This is my secret weapon for seriously fast midweek meals: an Authentic Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce that takes minutes to make and can be stored in the fridge for weeks. Plenty of flavour just used plain but also fantastic with extra flavourings added, this Stir Fry Sauce is sensational used for both stir fries and stir fried noodles.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
My Swiss Army knife of Stir Fry Sauces!
Restaurant Secret: you know when you go to a packed Asian restaurant or take out during lunch hour and you’re handed a plate of fresh-out-of-the-wok stir fry 5 minutes after ordering? I hate to disappoint you, but the cooks standing over the flames aren’t throwing together 10 ingredient sauce mixes for every single dish…….What they actually use are ready made sauces as a base, then add additional flavours for different dishes.
These all purpose stir fry sauces are closely guarded secrets of restaurants – you won’t uncover them simply by googling, that’s for sure! Today I’m sharing mine. I call him Charlie (as in Charlie Brown….as in “Brown Sauce”, which stir fry sauces are commonly referred to as). Perfected and tweaked over years, I’ve been loyal to Charlie for a decade (and counting).
The brilliant thing about Charlie is that you make him just by combining the ingredients in a jar, them just store him in the fridge where he’ll happily reside for weeks – months even. Then you simply heat some oil in a wok, throw in whatever proteins, vegetables and noodles you want, then throw Charlie in with some water and he’ll magically transform into a thick, glossy sauce that lusciously coats your stir fry. He’s great plain, but so versatile too – add heat, herbs, fruity sweetness or some tang. I’ve provided some of my favourite variations in the recipe below.
In the recipe below, I’ve provided the basic “formula” for using Charlie and I’ve also written a separate post on how to Build Your Own Chinese Stir Fried Noodles.
Update: At the request of a number of readers, I’ve put together a post with 10 Classic Chinese Takeout Meals using this sauce – meals in a flash!
And it’s as easy as that!
I’d love to know what you think if you give “Charlie” a go! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce (Charlie!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup light soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup Chinese wine (or dry sherry) (Note 5)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch / cornflour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil , toasted
- 1 tsp ground white pepper (I sometimes use 1 tbsp, I like the spiciness!)
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Store in fridge and shake before use.
Amount to Use (Note 6):
- Stir Fry: I use 3 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce + 6 tbsp water to make a stir frying for 2 people using around 5 cups of uncooked ingredients (proteins + vegetables).
- Noodles: I use 3 tbsp of the Stir Fry sauce + 5 – 6 tbsp water to make a noodle stir fry for 2 people using around 7 cups of the combined stir fry uncooked (vegetables – packed, proteins + noodles – if using).
- By weight (Noodles & Stir Fry): Around 3 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce per 1 lb / 500g of combined ingredients (proteins + vegetables + noodles if using) plus 1/3 cup water.
To Use:
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok over high heat.
- Add your choice of Base Flavourings – fry for 10 seconds or so to infuse oil.
- Add stir fry ingredients in order of time to cook (starting with ingredients that take longest to cook), leaving leafy greens, like the leaves of bok choy, until when you add the sauce (otherwise they will wilt and overcook).
- Add noodles (if using), sauce and water, your choice of Additional Flavourings and any leafy greens.
- Gently toss to combine and to let the sauce cook for around 1 minute. The sauce will become a thick, glossy sauce that coats your stir fry.
- Serve immediately with rice – or for a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice!
Base Flavourings
- Garlic, minced or finely sliced
- Ginger, minced or finely sliced
- Fresh chillies, minced or finely sliced
Additional Flavouring Suggestions
- Sriracha, Chilli Bean Paste or other Spicy addition
- Sweet chilli sauce
- Substitute the water with pineapple or orange juice
- Rice vinegar – for a touch of tartness
- Fresh cilantro / coriander leaves, or thai basil – for freshness
- Garlic or ordinary chives, chopped
- Pinch of Chinese five spice powder
It’s nice to find a widely applicable stir-fry sauce. I’m planning on making a list of vegetables, then experiment with cooking them Chinese style. I’ve decided not to work with a wok, but instead with a large stainless steel electric skillet. Which means I’ll be able more easily to share the self-made recipes that have turned out well. I don’t see becoming devoted to stir fries as a hobby. But cooking in this oriental way will, I think, let me whip up simple recipes for fun, and to be able easily to feed myself on the spur of the moment. I picture perusing sites to learn what vegetables go well together, and with what Chinese spices. Very best wishes, Roger (Paddock Lake Wisconsin.
Hi Nagi,
What would you recommend as a substitute for white pepper? Only have black but not sure if that would be a good alternative? Thanks!
Made your sauce yesterday, tried it on my chicken,noodle stir fry last night- absolutely Devine Dahling! I’ve just made a jar of it for my friend/neighbour .
I cooked your authentic chicken chow mein last night and it was amazing, I’ve just made a batch of your stir fry sauce, can’t wait to use this too. Thank you Nagi, for the incredible recipes
Nagi, you’ve done it again… you never fail to impress! This sauce is AMAZING, makes exceptional stir fry! My refrigerator will have Charlie as a permanent resident.
This is just amazing the best I’ve ever had. I use a lot of stir fry sauces and this is by far the best yet
Ty Nagi xxxxx
I add a tsp of peanut butter to this for a satay feel/ taste and use it concurrently with dumplings and a veg stir fry. Great basic sauce.
Great idea Martin!!! N x
Fantastic as,always nagi. Love all your recipes and have made an awful lot of them. I’m in the UK so sometimes I have to get bits online but nothing that can’t be sourced at amazon. Keep cooking and carry on loo xxx
Hi. Love your recipes. How long can you store the Charlie sauce in the refrigerator? Thanks much for your time
Does this sauce freeze well? 🙂
Unfortunately not Bianca, best to store this in the fridge as freezing affects the cornflour – N x
What is the difference between cooking wine and cooking vinegar? Right now I am only finding the vinegar where I live ☹️
Hi Smita, vinegar is sour. I do have other subs listed in the recipe notes 🙂 N x
I’m trying to find the pork sausage roll recipe, with bacon onion & fennel seeds please
Hi Ann, if you type “sausage roll” into the search bar it will pop up for you 🙂 N x
thanks for the recipe. for the non-alcoholic sub for the cooking wine, will it be 1/4 cup broth or apple juice + 2tsps white wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp sugar?
Nagi I love your recipes. Many use sesame oil, and my son is allergic to nuts and sesame. I usually sub nuts with toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds, but I’m wondering if you can suggest a flavour sub for sesame?!
Hi Lola, it’s either the apple juice OR broth 🙂 N x
I have been making stir-fry for a long time and they were good, but still didn’t have “that” flavor. Now they do (thanks to Charlie). I love it. I also wait to add the cornstarch until I’m ready to use it. I just mix it to the water that I’m going to add to Charlie, then add Charlie to the slurry. I also think the Shaoxing wine is the X-factor for the flavor. If you can find it, get it. It really adds the authenticity to this sauce’s flavor. Thanks Nagi, this has really improved my stir-fry dishes.
Nagi thank you for teaching me how to cook.adding these wonderful sauces,
I cooked chicken and broccoli using Charley sauce’
But it needed more flavour
Re;the top comment,Chicken & broccoli.
I used 1 & quater cups of water
third cup charlie sauce.
And added more vegatables \
\six people to cook for
Hi Nagi,
I can’t tolerate much sugar. Can I make this sauce with little or no oyster sauce? I could use broth but then it would spoil in a few days.
I used this and found it very good, however I would probably use equal quantity of water to sauce next time as the result was a lot blander than we prefer! Needed extra soy I’m afraid.
None of the Chinese takeout here in Los Angeles have chop suey any more, something I really enjoy. I found a few retro recipes that make old-timey chop suey. This sauce is perfect to use. I made two changes: 1. I left out the cornstarch and add it when I make the dish. 2. I added the ginger and garlic to the bottle of sauce from the jars of these products I always have on hand – safe to put in the sauce for keeping, unlike fresh which can go bad. Just shake up well, measure out, and go! So handy for cooking just for one person — no measuring out all the different things for the sauce. Thanks Nagi!
Our go-to sauce for our Chinese-style noodles and stir fries. My sister and I both came upon your recipe at around the same time.
For my part, I have been looking for a Filipino noodle recipe that approximates my Mom’s pancit. And I came upon this – it works! (But I’m still trying to remember my Mom’s Filipino recipe.)
Thank you for sharing!
Can I add the water to the sauce and store in the fridge that way. Less measuring to do at cook time?
Hi Brian – it depends on what recipe you are making with Charlie as I use it as a base for a few different recipes (so I like to measure out the water once using as it will differ depending on recipe) – N x