Stir Fry Sauce

Last night I made stir fry for dinner and I was about halfway through getting my mise en place when I realized I didn't have any stir fry sauce.  After a brief consultation with Cap'n Google, I had a recipe in hand and was ready to go!

Have I mentioned that I love to make things that most people think they have to buy?  I really do.  I'll never buy stir-fry sauce again.  Not only was this recipe super simple to throw together, but the recipe source states that it'll keep up to three weeks in the fridge.  I made a full batch last night, used half of it and stuck the rest in a well-cleaned pickle jar (it has to be something with a tight fitting lid) in the fridge. 

I was a little leery at first.  We have been using the same brand of sauce for years and I was concerned that this might not be as good, but my fears were unfounded.  Turns out this recipe was exactly what I wanted - quick, simple, easily tweaked and delicious!  The sauce was a little bit bland, but see my notes below for reasons and fixes.


Basic Stir Fry Sauce
1/2 C cornstarch
1/4 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger root
2 lg cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 C soy sauce
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
2 C chicken, beef or vegetable broth
1/2 C dry sherry (optional)
1/2 C water

Combine the first five ingredients in a large container with a tight fighting lid.  Add soy sauce and vinegar, then shake to fully blend.  Pour in the broth, sherry and water.  Shake well again and store in the fridge up to three weeks.   The recipe says this can be frozen, although I haven't tried that yet. 

And, just so you know, the cornstarch will separate out of the sauce and form a solid brick on the bottom of the jar while it's in the fridge.  That's why you need a tight fitting lid - you'll have to give it a very good shake to mix it all back in. 

This made about three cups of sauce and for us, about 1 1/2 C was enough.  Obviously how much you use will depend on how many people you're feeding and how saucy you like your stir-fry. 

My notes:
I used ground ginger because I didn't have any fresh ginger on hand.  I suspect fresh ginger would have given it a bit more kick, which would have been great. 
I also used just a small shake of red pepper flakes because I didn't have any ground pepper on hand.  I actually prefer the flakes, so I'll keep using them, just maybe add in a bit more next time.
I left out the sherry, although I might consider adding a splash of red wine next time, just to give it a little more oomph. 

I can't wait to try this sauce with some crisp-tender blanched green beans, too!  Maybe throw in a little red onion and some cashews... YUM!