All-Purpose Chinese White Sauce

ALL-PURPOSE CHINESE WHITE SAUCE

Using this all-purpose Chinese white sauce in any stir-fry is a breeze. Quick weekday dinners may be made with this simple white stir-fry sauce in the fridge!

It’s up to you what vegetables and protein you include. With this sauce, you can replicate the dishes you’d get at a Chinese restaurant at home. It’s a superior product because you know exactly what went into it.

IS CHINESE WHITE SAUCE GOOD FOR YOU?

This is a very light sauce, in general. To stir-fry the recipe, you’ll need some oil, but you may use less oil by blanching the meat or protein of your choice with the vegetables in water instead of searing it.

You will receive greater flavor and more control over sodium levels by making your homemade chicken, pork, or veggie stock from scratch, and you’ll also save money.

Substitute veggie stock and vegetarian oyster sauce for the regular recipe to make it vegan (made with mushrooms). Replace the oyster sauce with gluten-free oyster sauce to make it gluten-free.

Even though it’s all a matter of preference, this is a wonderfully nutritious method of preparing food that adds a vibrant array of vegetables to any dish.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CHINESE WHITE SAUCE:

• 3 cups of stock(chicken stock, pork stock or vegetable stock)
• 3 cloves of garlic (finely minced or grated)
• 3/4 tsp. of ginger (grated)
• 1 tsp. of scallion (white part only, minced)
• 1 1/2 tsp. of salt (to taste)
• 3/4 tsp. of sugar
• 1/8 tsp. of white pepper
• 3/4 tsp. of sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. of oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)
• 1 tsp. of MSG (totally optional!)

TO MAKE A STIR-FRY:

• 8 oz. of meat of your choice(225g, pork, chicken, or beef; thinly sliced ¼ inch thick)
• 3 cups of mixed vegetables (bell pepper, mushrooms, celery, carrots, snow peas, snap peas, broccoli/broccolini, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, lotus root, etc.)
• 1/2 cup of firm tofu (cubed, optional)
• 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. of Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup of prepared Chinese white sauce (depending upon how much sauce you like)
• 1 tbsp. of cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water; you may need a little more or less, depending upon how much sauce you use and how thick you like it)

INSTRUCTIONS

TO MAKE THE WHITE SAUCE:

1. Fill a resealable glass jar halfway with chicken, pig, or veggie stock. You can use store-bought stock, but making your own is preferable. Unless otherwise specified, the store-bought prepared stock should be used as-is, with no additional seasonings (herbs, spices, etc.), as these stocks are often designed for western cuisine.
2. Next, add the whites of the scallions, garlic, ginger, and other spices. Ideally, these aromatics should be chopped extremely finely. Oyster sauce (vegetarian oyster sauce) and MSG can be added if desired. Add salt, sugar, and white pepper to taste.
3. Combine thoroughly by sealing and shaking. Keep it in the fridge for a week. Before usage, give it a good shake. This recipe makes enough sauce for around six people.

TO USE THIS SAUCE:

1. Use our method for velveting beef, chicken, or velveting pig to velvet your sliced meat.
2. Preparation time: 30 – 60 seconds for blanching vegetables and tofu in 4 to 6 cups of boiling water. Rinse well and place aside. (Blanch in two batches if you have a large number of veggies or if the cooking times of the vegetables vary. Carrots, for example, require longer to cook than more delicate veggies like snap peas.
3. When the wok begins to smoke, lower the heat to medium-low. Make sure the wok is well-coated with 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil before cooking. One layer of velveted meat should be spread out in the wok. Each side should be grilled for 30 seconds on the stovetop. Toss the ingredients into a bowl and put them away. To avoid overcooking the meat, it can be blanched in boiling water before being stir-fried.
4. Add the blanched veggies and Shaoxing wine to a hot wok that hasn’t been washed. Add the meat to the mixture after it’s all been stirred together.
5. Make sure to deglaze the wok by adding 1/2 to 3/4 cups of your white sauce. A complete boil should be reached before the sauce is removed from the heat.
6. Make a slurry out of the cornstarch and water by mixing the two. To prevent them from burning, push them to one side of the wok. There should be a little pool of sauce or liquid in the middle of the pan when you cook your food. Stir regularly as you add the cornstarch slurry to the liquid.
7. Last but not least, give everything one last whirl. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, then taste the finished product. Serve with steamed rice on a plate.