Old School Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce

Steps

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1. 1
   Slice the ginger, add roughly 50-100ml of water, and blend into a ginger puree. Set aside a couple of ginger slices unblended.
   ▶ ≈2:12
2. 2
   Heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat and add the star anise, cloves, and cassia bark. Gently infuse for 2-3 minutes, keeping the oil from getting too hot so the spices don't burn.
   ▶ ≈2:54
3. 3
   Once the spices are fragrant, add the reserved ginger slices and crushed garlic, then reduce to a lower heat and stir until they're lightly browned/caramelized but not burnt.
   ▶ ≈4:37
4. 4
   Add the water, ginger puree, orange squash, tomato puree, white vinegar, sugar, and orange slices, stirring to combine.
   ▶ ≈5:26
5. 5
   Before bringing to a boil, stir in a small amount of red food colouring if desired (optional). Once boiling, stir for 20-30 seconds to fully dissolve the tomato puree and sugar.
   ▶ ≈6:26
6. 6
   Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid, and let it cook for about 40 minutes, topping up with a little water occasionally if the level drops too much.
   ▶ ≈7:09
7. 7
   After simmering, you can add a touch more food colouring if you like a deeper red, then strain out the solids (spices, ginger, garlic, orange slices) to leave just the sauce.
   ▶ ≈9:00
8. 8
   For best flavour, cool the unstrained, unseasoned sauce and refrigerate it for at least 48 hours before straining — this deepens and rounds out the flavour significantly.
   ▶ ≈10:38
9. 9
   When ready to use, take the amount of sauce you need, bring it to a boil, and season with salt and MSG to taste (roughly 1/4 tsp each per 250ml).
   ▶ ≈12:05
10. 10
    Slowly stir in potato starch slurry a little at a time, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, until the sauce reaches your preferred thickness.
    ▶ ≈13:32