Chakalaka — A South African relish made with chiles, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage vinegar, spices (like masala) and historically eaten with braai (barbecue).
Chamoy — A piquant condiment from Mexico served on contemporary fruits and ice cream. Consider it as Mexico’s ketchup. See recipe under.
Gastrique — The French type of agrodolce, or aigre-doux, made with sugar or honey and vinegar. The French typically use “sweeter” vinegars, similar to apple cider or sherry, and serve the sauce on hefty cheeses and meats.
Nam chim kai — Thailand’s dipping sauce is a mixture of sugar or honey, vinegar, garlic and fish sauce.
Nuoc cham — A vinegar-and-sugar-based sauce laced with chiles and fish sauce. Ubiquitous in Viet cooking, it interprets to “dipping sauce.”
Rotkohl — German sweet-and-sour pink cabbage, historically made with onions, apples and cider vinegar. Technically, it’s a aspect dish served with roasts, however in the case of an inventory of candy and bitter, it actually shouldn’t be missed.
It’s not too laborious to see the repeating sample right here: The 2 components integral to creating a real sweet-and-sour sauce — it doesn’t matter what a part of the world you’re in — are sugar and vinegar. Collectively they create the complexity that we discover ourselves craving, whether or not we’re dipping spring rolls or slicing right into a pork roast. These easy accompaniments are tiny gastronomical time capsules meant to be adjusted and tweaked based mostly on the components at hand, and in fashionable instances, the components you want.
Dip in and luxuriate in.
Meridith Ford is an Atlanta-based chef and meals author and the proprietor of Cremalosa gelateria in Decatur.
RECIPES
Candy-sour sauces and condiments will not be troublesome to make. Substances for these recipes for agrodolce, olives and chamoy are straightforward to substitute (more often than not), so if there’s an herb or spice that doesn’t attraction, merely depart it out.
Italian agrodolce is nice with the whole lot from cheese to fish to meat. (Styling and picture by Meridith Ford for The Atlanta Journal-Structure)
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Italian agrodolce is nice with the whole lot from cheese to fish to meat. (Styling and picture by Meridith Ford for The Atlanta Journal-Structure)
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Sicilian-Impressed Agrodolce
Many variations of this Italian condiment/sauce may be discovered throughout Italy. However it’s the Sicilian model, with pink pepper flakes, that I get pleasure from most. Some variations use solely sugar because the “candy”; others use balsamic as a substitute of pink wine vinegar. No matter you select, agrodolce will complement absolutely anything — from cheeses to fish to meats and whilst a drizzle over gelato. I take advantage of the pistachios to sprinkle over any dish with agrodolce, however should you’re not a fan, merely omit them. Due to the honey, this sauce will thicken because it cools, so take care to not cut back it for too lengthy — simply till it coats the again of a spoon, about 15 to twenty minutes. In case you’d like a thinner sauce, cut back for much less time as you want.
1 cup pink wine vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pink pepper flakes
Salt to style
1 cup pistachios, toasted, for sprinkling over the agrodolce, optionally available
In a small saucepan, mix the vinegar, honey, sugar, pink pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Stir to mix. Deliver to a simmer over medium warmth, and simmer, uncovered, till the sauce is diminished and thick, about 15 to twenty minutes. Skim the pink pepper flakes out if desired. Serve over meat, fish, greens, cheeses or dessert. Garnish with toasted pistachios, if desired.
Makes 2 cups.
Per 1-tablespoon serving: 50 energy (p.c of energy from fats, 36), 1 gram protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, hint fiber, 2 grams whole fats (hint saturated fats), no ldl cholesterol, 5 milligrams sodium.
Syrian sweet-and-sour olives are an integral a part of a Center Japanese mezze. (Styling and picture by Meridith Ford for The Atlanta Journal-Structure)
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Syrian sweet-and-sour olives are an integral a part of a Center Japanese mezze. (Styling and picture by Meridith Ford for The Atlanta Journal-Structure)
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Syrian Candy-and-Bitter Olives
Olives are one among our oldest cultivated meals, relationship to Syria and Palestine as early as 3000 B.C. It needs to be no shock that they’re an integral a part of a Center Japanese mezze. For this recipe, search for brine-cured olives similar to Castelvetrano. They’re straightforward to seek out in your native grocery store, or Entire Meals. You’ll be able to velocity up the flavour course of by sweating the onions within the olive oil, then combining the remainder of the components with a fast stir. It’s straightforward to get inventive and add your personal flavors — orange or lemon peel, herbs, spices. Keep in mind to deliver the olives to room temperature in order that the oil has time to skinny earlier than serving.
2 cups medium inexperienced olives, brine cured
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup water
1 small pink onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
10-15 entire black peppercorns
Rinse and drain the olives. In a small bowl, combine the olives along with the olive oil, water, onion, brown sugar and pepper. Place in an hermetic container or sanitized jar. Retailer for 3 days to three months within the fridge. Permit to come back to room temperature earlier than serving to permit the olive oil to de-solidify.
Makes about 3 cups.
Per 1-tablespoon serving: 32 energy (p.c of energy from fats, 87), hint protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, hint fiber, 3 grams whole fats (hint saturated fats), no ldl cholesterol, 154 milligrams sodium.
The flavour of Mexican chamoy is heightened with hibiscus and chiles. (Styling and picture by Meridith Ford for The Atlanta Journal-Structure)
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Credit score: Meridith Ford
The flavour of Mexican chamoy is heightened with hibiscus and chiles. (Styling and picture by Meridith Ford for The Atlanta Journal-Structure)
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Credit score: Meridith Ford
Chamoy Sauce
This Mexican taste bomb packs a enjoyable punch spooned on the whole lot from hen to chickpeas; mangoes to molletes. In Mexico, it’s mostly discovered on contemporary fruit or ice cream. It may be as straightforward or as difficult as you need to make it. Some recipes use nothing greater than apricot jam, water and seasonings similar to chiles. Others contain infusing herbs, spices and chiles into the apricot combination. (This one falls someplace within the center.)
Chamoy has a wealthy historical past. In keeping with meals historian Rachel Laudan, it was almost certainly delivered to Western Mexico by the Chinese language by way of Hawaii, the place sweet-and-sour snacks are often called “crack seed,” and constructed from the Prunus mume — a fruit typically mistaken for a plum, however extra like an apricot (consider Japanese umeboshi). In case you discover your chamoy too candy, omit the prunes and use the identical quantity of apricots as an alternative. No matter you do, strive to not omit the dried hibiscus. The sauce will get its bitter taste from these petals, and so they supply up an irresistible crimson shade as effectively.
2 cups water
1 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup dried hibiscus flowers (accessible at most Latin groceries, and at Your DeKalb Farmers Market)
1/4 cup prunes
6 dried serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup contemporary lime juice
Salt to style
In a medium saucepan, mix the water, dried apricots, hibiscus flowers, prunes and chiles and produce to a boil over medium-high warmth. Scale back the warmth to a simmer and canopy. Let the combination simmer gently till the fruit is delicate and plump, about 10 minutes. Put aside to chill.
Pour the cooled combination right into a blender or meals processor. Add the sugar and course of on excessive till clean. Stir within the lime juice and salt.
Makes about 4 cups.
Per 1-tablespoon serving: 18 energy (p.c of energy from fats, 6), hint protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, hint fiber, hint whole fats (hint saturated fats), no ldl cholesterol, 1 milligram sodium.
