Vegetable Stir-Fry Sauce

Written by
Rhonda Parkinson
Rhonda Parkinson is a freelance writer who has authored many cookbooks, including two Everything guides to Chinese cooking.
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Rhonda Parkinson
Updated 04/13/21
Vegetable Stir-Fry Sauce

The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 3 to 4 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
11 Calories
0g Fat
2g Carbs
0g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 11
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 366mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Protein 0g
Calcium 4mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

A vegetable stir-fry is only as good as its sauce, so it is important to prepare one with the right balance of ingredients. This vegetable stir-fry includes oyster sauce, rice wine, sugar, and chicken broth, and is thickened by a cornstarch slurry. The sauce works well with almost any fresh vegetables, such as broccoli, bok choy, bell peppers, and baby corn. If you like, to enhance the appearance of the finished dish, you can top the stir-fried vegetables with toasted sesame seeds.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)
  • 2 tablespoons  oyster sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Black pepper (to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • Vegetables (i.e. mushrooms, carrots, water chestnuts, bok choy, broccoli, etc.)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • Optional: 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for stir fry

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  2. In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth or water, oyster sauce, rice wine or sherry, sugar, and black pepper.

    ombine the chicken broth or water, oyster sauce, rice wine or sherry, sugar, and black pepper in a bowl

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  3. In a separate small bowl, stir the cornstarch into the water. Keep both bowls near the stove.

    cornstarch mixture in a bowl, sauce in a bowl

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  4. Stir-fry the vegetables. Once the vegetables are stir-fried, push the vegetables to the sides of the wok.

    vegetables in a pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  5. Give the sauce a quick re-stir and pour into the middle of the pan. Bring to a boil.

    pour sauce into the skillet with the vegetables

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  6. Give the cornstarch/water mixture another stir and pour into the sauce, mixing quickly to thicken.

    add cornstarch mixture into the vegetable mixture in the pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  7. Stir to combine the vegetables with the sauce. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed.

    add salt to the stir-fry in the pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  8. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the sesame oil.

    add sesame oil to the vegetables in the pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  9. Serve, sprinkling the sesame seeds over if desired.

    Vegetable Stir-Fry Sauce in a pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

Tips

  • Let the vegetables stir-fry until beginning to brown before adding the sauce, otherwise they will simmer and get soft in the sauce.
  • The cornstarch helps thicken the sauce and mixing it with water first (called a cornstarch slurry) prevents the cornstarch from becoming lumpy when it combines with the sauce.
  • Keep in mind that certain vegetables will take longer to cook than others, and cutting them into even sized pieces as well as adding them to the wok at different times are ways to help them cook at the same rate.