990 sweet sour recipes

Lon Tao Jiao: a Thai coconut milk and fermented bean sauce dip served with raw cucumber, cabbage, and green beans. A salty-sweet-sour Thai vegetable platter.

Bread and butter pickles with thin-sliced cucumbers and onions brined with salt and ice, then packed in a sweet-sour brown sugar, cider vinegar, mustard, and turmeric syrup.

Pork roast braised on a bed of red cabbage with apple, onion, and red wine in a clay pot. A classic German-style Schweinebraten with sweet-and-sour braised cabbage built right in.

Swedish pickled herring with a sweet-sour vinegar brine layered with red onion, carrots, ginger, and horseradish. A classic Scandinavian smorgasbord appetizer that only gets better after 2-3 days in the jar.

Fiery Assam-style spicy shrimp wok-fried in tamarind, oyster sauce, ginger, and chili. A bold Malaysian shellfish dish with sweet-sour-spicy layers. Serve over rice.

Ginger-loaded tofu stir-fry with tree ear mushrooms, green peas, and a sweet-sour vinegar finish. A quick Chinese vegetarian wok dish with earthy, bold flavors.

Pimiento cheese with a homemade cooked sweet-sour dressing instead of mayo, folded into sharp cheddar and chopped pimientos. A Southern classic with an old-school twist.

Old German cabbage rolls stuffed with seasoned ground beef and rice, simmered for 3 hours in a sweet-and-sour tomato sauce with lemon juice and onion.

Sour cream sugar cookies are soft, puffy, and rolled in sugar before flattening and baking. The sour cream keeps these tender for days with a slight tang that balances the sweetness.

Sour cream chutney walnut dip: a three-ingredient party trick that combines tangy sour cream, sweet-spicy mango chutney, and crunchy walnuts. Stir, chill, serve with crackers or chips. That's it.

Hawaiian venison: sweet-and-sour stir fry with cubed deer steak, green bell peppers, pineapple chunks, and a tangy pineapple-soy sauce. A clever way to cook the deer in the freezer.

A light, brothy borscht of cabbage and beets simmered with carrot, celery, and tomato juice into a ruby-red, sweet-and-sour soup. Vegan, low in calories, and even better the next day.

Beef stroganoff braised with Coca-Cola for a sweet, caramelized depth, finished with sour cream and mushrooms. A unique twist on the classic that tenderizes tough cuts beautifully.

Kung Pao chicken: authentic Sichuan stir fry with velveted chicken cubes, blackened dried red chiles, scallions, and roasted peanuts in a glossy sweet-sour sauce. The real deal, not the sweet American version.

Sicilian caponata with eggplant, olives, capers, pine nuts, tomatoes, and a sweet-sour vinegar-sugar finish. Serve hot as a side or cold on bread as an appetizer.

Tangy sourdough banana pancakes with buttermilk and yogurt, topped with sliced bananas. Skip the syrup and let the sweet-sour contrast shine with just a pat of butter.