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
This is the best recipe! I have tried many others, but this one gives lots of flavour and you can make a large batch and keep it in the fridge! Fantastic! You are now one of my favourite sites to search for recipes. thanks!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Maryann, thank you for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi,
I am in the process of learning Chinese cooking and did a whole lot of shopping of the necessary sauces, including oyster sauce.
I made a stir fried Egg noodle the other day and I thought it tasted ‘Ok’. definitely didn’t taste like the authentic Chinese takeout I get nearby. My fiancé hates fish & sea food, and he hated the very mild oyster smell from the sauce 🙁 .
But I thought it smelled fine.
I am definitely not planning to throw away the 12 bottles of oyster sauce I bought 😀
Do you have any tip to mask that slight oyster smell when I use it in stir fries ?
Thank You
Anu
12 bottles??? OH MY!!! 🙂 If your partner has an aversion to oyster sauce, feel free to reduce it! 🙂
I finally tried this sauce last night with some Beef and Broccoli! So glad I have a lot left. I like it very much!
Thank you Edd! So glad you enjoyed Charlie!!! 🙂 N x
Over the years I have made stir fry several times using the packaged sauce mixes from the grocery store. As good as the flavor was in some of them, I always figured I was getting more than just the flavorings (preservatives, etc.). Recently as part of a change in diet to get away from taking Nexium for GERD, I found that the oriental dishes I tried at home did not give me heartburn. So, I have been eating a lot more. I found your recipe for your ‘Charlie’ and gave it a try a few days ago. I think I have enough for one more stir fry and then I will have to make more!! I absolutely love it!!!
I was unable to find light soy sauce so just doubled the regular sauce and used Japanese rice wine. I have now found a bottle of Shao Sing rice wine and will use that when I make another batch of the sauce – tomorrow.
Thank you so much for your cookbooks and especially for Charlie!!!!
Yay!! I am so glad you love it too Mike, thank you for letting me know! N xx
LOVE Chinese food .
Your recipes sound delicious. Will be trying all of them.
Thank you.
ALL of them??? 😉
Thank you Nagi.
I have never really been able to master a good stir fry sauce… they are either too strong in flavour or tooo something unpleasant.
Tonight I made your recipe – Love it…. and hubby loved it too 🙂
I added Chinese Five Spice and Sweet Chilli Sauce to the mix. I didn’t have sherry but used red wine.
In the pan I added fresh garlic and pickled ginger. This is sure to become one of our regular favourites.
I looked at some of your other recipes and they look great… so I have also subscribed to your mailing list.
Thank you for sharing 🙂 Sue
So glad you liked it Sue, thanks for letting me know! Love the additions to your mix 🙂
I made this today for my sister who just had a baby (and doubled the recipe so she’d have some in her fridge for a second dinner).
It was delicious! I used garlic and ginger for flavoring and used the hoisin option. We had a huge noodle stir fry with loads of veggies and chicken (and I added a little sriracha to my serving)! Fabulous, this will be my new go to!
Awwww HOLLY!! Thank you so much for trying this and I’m SO GLAD you enjoyed it! N x
I have been looking for this kind of recipe for a while, in London there is a restaurant called Wong Kei & I covet the brown sauce they pour on the crispy pork with rice, would this be similar I hope so I live far away from there now.
Thanks you
Hi Andy! I do hope you like it!! 🙂
Hi Nagi
I have been doing this sauce for about 2 months now, at least once a fortnight – the family love it and it’s a great way to get veggies (esp broccolli, beans. sugar snaps etc) into them. It’s just delish. Many thanks!
Tonight I wrote it into my own recipe book – with an acknowledgement to you of course – and just changed the order of the list, to make the use of cups (dry and wet) more efficient. I also for the first time have added the water before saving (refrigerating) …
You might have something to say about adding the water but I can’t see a real problem in terms of the sauce’s survival dates? I don’t know … well, we’ll see …
So I have written (for 900 ml of immediately usable sauce (ie without diluting) :
1/4 cup cornflour (in a 2L jug)
1/2 cup kikkoman (sorry, it’s my favourite – others here in UK seem to me to be very harsh)
Whisk together.
1/2 cup oyster sauce (equivalent is a 150ml jar here in UK) tipped as far as can into mix
1/4 cup Chinese wine (put into oyster sauce jar and shaken to get residue out)
2 tbsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
Whisk some more – not much.
