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Chinese Garlic Sauce Recipe is the best match for salads and steamed dishes. It is as good as takeout!
This Chinese Garlic Sauce Recipe is both flavorful and satisfying. It is the perfect combination of spicy, salty, and sweet. It is vegan, low in fat and calories, and gluten-free!
Add it to the Menu!
This brown sauce is basically an all-purpose stir-fry sauce, which means you can use it in any stir-fry meal. The best way to serve this sauce is with spring rolls and rice paper dumplings. ngs
You can also use it as a dip for broccoli, peppers, carrots, and onions. The possibilities are endless!
Why Do We Add Sauces to Any Meal?
When it comes to preparing a delicious dish, adding sauces always comes in handy. Sauces play an important role in maximizing the flavor, making it juicy, and improving the taste of the dish.
Also, some sauces give your dish a lovely shine and color which makes the food look more appetizing.
Whether you want to prepare a fast meal, or make a fancy dinner, sauces will always be the best complement to your food.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
This Chinese Garlic Sauce Recipe is extremely adaptable and can be used with any combination of vegetables and proteins.
It’s quick and easy. You can make it in under 10 minutes with only a few ingredients you’re likely to have on hand!
It’s vegan friendly and gluten free. You can use vegetable stock as the base for a vegan stir fry sauce.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS):
You should store sauce leftovers in a glass jar and cover it with a lid, then put in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days.
In Chinese cooking, some stir-fried dishes can generate some liquid during cooking. So, in order to get rid of the liquid, you have to stir in a starch and water mixture called a slurry. The slurry is a mixture of 1 to 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with a couple of tablespoons of cold water. This will definitely thicken the sauce in the stir-fried dishes.
It is a versatile sauce that you can add to many meals. You can also use it as a dip for the dumplings or wantons. You can add to any vegetables stir fry of your choice or on your noodles or rice preparation.
If you want to freeze it, transfer the completely cooled sauce to ice boxes. Once it is frozen, take it out and place it in a ziplock bag that you can put in the refrigerator. You can keep them for 2 to 3 months in the freezer.
A Delicious Bowl of Sauce
Tips and Tricks
- Make it spicier or less spicy. If you love spicy Chinese (or Asian) food, you can simply increase the amount of red pepper flakes. You can also use fresh chilis or add a little hot sauce. However, if you are sensitive to spicy food then you should leave out the red pepper flakes and use less fresh ginger.
- You can use canola oil or any vegetable cooking oil you want.
- If you want to make it sweet, you can use maple syrup or any other sweetener. For instance, agave syrup, brown rice syrup, or date syrup.
- If you happen to be allergic to corn, you can replace it with arrowroot flour, tapioca flour/starch, or potato starch. No matter which one you choose, any starch is fine and will thicken the sauce.
- It is preferable to use gluten-free dark soy sauce. You can also use a combination of light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. However, in case you are a celiac, make sure to use tamari (or a gluten-free soy sauce). If you want to go with a soy-free alternative then I would recommend using coconut amnions.
Variations and Substitutions
You can also use chicken or seafood stock to give this sauce a light color. If you use beef stock, you will end up with a darker sauce. Both ways, it can still be delicious!
If you want to add aromatics, garlic and ginger are the most common aromatics to use. However, you can also add lemongrass, scallions, leeks, onions.
If you want to give it a subtle spicy taste, add some few peppercorns or whole dried chili peppers to the stock.
You can also use this recipe as a base for other stir-fry sauces. You can always add flavorings like soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chili hot sauce to make it more of a brown sauce.
Chinese Garlic Sauce goes with any dish!
Chinese Garlic Sauce Ingredients
For The Sauce:
- vegetable broth, or water (see notes)
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- maple syrup, or honey
- sesame oil
- crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- smoked paprika
- black pepper
- corn starch
For The Pan:
- olive oil, or avocado oil
- garlic cloves, minced
- fresh ginger, minced
(Scroll down for recipe details)
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Chinese Garlic Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable broth, or water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or honey
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
For the pan:
- ½ tablespoon olive oil, or avocado oil
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
Instructions
- In a bowl add all the sauce ingredients and whisk until combined. Set aside.
- In a skillet over medium heat add olive oil then add the minced ginger and garlic to sauté for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Pour the sauce mixture into the pan and continue mixing using the Whisk on medium high heat. Bring to a boil and let simmer for a few minutes until thickened, stirring frequently.
- You can use the sauce immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days. Add the sauce to your rice bowl, a great addition to stir fry, or a great dip for spring rolls and rice paper dumplings.
