Recipe help: every day stir fry sauce

[Edcculus]

I've been loving my new cast iron wok I bought about 2 months ago. Since then, I've been cooking a lot of vegetable based Asian inspired dishes. I can cook Italian from the top of my head, but I still can't wrap my head around all of the Asian ingredients. No matter what I do, I can't make a simple sauce I'm satisfied with.

Does anyone have a simple stir fry sauce that will go well with a wide variety of ingredients? Depending on the night, I'll have ingredients including: zucchini, bok choy, carrots, bell pepper, snow peas, mushrooms, broccoli.

 

[ouch]

Stir fry some minced garlic, ginger, and a touch of hot chili paste. Deglaze with rice wine. Add some chicken stock, a bit of soy sauce, some sugar, and a nice blob of oyster sauce (get a good brand- they range from frightening to divine). Thicken with a cornstarch (or arrowroot) slurry, hit it with a splash of sesame oil, then top with some chopped scallion and cilantro. Done.

 

[RayH]

or you could add some of this to really spice things up.

http://www.pbloco.com/Expand.asp?ProductCode=PB-ACS

think of all the dishes that use peanuts.

 

[Doc4]

Soy sauce is crucial, but be careful of using too much ... it's very strong and exceptionally salty.

 

[Aevum]

what about teriyaki sause, i think its a soy mixed with wine sauce.

 

[Edcculus]

Stir fry some minced garlic, ginger, and a touch of hot chili sauce. Deglaze with rice wine. Add some chicken stock, a bit of soy sauce, some sugar, and a nice blob of oyster sauce (get a good brand- they range from frightening to divine). Thicken with a cornstarch (or arrowroot) slurry, hit it with a splash of sesame oil, then top with some chopped scallion and cilantro. Done.

That sounds great. Thanks!

 

[ouch]

Soy sauce is crucial, but be careful of using too much ... it's very strong and exceptionally salty.

Very true- think of it as liquid salt. Strangely, the "light" soys sauces are often the saltiest, while the dark soys have a deeper flavor, more appealing color, and a less pronounced saltiness. Kimlan makes some nice soys, and Koon Chun's Gold Label is an excellent dark soy. You wouldn't know from the label, but it's much darker than their double black soy.

Easy way to tell light from dark- turn the bottle upside down, then rightside up. If the glass immediately returns to transparent, it's light. If it stays dark (the longer the better), it's a dark soy.

And as Ian says, go easy. A teaspoon is usually plenty, and make sure it's cut with sufficient stock.

 

[Kouros]

Mix cornstarch and soy sauce in some hot water, add to a hot wok and stir until thick.

 

[Alacrity59]

Another alternative is black bean garlic sauce. It's really nice with onions, green peppers, beef or chicken.

 

[ouch]

Another alternative is black bean garlic sauce. It's really nice with onions, green peppers, beef or chicken.

Great suggestion.
Once you get the basic idea, it's easy to master a wide variety of sauces. Substituting some rehydrated black beans (about a dollar a ton, and they last for years) for the oyster sauce yields a lovely black bean sauce. In addition to the above, it's also great for almost any seafood- crab, mussels, clams, salmon, shrimp, lobster, you name it.

 

[timmy]

Soy sauce is crucial, but be careful of using too much ... it's very strong and exceptionally salty.

I find Oyster sauce a great alternative to Soy Sauce. Use this sauce recipe from an American Test Kitchen cookbook for beef and broccoli with Oyster sauce. Now I use the basic sauce in most of my stir frys.



INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound Flank steak , cut into 2-inch-wide strips with the grain, then sliced across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1 1/2 tablespoons Soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Dry sherry
1 tablespoon Low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons Oyster sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch
3 Medium cloves garlic , pressed through garlic press or minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 Inch piece fresh ginger , minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons Peanut oil or vegetable oil
2/3 pound Broccoli , florets cut into bite-size pieces, stems trimmed, peeled, and cut on diagonal into 1/8-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons Water
1/2 Small red bell pepper , cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 Medium scallions , sliced 1/2-inch thick on diagonal


Preparation
1. Combine beef and soy sauce in medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring once. Meanwhile, whisk sherry, chicken broth, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in measuring cup. Combine garlic, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon peanut oil in small bowl.

2. Drain beef and discard liquid. Heat 2 teaspoons peanut oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until smoking. Add beef to skillet and break up clumps; cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until beef is browned around edges, about 30 seconds. Transfer beef to medium bowl.

3. Add 2 teaspoons peanut oil to now-empty skillet; heat until just smoking. Add broccoli and cook 30 seconds; add water, cover pan, and lower heat to medium. Steam broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes; transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil to skillet; increase heat to high and heat until just smoking. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Clear center of skillet; add garlic and ginger to clearing and cook, mashing mixture with spoon, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds, then stir mixture into peppers. Return beef and broccoli to skillet and toss to combine. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Transfer to serving platter, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.

STEP BY STEP: How to Stir Fry

1. Prep Ingredients: Marinate protein (meat, seafood, or chicken). Whisk sauce ingredients in measuring cup. Add small amount of oil to garlic and ginger.
2. Batch-cook Protein: Heat oil until smoking. Drain protein and add half to pan.Cook until well browned. Remove to clean bowl. Repeat with remaining protein.
3. Steam tough vegetables: Stir-fry broccoli, asparagus, or green beans in oil in empty pan, add small amount of water, cover, and steam until crisp-tender.
4. Cook delicate vegetables: Transfer steamed vegetables to bowl; then stir-fry peppers or onions for 1 to 2 minutes in oil in empty pan.
5. Sauté aromatics: When vegetables are browned, add garlic and ginger to center of pan. Cook until fragrant (15 to 20 seconds), then stir into vegetables.
6. Recombine and sauce: Add protein and steamed vegetables back to skillet. Whisk sauce to recombine, then pour into skillet and toss until hot.

 

[Laz]

Gotta get a wok!

 

[Doc4]

Gotta get a wok!

And a cute apron ...