If you know your way around a good stir fry sauce you’ve got quick dinners in the bag! Added to crunchy stir-fried veg, meat or noodles – or all three – and you’ve got a filling, nutritious dinner in no time. If you want to make it even faster, use ready-made packs of sliced vegetables, cooked chicken and cooked noodles. This easy stir fry sauce makes a shortcut dinner quicker to make than a microwave meal.
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
I entirely believe that a stir-fry is the perfect mid-week dinner. On those hectic weeknights, having a hearty, nutritious dinner which doesn’t take much time or effort to prepare is essential for me. In my house, we have a stir-fry at least once a week!
So to make it easier, I pre-make my stir-fry sauce for the quickest, easiest dinner that is still deliciously satisfying. It’s so simple to make, and you can make a big batch to save time on LOADS of weeknight dinners!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for a stir fry sauce
Rice Wine – This is made from fermented glutinous rice and has a slightly sweet flavour. If you don’t have rice wine, you can replace it with dry sherry.
Sweet Chilli – I like to use store-bought Sweet Chilli Sauce for a quicker prep time, but you can go all out and make a Homemade Sweet Chilli Sauce.
Watch how to make it
Pro Tip
You can change the flavour profile of this sauce with a few tweaks. Add in 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes for more heat. Add in a tablespoon of tomato puree (paste) for a more ‘tomatoey’ flavour. Add in fresh ginger and a squeeze of lemon juice for a more zingy flavour.
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I like to make a large batch of the stir-fry sauce and freeze it in portions so when it comes to making dinner, it’s all prepped and ready to go for me!
Stir Fry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
- 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornflour cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or Mirin
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 120 ml 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Place the garlic, soy sauce and cornflour into a jug and stir together until the cornflour is fully incorporated (the cornflour will help the sauce thicken when you come to heat it up).
- Add the Chinese rice wine, brown sugar, sweet chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, vegetable stock and sesame oil. Stir together to combine.
- Use right away, or place in a sealed container and refrigerate until needed (up to two weeks).
Video
Notes
How to use:
Stir fry your vegetables/meat/noodles in a little oil and seasoning until cooked, then pour in this sauce and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is hot and has thickened.Storage:
Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to two weeks. Alternatively freeze the sauce in a sealed container and defrost in the refrigerator overnight, before using as per your stir-fry recipe.
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Pin ItHow to use this stir fry sauce
- Stir fry your vegetables/meat/noodles in a little oil and seasoning until cooked, then pour in this sauce and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is hot and has thickened.
- If I’ve made a roast dinner at the weekend then I also like to throw in some leftover shredded Roast Chicken.
- Serve your stir-fry over Fluffy White Rice or Sesame Noodles.
🍲 More fantastic sauces
? Frequently Asked Questions
Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to two weeks. Alternatively, freeze the sauce in a sealed container and defrost in the refrigerator overnight, before using as per your stir-fry recipe.
Stir fry your vegetables/meat/noodles in a little oil and seasoning until cooked, then pour in this sauce and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is hot and has thickened.
You can change the flavour profile of this sauce with a few tweaks. Add in 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes for more heat. Add in a tablespoon of tomato puree (paste) for a more ‘tomatoey’ flavour. Add in fresh ginger and a squeeze of lemon juice for a more zingy flavour.
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