Home   Colouring Pages   Days Out   Education   Food   Health   Parenting   Pregnancy & Babies   Printables   Shopping   Travel

 

  

Sweet & Sour Recipes
From Uncle Bens

With the UK summer weather being slightly challenging when it comes to outdoor eating, Uncle Ben’s® range of Sweet & Sour sauces provide some tasty indoor solutions for busy parents who want to make family eating fun.

Sweet & Sour Pork With Shredded Vegetables

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Cost/person: £1.80 + cost of rice

Ingredients:
500g jar Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce
400g lean pork, thinly sliced, pork fillet, leg steaks or off the bone chops will do
1 bag of stir fry vegetables, ready sliced, approx. 350g
100g mushrooms, finely sliced
4 spring onions, finely sliced

Method:

  1. In a non-stick pan fry the pork over a high heat in 2tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil for 3 minutes until browned all over
  2. Now add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes. Then, add the spring onions and packet of shredded vegetables and continue to fry for 3 more minutes
  3. Finally add the soy sauce and the Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce, turn down the heat and cook gently for a further 5 minutes
  4. To serve: Sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander and serve on either Uncle Ben’s Express Egg Fried or Long Grain Rice

Top Tip: If you want to prepare your own shredded vegetables but find it difficult to cut them thinly enough, why not use a potato peeler – an easy way to five a day!

Hawaiian Pork Burgers With Sweet & Sour Pinapple Relish

Serves: 4
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Cost/person: £1.20

Ingredients:
250g Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce with Extra Pineapple
4 burger buns or similar
400g minced pork
8tbsp bread crumbs, white or brown, packet or homemade
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
4tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
2tbsp reduced salt soy sauce

Method:

  1. Put the pork, breadcrumbs, spring onions and 3tbsp of the chopped mint into a large mixing bowl. Add a teaspoon of soy sauce and 250g of Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce with Extra Pineapple
  2. Mix the ingredients well using either (very clean!) hands or the back of a fork or wooden spoon. If it seems a little soggy add a further tbsp of breadcrumbs
  3. Divide the pork mixture into 4 equal sized balls and flatten out to make patties. Leave these to firm in the fridge for a few minutes and then cook in a large frying pan in 2 tbsp of sunflower or vegetable oil for 3 – 4 minutes each side over a medium heat, until browned and cooked through
  4. Finally put the remaining Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce with Extra Pineapple in a small bowl, add the mint, and stir
  5. To serve: Serve the burgers with the relish and a plate of lettuce leaves, sliced cucumber and tomato at the table and let everyone build a burger!

Top Tip: You can always use a whole jar of Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce with Extra Pineapple to double the amount of relish. Alternatively, it keeps for up to three days in the fridge and can be used as either a tasty relish to accompany a mixed salad or as a change from pickle in a cheese sandwich!

Sweet & Sour Fruity Chicken Salad

Serves 4
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Cost/person: £1.50

Ingredients:
250g Uncle Ben’s Extra Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce
4 chicken breasts
4tbsp Greek or plain yoghurt
½ tsp of chilli powder, or a dash of Tabasco
Pepper
½ a mango
A 10cm piece of cucumber, cut into ¼ lengthways then into 1cm dice
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
½ packet fresh mint, finely chopped
2 little gem lettuces, washed and leaves broken into chunks

Method:

  1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. When it is boiling drop the chicken breasts in to let them simmer for 7 – 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the breasts) until they are poached through, and firm and springy to the touch
  2. Now drain them and leave to cool. Once the chicken is cool prepare the salad. In a large mixing bowl blend the yoghurt, Uncle Ben’s Extra Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce, and the chilli or Tabasco with freshly ground black pepper
  3. Add all but 1tbsp of the chopped mint and mix together. Now add in the fruit, cucumber and spring onions, making sure everything is well coated in the yoghurt dressing. Dice the cooled chicken into 2cm cubes and mix it into the rest of the ingredients
  4. To serve: Serve the salad piled up in a bowl lined with the washed, torn lettuce leaves and scatter the remaining mint on top. Alternatively, it can be piled into some warmed split pitta breads with some shredded lettuce for a quick lunch.

Top Tip: For a guilt free girly lunch, try replacing the yoghurt with a low fat variety and the Uncle Ben’s Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce with the ‘Light’ version!

Sweet & Sour Summer Vegetables

Serves: 4
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Cost/person: £1.30 + cost of rice

Ingredients:
500g jar Uncle Ben’s Light Sweet and Sour Sauce
1 red pepper, finely sliced
1 yellow pepper, finely sliced
1 red onion, finely sliced
200g mushrooms, wiped and sliced in half
1 medium courgette, sliced lengthways and finely sliced into half moon shapes
1 large carrot, peeled
½ packet fresh coriander, chopped

Method:

  1. In a large non-stick pan heat 3 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil. Add the peppers and fry on a high heat for 3 minutes
  2. Now add the onion and mushrooms and fry for a further 3 minutes. Next, add the courgette and continue to fry for a further 2 minutes, turning down the heat slightly if the vegetables are looking a bit too crispy around the edges
  3. Now take the peeled carrot and continue to peel ribbons of it straight into the pan until you can’t peel any more without peeling your fingers! Add the Uncle Ben’s Light Sweet and Sour and soy sauces and continue to cook over a gentle heat for a further 3 – 5 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through
  4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the coriander
  5. To serve: Serve on a plate of Uncle Ben’s Express Long Grain or Egg-Fried Rice

Top Tip: For a really quick meal, replace most of the vegetables with a large pack of ready sliced stir-fry vegetables, making sure you keep the mushrooms for texture and the coriander for flavour.

Two-Way Barbeque Chicken

The best thing about this dish is its versatility. It can either be oven cooked in the sauce or can be marinated all day or even overnight before being cooked on the barbeque. Either way, you will end up with a spicy, sweet and sticky chicken dish that is incredibly simple to prepare and a great favourite.

Serves: 4
Preparation: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 - 50 mins
Cost/person: £1.30

Ingredients:
500g Uncle Ben’s Extra Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce
8 chicken pieces, thighs or drumsticks – skin on

Marinade Ingredients (if cooking on the barbeque)
1tbsp runny honey
1tbsp mild mustard
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
1tbsp Ketchup
Pepper

Method:

  1. Place all the ingredients except for the chicken pieces in a saucepan and stir well
  2. For the barbeque: Bring the marinade ingredients to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes until the mixture is thick and sticky. Now mix the chicken pieces into the marinade and chill for at least 1hr or even overnight or until required. Barbeque over a good heat for at least 30 – 40 minutes until cooked right through, basting occasionally with the leftover marinade
  3. For the oven: Preheat oven to 200’C / 400’F. Place the chicken pieces on a large oven tray, cover with the Uncle Ben’s Extra Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce and cook at the top of the oven for 50 minutes until sticky and golden
  4. To serve: Serve with a crispy salad. You can use the sticky reduced sauce from the oven tray to spoon over the chicken pieces

Top Tip: Why not serve with some Healthy Potato Wedges with Soft Cheese and Sweet and Sour Dips?

Sweet & Sour Grilled Chicken Salad

Serves: 4
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins (Marinate chicken for 1 hr if possible)
Cost/person: £2

Ingredients:
500g jar Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce
2tbsp reduced salt soy sauce
2tbsp runny honey
4 chicken breasts, skin on or off, to taste
1/4 iceberg lettuce or white cabbage, finely sliced
A 10cm piece cucumber, sliced lengthways and finely sliced into half moon shapes
1 small red onion, finely sliced
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large carrot, peeled
Juice of 1 lime

Method:

  1. Mix the Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce, honey and soy sauce in a small saucepan bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until sticky
  2. Now marinate the chicken breasts in half the sauce for at least 1 hr, or longer if you’ve got it. Keep the rest of the marinade for later. Grill the chicken breasts, turning occasionally and continuing to coat with the sauce for 5 minutes each side until cooked through and browned. Cool slightly or leave to go completely cold if serving the salad later
  3. In a large bowl mix the lettuce or cabbage, cucumber, red onion, and cherry tomatoes together. Peel the carrot in fine ribbons straight into the bowl and mix together. Finally add the lime juice whisked together with a teaspoon of runny honey as dressing
  4. To serve: Slice the chicken and serve it either warm straight away, or cold on top of a pile of the salad heaped into the centre of a plate

Top Tip: Spoon the reserved half of the marinade over the sliced chicken breasts before serving, or it will freeze well to be used at a later date.

