Stir fry anyone?

If you are like me and love to stir fry, then you know the hardest part is making the sauce.  I mean, its easy to actually cook stir fries since all you need is meat and vegetables.  You can choose any meat of your choice and then throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand or just picked up at the market. But the real problem is what sauce are you going to use to bring it all together?  Well, here is a list of six different stir fry sauces courtesy of the website thekitchn.com.  So the next time you decide to fire up the wok, give one of these sauces a try.

Basic Brown Sauce

Ingredients:
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
1/3 cup rice wine
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Preparation:
Heat a wok over high heat; add 1 tablespoon cooking oil, swirling to coat. Add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add all remaining ingredients except the cornstarch and water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for a minute or two. Mix the cornstarch with water, and add to the sauce, stirring until it bubbles and thickens.

Basic White Sauce

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Preparation:
In a wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and stir fry the garlic and ginger for one minute to release the flavors. Add the soy sauce and the stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Combine the cornstarch with the 2 tablespoons of water and add to the sauce, stirring until thick and bubbly.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Preparation:
Combine all and heat in wok over medium heat until nicely blended and the sugar melts.

Lobster Sauce - not really made from lobsters!

Ingredients:
4 to 8 scallions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
4 egg whites beaten with 1/4 cup of water

Preparation:
Combine chicken stock, white wine, soy sauce, and sugar. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch with the 1/4 cup of water. In another small bowl, whisk the egg whites into 1/4 cup water. Set everything aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok on medium high heat and stir fry the garlic and onions for 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth mixture, bring it to a boil for 1 minute. Add the cornstarch mix and immediately afterward, slowly pour in the egg whites and stir very slowly, maybe 2 or 3 times around - do not over-stir or you will end up with broken egg clumps. You want long threads. When the sauce thickens, it's ready.

Lemon Stir-Fry Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar

Preparation:
Combine all in a wok and bring to a slow simmer over medium heat. When everything has combined nicely, serve.

Orange Pepper Sauce - spicy!

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of sichuan peppercorns
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons water

Preparation:
Stir fry the ginger, peppercorns, and garlic in 1 tablespoon of hot oil for a minute to release the flavors. Add the soy sauce and orange juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Combine the cornstarch and water and add to the sauce, stirring until the sauce is thick and bubbly.

So there you go.  Six delicious stir fry sauces to sauce up even the blandest foods.  So grab the chicken and veggies and get to wokking!!!