The quantities differ, but generally, the common ground is always garlic (lots), chilli (lots!), soy sauce (varying combinations of light, dark and all purpose), Oyster Sauce (almost always), fish sauce (very common) and sugar (almost always). I even found one in the Spice I Am cookbook (read more about that in the Pad Thai recipe, it’s my current favourite Thai cookbook). In many of the Thai cookbooks I have flicked through over the years, I almost always find a generic stir fry that uses a very similar sauce. By this, I mean it’s not a “known” Thai dish, like Pad Thai, Pad See Ew etc. It’s probably not something you would find in a Thai restaurant.

I don’t actually even know if this recipe has a name. If you scan the Sauce ingredients of Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles), Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) and Thai Chilli Basil Chicken, you will see similarities to the one I use in this Thai stir fry. Just like Charlie, the Thai stir fry sauce used in this recipe is similar to many but an exact replica of none. You can read about it when you get the recipe for Charlie. Yes, I’ve given my Chinese stir fry sauce a name, and yes there is logic – albeit bland / crazy – behind it. If you haven’t discovered Charlie yet, pop over because honestly, especially if you are pressed for time, he will be life changing. The Thai stir fry sauce I use in this Spicy Thai Chicken Stir Fry is like the Thai equivalent of Charlie, my All Purpose Chinese Stir Fry Sauce. This recipe is a keeper for Thai food lovers! It’s a versatile base and it’s fabulous with chicken, pork and turkey, ground/mince meat or even cut into bite size pieces. It can even be used for noodles. A super tasty, easy Thai stir fry with a nice kick of heat! The Thai stir fry sauce used in this recipe is like an all purpose Thai sauce.

Thai cashew chicken stir fry recipe