Oven-Baked Potato Wedges With Soft Cheese and Sweet & Sour Dips

Serves: 1 large platter or 4 as a main meal
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Cost/person: 75p

Ingredients:
1 500g jar Uncle Ben’s Light Sweet and Sour Sauce
4 large baking potatoes
Sunflower oil
1tsp paprika or ½ tsp chilli powder
1 packet of ‘light’ soft cheese
A little milk

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 220˚C, 425˚F. Wash and dry the potatoes, leaving the skin on. Slice into halves, then into quarters, and then cut the quarters into halves again
  2. In a bowl mix the potato wedges with 2 tbsps of sunflower oil, and a generous sprinkling of the paprika or chilli powder
  3. Now spread out the potatoes in a single layer on a large baking sheet and cook at the top of the oven for 30 minutes, turning after 20 minutes when the bottom sides are golden brown and crispy
  4. Put the soft cheese into a mixing bowl and very carefully whisk in about 1tsp of milk. Continue to whisk more milk in, a tiny bit at a time, until you have a thick, creamy dipping sauce. Watch out: this can turn from thick to thin very easily
  5. To serve: Place the creamy soft cheese dip and the Uncle Ben’s Light Sweet and Sour Sauce in two small bowls. Place on a large plate or tray and surround with the potato wedges. Encourage people to dip first into the creamy dip, then the sweet and sour one

Top Tip: You can add some snipped chives, or finely chopped spring onion tops into the cheese dip, and some Tabasco or chilli sauce to the sweet and sour dip for a tasty variation.

Tropical Pork and Pineapple Kebabs with Sweet & Sour Sauce

Serves: 4 people as a main meal
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins (Marinate pork for 1 hr if possible)
Cost/person: £2 per + cost of rice

Ingredients:
1 500g jar Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce with Extra Pineapple
500g diced pork or pork fillet, cut into 2cm dice
1 red pepper, cut into 2cm dice
1 small can of pineapple chunks in juice, drained
1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces
8 kebab skewers or 1 packet wooden skewers

Method:

  1. Put the meat into a bowl and mix with about a quarter of the Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce with Extra Pineapple. Leave to marinate for 1hr if possible, or while you prepare the other ingredients
  2. Next make the kebabs by threading alternate pieces of pork, pineapple, spring onion and red pepper onto skewers, finishing with a piece of pork, if possible. Now either barbeque or grill the kebabs until well cooked and slightly charred at the edges. This should take around 10 minutes, turning them occasionally
  3. To serve: For a main meal serve on a bed of Uncle Ben’s Express Long Grain Rice with the remainder of the jar of Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce with Extra Pineapple heated and poured over the kebabs, or on the side, to dip into
  4. For smaller kebabs: serve on a platter with a bowl of Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Sauce with Extra Pineapple to dip into

Top Tip: If using wooden kebab skewers, soak them first in water for at least 1hr to prevent them burning on the barbeque.

Cheesy Potato Bake and Tuna and Apetina Fishcakes
Chicken Korma & Mushroom Rice
Leek and Mushroom Risotto and Special Egg Fried Rice
Nancy Lam's One Stop Wok Recipes
Smoked Haddock And Leek Fishcakes


This Week
The Diamond Jubilee
Spring Printables
Father's Day

Sign Up To Our Newsletter

Big Panto Guide - Find a Panto This Christmas
Colouring Pictures at eParenting

Recycle Your
Mobile Phone

Home | Contact Us | Link to Us | About | Privacy Policy | Sitemap | Legal and Disclaimer
ŠeParenting 2004 - 2012
www.eparenting.co.uk