Basic Chinese Sauce

Here’s a go-to sauce for veggie stir-fries. I recommend putting it together before you start the stir-fry, then adding it once the vegetables are just done. Start your stir-fry with some minced garlic for added depth of flavor, which will meld nicely with this sauce in the finished stir-fry.

Makes: About 2 cups

1 cup vegetable stock (preferably) or water
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
3 to 4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, more or less to taste
2 tablespoons dry cooking sherry, optional
1 teaspoon grated fresh or jarred ginger, more or less to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot

Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk together.

Dissolve the cornstarch in just enough water to make it smooth and pourable. Whisk together with the other ingredients. When your stir-fry is just about done, pour in this sauce and it will thicken up quickly, assuming the stir-fry pan or wok is on fairly high heat.