Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

June 14, 2014

This is my secret weapon for seriously fast midweek meals: My Authentic Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce. It takes minutes to generate and can be held in the fridge for weeks. It has an abundance of flavour just used plain and also fantastic with extra flavourings added.

My Stir Fry Sauce is sensational used in both stir fries and stir fried noodles. This recipe is usually a keeper!

Restaurant Secret: you already know when you go with a packed Asian restaurant or get during lunch hour and you are obviously handed a plate of fresh-out-of-the-wok stir fry 5 minutes after ordering, I hate to let you down, though the cooks standing above the flames aren't throwing together 10 ingredient sauce mixes for any dish…….What they actually use are ready made sauces to be a base, you can add additional flavours a variety of dishes.

These all purpose stir fry sauces are closely guarded strategies of restaurants - you will not uncover them by just googling, no doubt! Today I'm sharing mine. I phone him constantly Charlie (as with Charlie Brown….as with Brown Sauce”, which stir fry sauces are commonly generally known as). Perfected and tweaked over years, I've been loyal to Charlie for any decade (and counting).

The brilliant thing about Charlie is that you just make him by merely combining the components in a jar, them just store him inside the fridge where he'll happily reside for weeks - months even. Then you simply heat some oil in a very wok, toss in whatever proteins, vegetables and noodles you desire, then throw Charlie along with some water and he'll magically transform in to a thick, glossy sauce that lusciously coats your stir fry. He's great plain, but so versatile too - add heat, herbs, fruity sweetness or some tang. I've provided many of my favourite variations inside the recipe below.

In the recipe below, I've provided the standard formula” for utilizing Charlie and I've also written an independent post on how to Build Your Own Chinese Stir Fried Noodles

Update: At the request of any number of readers, I've created a post with 10 Classic Chinese Takeout Meals by using this sauce - meals within a flash!

I'd like to know what you think in the event you give Charlie” an attempt! - Nagi x

Save this Chinese Stir Fry Sauce for a Asian Meals Pinterest Board!

4.91 from 132 votes

Prep Time

2 mins

Total Time

2 mins

My secret weapon for mid week meals - an All Purposes Chinese Stir Fry Sauce, an adaptable base which makes a wonderfully glossy sauce for virtually every stir fry, including stir fried noodles. Store it from the fridge within a jar because you need it - make absolutely certain to leave sufficient headroom within the jar so that you can give it a superb shake before using. This makes 1 1/2 servings of sauce that's enough for about 12 servings.

Course: Noodles, Stir Fry

1/4 cup / 65 ml light soy sauce (Note 1)

1/4 cup / 65 ml all purpose soy sauce (I use Kikkoman all purpose, or use more light soy sauce) (Note 1)

1/2 cup / 125 ml oyster sauce

1/4 cup / 65 ml Chinese wine (or dry sherry) (Note 5)

1/4 cup / 40 g cornstarch / cornflour

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 - 2 tsp ground white pepper (I sometimes use 1 tbsp, I such as spiciness!)

Instructions

Combine ingredients inside a jar and shake to mix. Store in fridge and shake before use.

Amount to Use (Note 6):

Stir Fry: I use 3 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce + 6 tbsp water to create a stir frying for a few people using around 5 glasses of uncooked ingredients (proteins + vegetables).

Noodles: I use 3 tbsp in the Stir Fry sauce + five to six tbsp water for making a noodle stir fry for two main people using around 7 servings of the combined stir fry uncooked (vegetables - packed, proteins + noodles - if using).

By weight (Noodles & Stir Fry): Around 3 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce per 1 lb / 500g of combined ingredients (proteins + vegetables + noodles if using) plus 1/3 cup water.

To Use:

Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok over high heat.

Add your selection of Base Flavourings - fry for ten seconds or so to infuse oil.

Add stir fry ingredients to be able of time to prepare (applying ingredients that take longest in order to smoke), leaving leafy greens, such as the leaves of bok choy, until if you add the sauce (otherwise they'll wilt and overcook).

