauce in squirt bottles, either on the table or at the buffet. I'm 37, so over 30 yrs. I've had it.
I've always thought of it as eggroll sauce, but that's probably because I love it with my eggrolls (bean sprouts only please!).
The sauce seems to have no thickeners at all, it is watery. It may have just the slightest tinge of yellow to it's color (alot of places have dim lighting) but otherwise appears clear/'lil cloudy and has flecks of what I think are orange zest floating in it.
I definately taste vinegar, citrus (I strongly think zest and not juice) and a tiny bit of sweetness, no spicy. It is completely the consistancy of water so it must have water mixed with vinegar, otherwise it wouldn't be palatable.
I seems like such a basic sauce, and it's been the same for 30 yrs. at a number of Chinese places, but when I've tried to replicate it, I don't get the "essence" of it. I got up the courage to ask a waitress a year ago and she said "sweet and sour". UM, NO. It's nothing like a jarred or restaurant sweet and sour, or plum or duck sauce. Watery, not thickened.
I'm starting to think that it might be some restaurant food supplier sauce given how it's been the same for most of my life and I can't find a recipe or name that comes close to it.
Please DCers, even if you don't have a recipe, can someone put a name to this sauce?! And please ask any question's for clarification so I can say yea or nea to what it might or might not be.
Thanks all! Ali
I really need all of your collective knowledge to help me out. I have Googled and searched all the corners of the web (including DC) and have not found a recipe or name for this sauce (knowing the name would help, no?).
I've lived in Michigan (east and west coasts) all my life and almost every "Americanized" Chinese sit-down restaurant I've eaten at has this sauce in squirt bottles, either on the table or at the buffet. I'm 37, so over 30 yrs. I've had it.
I've always thought of it as eggroll sauce, but that's probably because I love it with my eggrolls (bean sprouts only please!).
The sauce seems to have no thickeners at all, it is watery. It may have just the slightest tinge of yellow to it's color (alot of places have dim lighting) but otherwise appears clear/'lil cloudy and has flecks of what I think are orange zest floating in it.
I definately taste vinegar, citrus (I strongly think zest and not juice) and a tiny bit of sweetness, no spicy. It is completely the consistancy of water so it must have water mixed with vinegar, otherwise it wouldn't be palatable.
I seems like such a basic sauce, and it's been the same for 30 yrs. at a number of Chinese places, but when I've tried to replicate it, I don't get the "essence" of it. I got up the courage to ask a waitress a year ago and she said "sweet and sour". UM, NO. It's nothing like a jarred or restaurant sweet and sour, or plum or duck sauce. Watery, not thickened.
I'm starting to think that it might be some restaurant food supplier sauce given how it's been the same for most of my life and I can't find a recipe or name that comes close to it.
Please DCers, even if you don't have a recipe, can someone put a name to this sauce?! And please ask any question's for clarification so I can say yea or nea to what it might or might not be.
Thanks all! Ali
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