Easy Stir Fry Sauce Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)

FAQs

What is the sauce for the stir fry made of? ›

Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes if using in a medium bowl until combined. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Cornstarch! In his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Mark Bittman recommends mixing 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the same amount of water, and tossing this into the stir fry just when it's almost done. It thickens in seconds, picking up the flavors of everything already in the dish and coating evenly.

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

The first is to cook your protein and your vegetable separately, and combine them only after both are fully cooked. A second rule of thumb for stir-frying: Choose one vegetable per stir-fry. Finally, always remember to add liquid only after everything is more or less finished cooking.

In addition to soy sauces, cooking wines are used regularly in stir-fries. Liao jiu is a generic term for cooking wine made from grain, usually rice.

If possible, a stir-fry is always more delicious with fresh vegetables and ingredients. While you can use frozen or canned vegetables, fresh ingredients tend to provide a better taste to your meal. Once you are ready to cook your stir-fry, place all the ingredients on your counter and begin prepping.

Much like French food, which relies on a roux for a perfect bechamel sauce or beef bourguignon and involves butter cooked with flour, Chinese and Cantonese cuisines use cornstarch to thicken sauces. However, it's predominantly added at the end of the cooking process rather than at the start.

The starch binds together the liquid ingredients in the marinade and seals them to the meat, poultry, or seafood that is being marinated. This technique is particularly important in quick-cooking stir-fry dishes as it helps give the food more flavor.

But that's not all. In stir-fries, cornstarch helps thinly sliced protein like beef or pork brown evenly without overcooking, while simultaneously turning the liquidy soy, rice wine vinegar, and mirin into a veg-coating sauce.

While cornstarch is used in China, many Chinese cooks also cook with tapioca starch. In the West, cornstarch is more readily available and generally preferred. The reason why cornstarch is so common is that it adds that perfectly silky texture to stir fries, soups, and sauces synonymous with great Chinese food.

When to add garlic to stir-fry? ›

To account for these different cooking times, start the onions first, cook all the other main ingredients, and then add the garlic last. We like to clear a little spot (or “clean slate”) in the middle of the pan to let the garlic cook by itself for a few seconds before stirring it into the rest of the dish.

To use the sauce, heat the oil in a wok, then add your choice of meat, vegetables or fish. Fry for a minute over a high heat to seal, and then add the stir fry sauce, before continuing to stir-fry for a further four minutes or so until the ingredients are fully cooked. Serve immediately.

Oyster sauce is commonly used in Chinese food and adds a savory, salty, umami flavor. Both can be found in most grocery stores. If you like, you can add grated or minced ginger or garlic. Serve your homemade brown sauce with a beef, chicken, or pork stir-fry or chow mein dish.

In this blog post, we'll explore some of the most popular types of Chinese sauces, including soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and more. From sweet and tangy to rich and savory, Chinese sauces are a crucial component of many dishes, and can completely transform the taste of a meal.

Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and a cornstarch slurry over medium heat for a simple, homemade teriyaki sauce. Can I use teriyaki sauce as a stir-fry sauce? Yes, teriyaki sauce can be used in stir-fries, but it will impart a sweeter taste compared to soy sauce.