Add noodles (if using), sauce and water, your selection of Additional Flavourings and then leafy greens.

Gently toss to mix and to permit the sauce cook between 1 minute. The sauce can be a thick, glossy sauce that coats your stir fry.

Serve immediately.

Base Flavourings

Fresh chillies, minced or finely sliced

Additional Flavouring Suggestions

Sweet chilli sauce

Rice vinegar - for just a touch of tartness

Fresh cilantro / coriander leaves, or thai basil - for freshness

Garlic or ordinary chives, chopped

Pinch of Chinese five spice powder

Recipe Notes

1. Light soy sauce is lighter in colour which the more common dark soy sauce, however it is actually saltier. The main reason for utilizing light soy sauce with this recipe is indeed the colour just isn't as dark. So in case you do not have light soy sauce, you are able to substitute it with normal soy sauce, even so the sauce are going to be darker pc should be, and slightly less salty (although not very noticeable).

I use Lee Kum Kee brand for that light soy sauce and Kikkoman for your ordinary soy sauce. If you don't have all purpose soy sauce, exclusively use more light soy sauce, and same when you don't have light soy sauce i.e. exclusively use more all purpose.

2. If using dried as an alternative to fresh noodles, give a few extra tablespoons of water. The reason for that is that dried noodles, despite cooking them (usually simply by covering them in hot water in the bowl), absorb more liquids than fresh noodles. So you need more liquid to possess a saucier finish.

3. To make this sauce vegan, substitute the oyster sauce with hoisin sauce. This gives the sauce hook Chinese Five Spice Powder flavour and that is thoroughly authentic!

4. This will go on for weeks and weeks, according to the expiry date of the constituents you use. There is nothing in this particular that will go "off", so just look at the expiry date of the components you use with this, at use that like a guide. I usually use mine inside 4 weeks, nonetheless it will definitely stay longer.

If you have it inside fridge forever untouched, then you'll need a butter knife as well to mix the cornstarch that may settle and harden inside bottom in the jar.

5. Chinese Cooking Wine substitute - the cooking wine plays a significant part in giving this sauce another depth of flavour that elevates it from "just a sauce" into a "real Chinese" sauce. However, for individuals who cannot have alcohol (and please remember, the alcohol cooks out from the stir fry so there is certainly zero alcohol inside finished dish!), apple juice or grape juice is best substitute. Otherwise, chicken broth/stock, as being a second fall back, with 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp sugar.

IMPORTANT: If you sub the wine, next the shelf life on the sauce are going to be determined by the life expectancy of what you make use of as the sub.

6. These quantities make stir fries which can be nicely coated with sauce, but without pools of sauce. The stir fry is saucier compared to noodles, therefore it soaks in to the rice. With the noodles, the sauce clings going without running shoes really well so that you don't need pools of sauce. If you need more sauce, raise the amount of Stir Fry Sauce combined with double the volume of water e.g. If you add 1 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce, add 2 tbsp water.

7. Chinese wine is usually a key ingredient on this. Best next substitute is dry sherry, and then Japanese cooking sake. If you are struggling to consume alcohol, then get out out and simply use water instead. (Chicken broth would be a fantastic sub even so the shelf life is way too short)

Hi! Please clarify the recipe to me.

Does it require 1/4c each light soy and AP soy (for the 1/2c total soy),

Or can it be 1/4c light soy or 1/4c AP soy determined by a person's preference (just a 1/4c total per recipe),

Thanks and become well,

Nagi, could be the nutritional profile for Charlie available, Is it using a different recipe,

Many many thanks this therefore, a great number of other kitchen treats! Even with requiring you to follow a low-salt diet (blech!), the food is keeping me going. I'm a happy cook on account of you! AND. I tell EVERYBODY!

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you are able to make great food with everyday ingredients even should you're short by the due date and cost conscious. You just need to prepare clever and acquire creative! ♥

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Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce