Stir Fry Noodles Sauce
The sauce I use in my other clean-out-the-fridge best friend, homemade fried rice, serves as the inspiration for the noodle stir fry sauce.
While the recipe for the stir-fry sauce isn’t particularly spicy as written, you can leave out the Sriracha entirely and add it to individual dishes if you want to make sure these are kid-friendly.
- Hoisin. An actual secret weapon for stir fries, this little jar is bursting with flavor and essentially does all the work for you.
- Soy Sauce. Another stir fry staple that helps create our addictive sauce. To avoid it tasting too salty, I suggest using low-sodium soy sauce.
- Garlic + Ginger. An essential ingredient for stir-fry sauces (ask Sweet and Sour Chicken).
- Rice Wine Vinegar. Easy to find and a worthy addition to your pantry. This stir fry regular brings balance.
- Sriracha. Gives the sauce a little kick. You can omit it if you’d rather have a less spicy stir fry.
- Green Onions. A small amount is mixed into the sauce, and the remainder is sprinkled over the finished dish to add a hint of freshness.
I went with boneless, skinless chicken breast for my stir-fried noodles, but any type of protein—vegetarian or not—works well.
- Beef Noodle Stir Fry. Use sirloin steak and thinly slice it into 1-inch strips against the grain.
- Pork Noodle Stir Fry. Use pork tenderloin for this Pork Stir Fry, chopping it into 3/4-inch cubes.
- Tofu Noodle Stir Fry. Swap out sautéed tofu cubes. This Crispy Tofu is my favorite way to cook tofu for stir fries.
- Stir-Fry Noodles with Egg. Although the two eggs in this stir fry recipe do a magical trick and thicken the sauce even more, you can add extra scrambled eggs at the end if you’d like to add even more protein.
A blank canvas for Chinese Stir Fry Noodles
I rarely follow a recipe for stir-fried noodles because, having made them hundreds and hundreds of times, I can practically make any combination of ingredients and still come up with a delicious dish. And I swear, I’ve never had a disaster failure. While I’ve experimented with stir-frying some odd ingredients (parsnip in stir fries, for example), some are better than others, and overall, it’s always delicious and I happily scarf down a big bowl and go back for seconds.
Using my Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce, I’m going to show you how to “make your own” Chinese stir fry noodles in this post. The “recipe” is quite straightforward and is for one serving:
2 to 3 cups (packed) of vegetables*; 1/2 cup of noodles; 1/4 cup of water; 2 tablespoons of Real Chinese All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce; Optional Add-Ons (Base Flavour and Additional Flavourings)
* I love having loads of vegetables. However, ultimately it comes down to personal preference. A “normal” serving size is typically two cups, but make sure to fill the cup to the brim. Pack it good! Veggies are good for you!).
For instructions on each of these parts, continue reading below. At the bottom, you’ll find a printable recipe that summarizes this post.
Any kind of noodles will work, both dried and fresh; however, the egg noodles for soups (the ones in the packet coated in cornflour/cornstarch) and vermicelli (which are too thin for this sauce) should not be used. The stir-fry will turn out to be too thick and gluggy. Cook the dried noodles according to the packet instructions. My preferred method of “cooking” dried rice noodles is to cover them with a generous amount of boiling water and let them sit in a bowl for approximately five minutes.
It’s preferable to use fresh noodles rather than dried ones in most recipes. Hokkien noodles are my favorite fresh noodles for stir-frying; you can get them fresh in almost any supermarket, and they’re very versatile; you can use them in soups and stir-fries for almost any Asian dish (Thai, Japanese, Malaysian, Singaporean) But, fresh rice noodles are hard to come by in Sydney supermarkets; instead, you have to buy them from Asian markets. For that reason, I usually make this with dried rice noodles instead of fresh, since they are much more affordable.
Use any type of protein you choose, such as tofu, shrimp, or meat. For meat, slice it against the grain. To ensure that the meat cooks quickly, slice it thinly – 1/4 / 0 5cm slices.
Option: Tenderising beef for stir fries
The secret is tenderizing the meat, a process called velveting. Have you ever noticed how the meat in Chinese dishes is so incredibly tender, and how your stir fries at home are just never the same?
That’s right. When making stir fries, your friendly neighborhood Chinese restaurant uses inexpensive stewing beef that has been tenderized to create incredibly soft strips of meat!
Learn how to use this easy-to-use yet incredibly effective method: Tenderise Beef (the Chinese way).
This is only optional if you want to make stir fries with inexpensive beef or if you just want the extra-tender beef served in Chinese restaurants!
Vegetables: You can use almost any vegetable for stir-fried noodles, though some, like tomatoes and beets, I’ve never seen used in stir fries. Here’s a guide to cutting the vegetables so they cook in about the same amount of time, but hey, if that works for you, then go ahead and do it!
- Onions – 1/4″/0.5cm slices.
- Firm vegetables (eg. carrots, zucchini) – slice into 1/5″ / 3mm slices. Carrots are best cut diagonally, then vertically in half, or occasionally I julienne them.
- Leafy chinese greens (eg. Bok choy (also known as pak choy or Chinese broccoli): cut stems into roughly 1/2′′/1cm sticks by cutting them vertically.
- Cabbage – shred. Chinese cabbage can also be cut into larger pieces of 1 inch because it is softer. 5″/4cm x 1″ / 2 cm.
- Cut or break cauliflower and broccoli into florets that are no bigger than half the size of a golf ball (including the stem).
- Green beans, snap peas, baby corn – whole (trimmed).
- Eggplant – sliced into 1/3″/1cm thick bite size slices.
- Shallots or scallions, cut into thin slices or into 1/4-inch pieces
- Beansprouts – use as is.
I previously shared my personal, top-secret recipe for Real Chinese All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce earlier this week. This adaptable foundation for Chinese stir fries keeps well in the refrigerator for several weeks or even months. It works well as a glossy sauce to coat stir fries, and you can adjust the flavor to your preference by adding juice, fresh herbs, spices, or even tang. Having it ready eliminates the hassle of rushing to gather ten ingredients for your stir fry sauce; all you have to do is give it a shake and add it to any stir fry.
Base Flavors: These are the flavors that seep into the oil prior to the addition of additional components. You can add extra flavor by using fresh garlic, ginger, or chillies (if using a paste).
Extra Flavorings: These are the additional flavors you add to the wok when you add the sauce. You can use sugar to sweeten it, vinegar to add some tang, heat from chilli paste or sriracha, herbs like coriander or Thai basil leaves, sweet chilli sauce, or even fruit juice to add a little sweetness and fruit. I’ve provided my favourite variations in the recipe below.
Cooking the Stir-Fry: The key to making delicious stir-fried noodles is to add the ingredients to the wok in the order that they will take to cook. It is important to consider both the ingredient itself (hard vegetables and proteins cook more slowly than soft vegetables) and the size at which you have chopped them. As a general rule, stir-fry the onion and proteins for one minute, then add the broccoli and cauliflower florets. After another minute, add the carrots and other firm vegetables, and lastly, add the snow peas and other delicate vegetables. Leafy greens (such as spinach and the leaves of Chinese greens like bok choy) and bean sprouts are always best left until the noodles are added; otherwise, they overcook and become wilted and ugly.
Finally, add the noodles, sauce, and any additional flavorings you choose. Stir-fry for one more minute and you’re done.
Important Tip: Prepare and arrange all of your ingredients and sauces next to the wok. Cooking comes together quickly once you get going, so you don’t want to be rushing around the kitchen!
I hope this guide is helpful to you! Below is a printable recipe that includes a shortened version of this guide.
