Stir Fry Sauces

Jeff shares two easy sauces to use with your favourite mix of vegetables and meat to make a quick and simple stir-fry.

Making a Stir fry dinner and serving it over rice is simple and delicious.

Lemon Stir-Fry Sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup chicken broth
1-Tablespoon soy sauce
2-Tablespoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch of red chilli peppers – optional

Whisk together in a bowl.

Sweet & Sour Stir-Fry Sauce

1/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 Tablespoon Sweet rice vinegar (or apple cider or balsamic vinegar)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1-Tablespoon ketchup
1/2 tsp hot red chilli peppers

Whisk together in a bowl.

‘Glaze’ for either sauce is simply 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp chicken broth or water. Set aside.

Simple & quick steps to make a tasty stir-fry dish.

1.   Cook the rice.  Jasmine, white or whole grain is beautiful rice with stir-fry. Noodles or pasta work well in place of rice.

2.  Prepare one of the two sauces above.  Set aside.

3.  Make the ‘glaze’ (see above).  Set aside.

4.  Cut the vegetables and meat all approximately the same size.

5.  Heat a wok or big heavy skillet to high heat; add oil (canola, peanut or grape seed oil). Add meat (chicken, beef, and pork) if desired and stir-fry until lightly browned, and almost cooked through. (It will finish cooking with the vegetables) Remove the meat and set aside on a plate.

6. Add a little more oil followed with the hard vegetables first then the softer vegetables, stirring often. Keep the vegetables moving in the wok.  Add the meat back into the wok; pour in one of the sauces and add the ‘glaze’.  Coat the vegetables and meat with the sauce and ‘glaze’ and continue to stir until the meat is cooked and the vegetables are tender-crisp. 

7.  Serve immediately over the cooked rice.

Note: Toasted cashews or peanuts and canned, drained water chestnuts add great crunch to a stir-fry.