The Basic Stir Fry Sauce

Stir Fry Sauce

In stir frying, the ingredient that adds flavor and aroma to the dish is the stir fry sauce.  Most Chinese Cuisines and other Asian Restaurants have their own original concoctions for stir fry sauces that give them pride the morale to promote their very own stir fry dishes.   Be it Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Malay, Indonesian, Japanese or Singaporean, these dishes have a distinguishing taste and aroma that belong to its ethnic origin.  The sauce they make maybe made from several types of herbs found in their own country. But common to all dishes, this is a blend of sweetness, spiciness, saltiness and sometimes, bitterness or sourness. If you are used to eating Asian stir fries, then you are familiar with a few sauces we are sharing in this article.   Let us do them and learn from them.

BASIC STIR FRY SAUCE:

INGREDIENTS:

• One and one half teaspoon sesame oil
• One half teaspoon  minced garlic
• One half teaspoon minced ginger
• One half cup chicken broth
• One tablespoon soy sauce
• One tablespoon brown sugar
• One eight teaspoon Tabasco
• One half teaspoon salt
• One fourth teaspoon pepper
• One and one half teaspoon lemon or lime juice
• One and one half teaspoon cornstarch
• One tablespoon rice wine or sherry    

PROCEDURE:

• In a small sauce pan, heat the sesame oil at medium heat on your American stove. 
• Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry fifteen to thirty seconds to until fragrant.
• Then you can add the chicken broth, the soy sauce, brown sugar and Tabasco with the salt and pepper plus the lemon juice.
• Bring just to a boil but continue stirring.  Dissolve the cornstarch in the wine and whisk into the pan.
• Heat until sauce thickens and reaches a full boil.  Then lower the heat and simmer for thirty seconds.
• Remove from the heat and set aside for frying.

SZECHUAN STIR FRY SAUCE:

INGREDIENTS:

• One and one half teaspoon sesame oil
• One half teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• One half teaspoon minced garlic
• One half cup chicken broth
• Two whole anise stars
• One and one half teaspoon red wine vinegar
• One tablespoon soy sauce
• One half teaspoon salt
• One teaspoon hoisin sauce
• One eight teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• One eight teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• One fourth teaspoon pepper
• One eight teaspoon five spice powder
• Two teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in one tablespoon of water    

PROCEDURE:

• Heat the oil in a small saucepan at medium heat on your American stove.
• Then add the ginger and garlic and sauté for one minute until fragrant and softened but not browned.
• In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients except for the cornstarch mixture.
• Add them to the saucepan and bring to a simmer, covered for ten minutes.
• Remove star anise.  Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and let it boil for one to two minutes.
• Taste and add more Tabasco if desiring more heat.

EASY STIR-FRY SAUCE AND MEAT MARINADE:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbs. soy sauce
• 2 tbs. apple juice or cooking wine
• 2 tbs. cold water
• 2 tsp. garlic granules
• 1 tsp. ginger powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. corn starch    

PROCEDURE:

• Combine ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
• Use as marinade for chicken, beef or pork (1 hour in refrigerator).
• You can also simply add this sauce to stir-fried veggies and cook until thickened.  Enjoy these stir fry sauce at home.

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