This makes 300 ml of sauce.
Add 600ml water and decant into a 1 L bottle.
You’ve got 100ml shakeability room, even if you don’t use any sauce as you make it initially. Also more liquid to cornflour ratio, which makes it easier.
I’ll let you know the results of this test!
This is such a good sauce – so good!
Anne
Hi Anne! I’m so glad you enjoy this sauce and I’m honoured to make it into your recipe book! There is no impact on shelf life re: addition of water but the reason why I don’t is because I have a whole bunch of recipes I make using Charlie where I don’t add water, or I add less water. For example orange chicken, honey prawns, mongolian beef, soup bases etc!
Hi,
Thanks for this recipe, it sounds great.
Just wondering if you think it would come out too salty if i doubled the light soy in place of dark? I for some reason only have light soy in my fridge.
Cheers.
Hi Emma! Unfortunately yes. Just use half the amount of light soy in place of dark 🙂
Tamari soy sauce is less salty. And I believe it tastes better.
By White Wine i meant Chinese wine ?
I got it!! 🙂
I’m gonna try this sauce out tonight, but I don’t have the white wine, can I make it without it? ?
Hi Tanja! Yup, just use chicken or vegetable broth 🙂
Because of the time difference (I’m in Denmark, Europe ?), you weren’t able to reply before our dinner time, so I actually went ahead and made Charlie without the Chinese wine or Stock and it worked just as well. Not as much flavour to it as I would bet there is with the missing ingredients, but my 3 yo fussy eater scuffed it yay ? Next time I will make sure to make it with the Chinese wine ?? Tonight we will be trying out your Spicey beef Hokkien noodles! Loving your blog ?
Hi, this looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it! I must admit that I get really confused with all of the types of soy sauces that are out there. I have a bottle of ‘black soy sauce’ (I think the healthy boy brand) from my local Asian market. Would that work in place of the dark soy sauce, or should I look for the Lee Kum Kee brand when I go to pick up the Chinese wine?
Hi Leigh! I just did a quick google and yes, I think it will work just fine. It’s pretty close to the dark soy!
Sooo excited to try this tomorrow! Looking forward to LOTS of memorable meals together. ?
You will, you will!!! Charlie will be your new bestie in the kitchen! 🙂
Hi!
I can’t eat sugar and was wondering if this sauce can be made without it or if you recommend another one that I can keep in the fridge and use it when I need to?
HI Maggie! Is it all forms of sugar you can’t have? If so, I don’t think this sauce is for you unfortunately as there is also sugar in oyster sauce and even in the Chinese wine 🙁
Hi Nagi, you’re so awesome for sharing this!!! God bless your dear heart 🙂 The name is so cute: Charlie for Charlie Brown for a brown sauce and I’m in bed giggling *LoL* I like how I can build on this and I have all kinds of ideas now 🙂 THANK YOU SO MUCH !!! 5×2=10 Stars Woo-Hoo 🙂
Thank you Gee! I’m glad you don’t think I’m a WEIRDO for naming my sauce!! BA HA HA!!!
I haven’t had a stir fry in a while! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
No worries Chelsey!! Nx
Hi Nagi !!!
Would this be the same sauce used to make Asian vegetables?
Hi Cathy! Yup, it sure is used for Asian vegetables! But I also have the Chinese restaurant Chinese Broccoli with Oyster sauce recipe on my blog!
Hi Nagi,
I love your recipes!! In this all purpose chinese sauce could I add MSG and if so how much should be added?
I bought your chicken wings eBook yet to try the recipes but like you I’m wing crazy lol.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes!!
Have a nice day Nagi
Phil
Thanks Phil! I hope you enjoy the book, fell wing-lover! 😉 I’m sorry, I don’t use MSG in my recipes specifically, I suggest adding a dash or two when using the sauce!! 🙂
What a wonderful idea! I stir-fry around twice a week and I never thought of having an all purpose sauce already prepared, ready to go.
Best thing about this is one can tailor the recipe to one’s tastes and preferences.
I will have both Oyster sauce and Hoisin in mine 🙂
Cheers for a wonderful idea Nagi.
Ronnie B.
That’s exactly ON POINT!! 😉