One of the things you realise as you travel, grow older and explore various cuisines is how over the centuries different cultures have adapted food items by changing the recipe according to local and taste. One such lesson I’ve learned over time is that Chinese food has a different flavour everywhere and it means different thing to different people. Sweet and sour chicken is one such dish that has a distinct variety of its own in many cultures. Part of the reason is the basic sauce used to make the dish because sweet and sour is a generic term that includes many styles of sauce, cuisine and cooking methods. Although it is commonly used in China, it’s varieties have also been used in Europe since the Middle Ages. In China, sweet and sour sauce can be found in many regional cuisines and people also don’t realise that Chinese cuisine comprises of dozens of individual cultures and culinary traditions and so the ingredients used to make sweet and sour chicken vary across China as well.
However, food experts would agree that although the choice of vegetables is also important — for instance, the debate over whether or not pineapple be used in the dish — thing that makes sweet and sour sauce such an addictive pleasure is its most basic components — the marriage of vinegar and sugar.
Here are some restaurant we think serve the best Chinese variety of sweet and sour chicken.
Top Places for Sweet and Sour Chicken
Chi’Zen
D’Chopstix
Shanghai Garden
P.F. Chang’s
Chowking
