Stir Fry Seasoning
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This versatile spice mix is perfect for seasoning chicken, beef, pork, fish, vegetables in your favourite stir fries or used as an dry rub for meats or tofu or for flavouring rice and noodles.
I developed this stir fry seasoning as an alternative to Chinese five spice, as we cook a lot of stir fries at home and I wanted more variety in our meals. While it takes inspiration from some of the warm, savoury flavours often used in stir fry cooking, this is simply a homemade seasoning blend designed for easy everyday meals rather than an authentic recipe.
The idea behind it is that it can be used either on its own or alongside a stir fry sauce, coating the protein directly to build a deep, well-rounded flavour right from the start of cooking.
This recipe creates a small batch, giving you enough seasoning for several meals so you are not making it from scratch every time. At the same time, it’s not such a large quantity that it loses freshness before you get a chance to use it all.
When I’m making a stir fry I will often whisk the seasoning with cornflour which helps to tenderise the meat during cooking and will create a good thickening base for a sauce.
If I’m using it to flavour a simple bowl of rice, I’ll fry the rice in a little oil first and then sprinkle over the seasoning mix as it cooks. The same works for noodles.
It's also lovely rubbed on a salmon fillet, tofu, or a whole chicken before cooking to give a great flavour crust to your proteins.
Once you have a jar of this stir fry seasoning in the cupboard, you’ll find yourself reaching for it to season all sorts of dishes. If you need more inspiration, below I’ve provided a plethora of ways I use it in my own kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Stir Fry Seasoning
- This is ideal for any kind of stir fry to add depth to your dish.
- Perfectly balanced flavour.
- A little chilli heat which you can tone up or down.
- Fresher than a shop-bought stir fry seasoning.
- Flexible across different proteins, rice or noodles.
- Quick and easy to make.
Difference Between This Stir Fry Seasoning vs Stir Sauce
It’s not essential to use a seasoning mix if you are already adding a sauce to your stir fry but once you start seasoning the ingredients directly, you’ll notice a much deeper layer of flavour throughout the dish.
Stir fry sauces are liquid based and often used toward the end of the cooking process, whereas this stir fry seasoning is used at the very beginning to season the chicken, or whichever protein you are using, with a balanced savoury flavour from the inside out.
Unlike a sauce, a stir fry seasoning can also be used in drier dishes, such as rice or noodle dishes where you still want plenty of flavour without adding extra liquid.
There’s a lot more versatility to the stir fry seasoning which can also be used as:
- a dry rub for meat or fish
- or a marinade base
- a seasoning for vegetables
- a flavour boost for rice and noodles
How To Use This Stir Fry Seasoning
Chicken Stir Fry. I use this seasoning to coat the chicken in my chicken stir fry recipe.
Stir Fried Vegetables.
Pork Mince Stir Fry.
Quick Rice Noodles. Give sauce a miss and sprinkle stir fry seasoning over wok-fried noodles for an easy side dish.
Fried Rice. Add a little stir fry seasoning to a batch of fried rice.
Salmon Noodles. I will use a stir fry sauce whilst making the noodles and then rub this stir fry seasoning on the salmon before cooking it in the air fryer or under the grill.
You could use the stir fry seasoning with any of your favourite stir fries.
Ingredients Needed
Sichuan pepper. You can buy this easily in larger UK supermarkets or Asian specific stores.
Dried onion granules.
Dried garlic granules. I will interchange this recipe using garlic powder (which I can buy in my online supermarket) or garlic granules which seems to be more prevalent in the smaller high street supermarkets. I have also used smoked garlic granules and the results have been just as good.
Soft light brown sugar. Only a small amount is used relatively in this spice mix. I like including a bit of sweetness for flavour but you can absolutely miss it out if you prefer, or reduce to 1 teaspoon instead of 2 teaspoons.
Kosher salt. I always use kosher salt in most of my cooking and baking as it has a gentle well rounded flavour. I buy it online in large 1 kilo boxes which lasts a while.
Ground ginger.
Chilli (or red pepper) flakes. If you don’t like spice then leave it out.
White pepper. It adds a lovely savoury background note.
Ground cinnamon.
How To Make Stir Fry Seasoning
Use a pestle and mortar to grind up the Sichuan peppercorns. Then add into a large jar with the rest of the ingredients. Shake it up until combined.
Tips and Troubleshooting
I recommend shaking the spice mix up in a large jar to give the spices room to thoroughly combine. Then decant to a smaller jar to store.
A jam funnel is my favourite tool for decanting my spice mixes.
The best time to use this seasoning is to rub on the protein before cooking or on the vegetables during cooking and always before you add the stir fry sauce (if you are using).
If you are using the stir fry seasoning as part of a sauce stir fry then you might like to whisk in cornflour, like in my Gluten-Free Chicken Stir Fry, which will tenderise the protein and then work to thicken and make the sauce glossy.
This seasoning works best as a flavour base rather than a complete sauce. So either team with a stir fry sauce or a little liquid to give a better coating to your dish.
If you are seasoning rice or noodles then it can be powdery if used dry so frying the rice or noodles in oil first helps coat the grains and bring out the flavour.
If you are using as a rub on a chicken breast or on steak then mix with a little oil to help coat evenly.
How To Store Homemade Stir Fry Seasoning
This batch makes enough to store in a small 190ml jar.
I recommend a jar with a wider opening than a standard spice jar as it’s so much easier to dip a teaspoon or tablespoon measuring spoon into.
Sterilise the jar and the lid for the longest shelf life, but make sure the jar is thoroughly clean and dry before adding in the spice mix or it will clump.
Store in a cool dry place for up to 2 months for the freshest flavour.
FAQs
You don’t need to use this stir fry seasoning alongside a stir fry sauce, it works well on its own as a dry rub or spice mix.
This stir fry seasoning includes Sichuan pepper, ginger, cinnamon, chilli, onion, garlic, sugar, salt and white pepper. It works well across any of your favourite stir fries.
You can freeze the spice mix for the longest shelf life. It will freeze well for up to 6 months if stored in an airtight container.
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Best Homemade Stir Fry Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried onion granules
- 2 tablespoons dried garlic granules
- 2 teaspoons soft light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Pour the Sichuan pepper into a pestle and mortar and pound until its ground nicely.
- Add the Sichuan pepper into a medium sized jar along with the rest of the ingredients and shake to thoroughly blend all the spices and seasonings together.
- Either keep the blended stir fry seasoning in the mixing jar or decant into a clean smaller jar.
- Use immediately or store for up to 2 months in a cool dark place.
Notes
- Approximately 28 servings in total
- I recommend using about ¾ - 1 teaspoon of spice mix per person depending on how strongly flavoured you like your stir fries. For example, to season a single chicken breast, I would typically use ¾ teaspoon of seasoning. In my Chicken Stir Fry recipe, which serves 4 people then I recommend using 1 tablespoon of seasoning in total.
- This seasoning mix is best stored in an airtight container (a glass jar with a secure lid) for up to 2 months in a cool dark place.
- You can use it as a dry rub or as a coating for protein, vegetables or noodles in your stir fries.
- I recommending using it in your stir fry as well as a stir fry sauce for the deepest flavour.
