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Chinese white sauce poured off a spoon into a pot
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5 from 186 votes

Chinese White Sauce

Chinese white sauce is a light, clear sauce made of stock, garlic, and ginger. It's thickened with cornstarch and can be used in any stir fry recipe! 
Prep Time2 minutes
Cook Time4 minutes
Total Time6 minutes
Course: Sauces
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Servings: 8
Calories: 55kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cups stock - chicken or vegetable stock
  • 3 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 Tablespoon Shaoxing wine - substitute with mirin or cooking wine
  • 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger - grated
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  • Set aside ¼ cup of the stock in a small bowl and mix together with the cornstarch. Set this aside as this will be used to thicken the sauce later.
    Chinese white sauce ingredients in glass bowls including chicken stock, ginger, and garlic
  • Mix together the remaining stock with the Shaoxing wine, toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, salt, and sugar. Add it to a medium pot and heat over medium high heat.
    sesame oil added to broth to make a clear stir fry sauce
  • When the stock mixture starts to boil, slowly drizzle in the cornstarch mixture while continually stirring. Be sure to stir the cornstarch first before adding it as it can settle.
    chicken stock boiling in a pot
  • The sauce will start to thicken and turn from opaque to clear as it boils. Turn off the heat once it thickens. Adjust for seasoning, especially if your stock is unsalted.
    Add this to any stir fry dish or store in a jar for later use. This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. See the Notes section below for when to add to stir fry recipes.
    clear Chinese stir fry sauce poured off a spoon into a pot

Notes

Makes about 3 cups of sauce.
For stir fry recipes: 
  • Add the sauce towards the end of the recipe when your vegetables and protein are already cooked. It simply takes a minute on high heat to heat up and coat the ingredients. Avoid overcooking as it can thicken the sauce too much.
  • If the sauce was stored in the fridge, it will have set into a gel consistency due to the cornstarch. That's ok as it will melt when added to a hot pan. 
Storage: 
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 55kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 644mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 188IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg