~ Two Basic Marinades/Sauces for Chinese Stir-Fry ~

The definition of a stir-fry is straightforward:  To fry small morsels of meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and/or vegetables rapidly, in a wok or skillet, over a high heat, in a small amount of oil or fat, while stirring constantly.  The concept is an easy one to grasp.  Stir-fries were invented by the Chinese, but, it was Chinese Cantonese chefs, who specialized in stir-frying, that were amongst the first to immigrate to other Asian and European countries, our USA, then countries all around the world, where, over a relatively short period of time, they put the word stir-fry in the global vocabulary.

Chinese stirred-eggs or tomato-eggs is one of the earliest stir-fries of record.  Asian food came to the USA in the mid-1800's when the Cantonese immigrants began settling in CA, but, was consumed primarily in their communities.  In the 1920's, it became trendy with young cosmopolitan-types, who considered it exotic.  It wasn't until after World War II (at least as early as 1948), when soldiers returned from the war with a taste for the foods they had eaten abroad, that American housewives got involved. During the 1960's tiki bars and Polynesian restaurants were all the rage, and, by the 1970's, when I was a young bride, mainstream American cooks all owned a wok and a hibachi, and, Asian-fusion cooking began.

In the beginning, almost all Chinese restaurants here in the west were Cantonese.  Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and, to this day, for most American home cooks with a desire to dabble in stir-frying, it is these familiar flavors we crave in and associate with our stir-fries.  That said, for every ten Chinese cookbooks, I'll show you, at conservatively three per book, thirty different recipes for stir-fry sauces, some requiring one or two hard-to-find ingredients.  For the novice cook this is disheartently confusing, and, can lead to fear of stir-frying, with the conclusion being:

Every stir-fry requires its own specific sauce.  Not so.

I'm not here to tell anyone to screw the recipes in all those books.  I am here to tell everyone who just wants some stir-fry sanity in their life, with two basic stir-fry sauce recipes in your repertoire, you can start turning out quick-to-make, full-flavored "all-the-right-stuff" stir-fries using a handful of easy-to-find inexpensive pantry staples, and, a few time-saving, convenient-condiments too.

Feel free to mince garlic cloves and grate ginger root, but, high-quality garlic and ginger paste make weeknight stir-fries a breeze.  Chili-garlic paste, which adds heat, is a favorite of my heat-seeking family. I'm not one to purchase pre-sliced, pre-portioned meats, poultry and/or veggies labeled "stir-fry", but, those are available too, and, if it means skipping the take-out and cooking at home, by all means do it.

Note:  A common misconception is:  to marinate is to tenderize.  It doesn't work that way.  In the food world, marinades for proteins act as flavorizers, not as tenderizers, meaning:  the longer you marinate, the more flavor will be infused into the protein.  If you are pressed for time, even 15-minutes will go a long way to flavoring the finished dish.  Moral of the story:  The tenderness of the protein being cooked is dependent entirely upon knowing the proper cooking method.

For 2 pounds thin-sliced or bite-size diced chicken or seafood:

Five ingredients.  Light and bright with just enough soy sauce to flavor without overpowering the delicate flavors of chicken or seafood.  Stir 1  tablespoon garlic paste, 2 tablespoons ginger paste and an optional 1-3 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce, to taste, into finished stir-fry sauce.

For the stir-fry sauce:

1/2  cup high-quality unsalted vegetable stock

6  tablespoons soy sauce

2  tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar

2  tablespoons  Chinese rice wine

2  tablespoons sugar

2  tablespoons firmly-packed cornstarch

In a small bowl, using a fork, whisk ingredients thoroughly.

Place the chicken or seafood in a 1-gallon food storage bag.  Stir the garlic paste, ginger paste and optional chili-garlic sauce into the sauce.  Give the stir-fry sauce a thorough stir and add 1/2 cup of it to the bag.  Seal the bag and squish the chicken or shrimp around until thoroughly coated in the sauce.  Set aside to marinate, 30-60 minutes at room temperature, or, 8-12 hours/overnight in the refrigerator.  Heat 1-2 tablespoons sesame or specified oil in a wok or a skillet, add the marinated chicken or seafood and proceed to stir-fry it (and the vegetables), timed as directed in specific recipe, adding remaining stir-fry sauce during last 30-45 seconds of cooking.

 For 2 pounds thin-sliced or bite-size diced beef or pork:

Six ingredients.  Dark brown sugar and ketchup contribute to a deeper, bolder flavor with a tangy edge that's just perfect for beef or pork.  Stir 1  tablespoon garlic paste, 2 tablespoons ginger paste and an optional 1-3 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce, to taste, into finished stir-fry sauce.  

For the tomatoey-stir-fry sauce:

1/2  cup high-quality unsalted vegetable stock (Note:  beef stock may be substituted, but vegetable complements tomato flavors better.)

6  tablespoons soy sauce

4  tablespoons ketchup

2  tablespoons  Chinese rice wine

2  tablespoons brown sugar

2  tablespoons firmly-packed cornstarch

In a 1-cup measuring container, stir all ingredients.

Place the beef or pork in a 1-gallon food storage bag.  Stir the garlic paste, ginger paste and optional chili-garlic sauce into the sauce. Give the stir-fry sauce a thorough stir and add 1/2 cup of it to the bag.  Seal the bag and squish the meat around until thoroughly coated in the sauce. Set aside to marinate, 30-60 minutes at room temperature, or, 8-12 hours/overnight in the refrigerator. Heat 1-2 tablespoons sesame or specified oil in a wok or a skillet, add the marinated beef or pork and proceed to stir-fry it (and the vegetables), timed as directed in specific recipe, adding remaining stir-fry sauce during last 30-45 seconds of cooking.

Two all-purpose marinades/sauces = stir-frying sanity.

Two Basic Marinades/Sauces for Chinese Stir-Fry:  Recipe yields 1-cup stir-fry sauce each recipe, enough for 2 pounds chicken or seafood, or, 2 pounds beef or pork.

Special Equipment List:  1-cup measuring container; 1-gallon food storage bag

Cook's Note: ~ Chinese-American Restaurant-Style Pepper Steak ~, and, ~ Chinese-American Cantonese-Style Tomato-Beef ~ are two classic, very similar yet different, examples of how these two all-purpose marinades get used in an everyday stir-fry in my kitchen.

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2024)