BACK TO ALL RECIPES

International Market OG Sweet and Sour Sauce

BY The Editors

PUBLISHED March 5, 2026

Growing up, I was confused why this wasn't the sticky red stuff we typically got whenever we picked up Chinese takeout. To me, that was the definition of a sweet and sour sauce. My mom's riff, however, uses black soy sauce, so it was brown instead of bright red and had added umami. It was inspired by the Chinese sauce, especially because people expected every Asian restaurant to have a sweet and sour sauce, but it was made my mom's way. Despite being confused by the color, I never questioned my mom—customers seemed to love it, and I was always proud when people would ask for an additional side of this sauce. It's sweet and sour, as the name suggests, and it's incredibly easy to make, too. I love that a sauce with only four ingredients can come together into such a developed flavor. – Arnold Myint

 

The following may contain affiliate links for which we earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting us in this way!
Print

International Market OG Sweet and Sour Sauce

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes about 1 cup 1x

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (200 g) sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) distilled white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon black soy sauce

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, and vinegar and cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half and the mixture is sticky like a syrup, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, whisk in the soy sauce, and let cool completely.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container (like a lidded glass jar) in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

— Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home

Log in, or become a member today.

Join in: enjoy 7 days free, plus 40% off your first year with access to 1,000+ highly vetted recipes from the How To Cook Everything series and beyond, essays from Mark, and original pieces from our contributors.

Join annually and save 40%
Log in to your account

GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier

in the Kitchen

Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.

Start your free trial

We hope you join us on this journey. We’d love to have you as a part of the Bittman community. As a member, you'll have access to:

  • New recipes every week
  • 1000s of recipes from How to Cook Everything and beyond
  • First access to in-person events with Mark and Kate
  • Exclusive discounts from our favorite brands
  • Q&As with Mark and the team

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Join over 105,000 passionate individuals who receive our weekly emails. It’s 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Plus, we’ll email you a sampling of what premium members receive on a weekly basis.