Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

½ cucumber
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp plum sauce
2 tbsp malt vinegar
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ large onion, sliced

Method:

Peel the cucumber, discarding the soft central side, then cut into slices 1 cm wide. Sprinkle it with salt and set aside for an hour. Squeeze the cucumber to remove as much moisture as you can, then set it aside for later use.

Place 150 ml of cold water in a saucepan with the plum sauce, vinegar, tomato sauce and sugar and bring the mixture to a simmer.

In a separate saucepan or wok, heat the oil and fry the sliced onions over a high heat until the edges begin to brown. Add the cucumber and stir rapidly for a minute or two.

Transfer the cucumber and onion to the simmering sauce and cook for a minute or two. The sauce can now be combined with other ingredients such as chicken, pork or seafood to make a superb sweet and sour dish.

Variations:

Omit the tomato sauce but add a skinned and quartered tomato. Omit the cucumber and substitute a small can of drained pineapple chunks.

Use two stalks of spring onions, cut into 2.5 cm lengths, in the sauce instead of the large onion. Or omit the cucumber and add a green or red pepper cut into 2 cm cubes.