Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce (Charlie!)

My secret weapon for mid week meals - an All Purposes Chinese Stir Fry Sauce, a versatile base that makes a wonderfully glossy sauce for any stir fry, including stir fried noodles. Affectionately named Charlie (read in post for why!), store him in the fridge and he'll be there when you need him. Just add water!Makes 1 1/2 cups of sauce which is enough for around 12 servings.

Recipe by Nagi | RecipeTin Eats on June 14, 2014

Prep time: PT2M

Total time: PT2M

Rating

4.93 stars (305 reviews)

Keywords

stir fry sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup light soy sauce ( (Note 1))
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup Chinese wine ((or dry sherry) (Note 5))
1/4 cup cornstarch / cornflour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp sesame oil (, toasted)
1 tsp ground white pepper ((I sometimes use 1 tbsp, I like the spiciness!))

Cuisine

Asian
Chinese

Steps

Combine ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Store in fridge and shake before use.
Amount to Use (Note 6):
- Stir Fry: I use 3 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce + 6 tbsp water to make a stir frying for 2 people using around 5 cups of uncooked ingredients (proteins + vegetables).
- Noodles: I use 3 tbsp of the Stir Fry sauce + 5 - 6 tbsp water to make a noodle stir fry for 2 people using around 7 cups of the combined stir fry uncooked (vegetables - packed, proteins + noodles - if using).
- By weight (Noodles & Stir Fry): Around 3 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce per 1 lb / 500g of combined ingredients (proteins + vegetables + noodles if using) plus 1/3 cup water.
To Use:
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok over high heat.
- Add your choice of Base Flavourings - fry for 10 seconds or so to infuse oil.
- Add stir fry ingredients in order of time to cook (starting with ingredients that take longest to cook), leaving leafy greens, like the leaves of bok choy, until when you add the sauce (otherwise they will wilt and overcook).
- Add noodles (if using), sauce and water, your choice of Additional Flavourings and any leafy greens.
- Gently toss to combine and to let the sauce cook for around 1 minute. The sauce will become a thick, glossy sauce that coats your stir fry.
- Serve immediately with rice - or for a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice!
Base Flavourings
- Garlic, minced or finely sliced
- Ginger, minced or finely sliced
- Fresh chillies, minced or finely sliced
Additional Flavouring Suggestions
- Sriracha, Chilli Bean Paste or other Spicy addition
- Sweet chilli sauce
- Substitute the water with pineapple or orange juice
- Rice vinegar - for a touch of tartness
- Fresh cilantro / coriander leaves, or thai basil - for freshness
- Garlic or ordinary chives, chopped
- Pinch of Chinese five spice powder

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 18 g
Calories: 34 kcal
Carbohydrates: 3.7 g
Protein: 0.6 g
Fat: 1.7 g
Sodium: 504 mg
Sugar: 0.9 g
Unsaturated Fat: 1.7 g

Reviews

Janis Light on 2026-03-03 (4 stars):
Almost perfect for us.. next time I'll reduce the sesame oil, it was a bit overpowering for our taste. Thanks for the recipe!
M Jenkins on 2026-01-24 (5 stars):
After misbehaving ourselves over Christmas I've been getting into stir-fry for dinner and this sauce is a life saver. I've been using lots of veg and either prawns or chicken, add a bit of garlic and ginger, a bit of Charlie and you have a delish healthy meal. Thanks Nagi, I'm off to make another batch of the sauce
Johanna on 2026-01-22 (5 stars):
I just ordered “delicious tonight” and made this base sauce and did a stir fry. Oh my- so delicious!
Daniel on 2025-12-11 (5 stars):
I've used many recipes on this website, and had to take this opportunity to praise this recipe. tested it, tweaked it with a bit of extra sauce to my liking and the taste is legit. thank you Nagi!
Elisa on 2025-11-01 (5 stars):
This sauce is magic! Mr 6 decided he didn’t like the look of my stir fry, I asked him to try it before he made a judgement…. 3 helpings later he is still asking for more ❤️
Jennifer Mete on 2025-10-27 (5 stars):
Best stir fry over ever made using Charlie Sauce & your stir fry formula - I can always count on your recipes working without fail … you’re fabulous Nagi
Michel on 2025-10-12 (5 stars):
I like cooking Chinese stir-fry fry.
Tash on 2025-08-28 (1 stars):
I’m usually a big fan of Nagi’s recipes. I have both cookbooks and they never fail. I’m really not a fan of this sauce. It was a bit too watered down (I think adding the amount of water it says was a mistake) and the flavour you could taste wasn’t great. I think I’ll just have to bin this sauce, which is a massive waste.
Lauren on 2025-08-11 (5 stars):
Adding to the 1000+ well deserved positive comments. I rarely bother, but had to say that Charlie gave me the best stir fry I’ve ever made, bar none. I’m in the uk so the only substitute I made was potato starch for cornstarch as it’s easier to find and I had it in hand. I also velveted the steak before cooking and the whole thing was phenomenal. I thought the 3T of sauce with 6T water wouldn’t make enough but I was wrong. 2 huge portions. Thank you for transforming this dish.
Rena on 2025-08-09 (5 stars):
Yes, really. It's called velveting and very common in Asian recipes.
Chris H on 2025-07-26 (5 stars):
Hi Nagi! Could I ask about the jars to store Charlie? Can I use an old bolognese sauce jar to store it, or does it need to be a mason jar? Thanks
Danie on 2025-07-01 (5 stars):
Amazing sauce, absolutely the most 110% authentic sauce and so darn easy, I want stir fry every night. As stated the mix lasts in the fridge for ages if you can stop using it. It's so good!!
Sue on 2025-06-19 (5 stars):
Thank you Nagi, so grateful for this recipe! Your Charlie has become my staple, I store him in a plastic bottle with a convenient lip for pouring. For me this is less messy when using the sauce :) It is brilliant and has been a game changer for my week day cooking. Thank you!
Tiff on 2025-06-08 (5 stars):
made this tonight with chicken (regular cornstarch velveting method, not nagi's), zucchini, onion, bell pepper, baby corn, water chestnuts, broccoli, and snow peas. so so good.