In a bid to put less preservatives in my body, i have found a homemade sweet & sour sauce, and i thought i'd share it.

¾ cup (175mls) white vinegar
¾ cup (175g) sugar
½ cup (125mls) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
Red food colouring (optional – I didn’t bother)
5 teaspoons cornflour
1 cup (250mls) chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh coriander

1. Heat the vinegar, sugar, and tom sauce in a small saucepan over a medium heat; mix well. Add the salt and food colouring.
2. Stir in the cornflour into the stock then pour into the saucepan with the remaining ingredients; bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce becomes translucent and thicken slightly.
3. Use immediately as a hot sauce, or at room temperature for dipping. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

I then added celery, pineapple, onion, carrots, and capsicum and some chicken and rice. It didn’t taste like the bought jars – but it still tasted really nice and it must be lots better for me. Also, I had all of the ingredients in the cupboard already, except the fresh coriander.