Description
This Homemade Szechuan Sauce is a flavorful and spicy condiment perfect for enhancing your favorite Asian dishes. Made with soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, rice vinegar, and aromatic spices like Szechuan peppercorns and Chinese five spice, it delivers a balanced blend of savory, sweet, tangy, and numbing heat. Mildly thickened with cornstarch, this sauce comes together quickly without any cooking, making it an ideal addition to stir-fries, noodles, or as a dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns (or black peppercorns)
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 piece 1-inch ginger, minced
Instructions
- Crush the Peppercorns: Use a spice grinder or place the Szechuan peppercorns in a plastic bag and smash them with a rolling pin until coarsely ground to release their distinctive aroma and flavor.
- Mix All Ingredients: In a bowl, combine the crushed peppercorns, soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, cornstarch, Chinese five spice, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Whisk thoroughly until the sugar and cornstarch are fully dissolved and the sauce is well blended.
Notes
- For a spicier kick, add chili flakes or fresh chopped chilis.
- Use this sauce immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Adjust the sweetness or tanginess by varying the amount of brown sugar or rice vinegar.
- Szechuan peppercorns provide a unique numbing sensation; substitute with black pepper if unavailable.
- This sauce is not cooked, so ensure all ingredients are fresh and of good quality.
