How to Make Stir-Fry Sauce From Scratch:
Pour the soy sauce in a large glass measuring cup and whisk in the cornstarch until smooth. ...
Whisk the broth into the soy sauce/cornstarch mixture until smooth. It’ll be cloudy, that’s normal.
OPTION 1, cook the sauce separately: Add the sauce to a medium saucepan, turn heat to high and bring to a boil.
OPTION 2, cook the sauce in the same pan: once your stir fry is 90% done (veggies are crisp-tender, meat, if using) is cooked nearly to desired doneness), simply pour.
What is Stir-Fry Sauce Made of?
Broth: in a simple recipe like this, you want to have a flavourful base. Choose chicken, beef or veggie broth, something that you like. HOT TIP: try the concentrated bouillon that comes in a jar and dilute it with water per manufacturer’s instructions instead of opening a carton of broth. You only need 1 1/2 cups, and this will save you finding a purpose for leftovers.
Soy sauce: this both seasons the dish (adds salt) and offers a nuanced umami flavour and slight sweetness from the glutamate-rich fermented soybeans. If you’re using an unsalted broth, keep adding more soy sauce to taste until the stir-fry sauce tastes sparkling and savoury like a good potato chip.
Cornstarch: this is the sauce thickener. It produces a clear, glossy sauce that coats the stir fry beautifully with lustre and deliciousness.
OPTIONAL flavourings: add some totally-supplementary but welcome flavour-boosters like garlic, ginger, chile, scallions, etc. if you like. See below for exact measurements.
