Quick & Easy Plain Chinese Gravy Recipe | Side Dish for Fried Rice & Noodles

Looking for something easy and delicious gravy for fried rice and noodles? Try this Plain Chinese Gravy Recipe. It is an Indo-Chinese style vegetarian gravy that you can serve as a side dish that pairs well with veg or non-veg fried rice and noodles.

Growing up in Mumbai, I’m a big fan of Indo-Chinese cuisine. In Mumbai, roadside stalls are a go-to for many when it comes to authentic Indo-Chinese cuisine. They are lauded for their quantity at a pocket-friendly price and a great selection of items. These popular joints are also renowned for putting an experimental spin on classic dishes.

A restaurant nearby home would always serve gravy along with fried rice or noodles. After moving to Hyderabad, I miss the Mumbai style Chinese a lot. The only solution was to cook at home. After trials and success, Indo-Chinese dishes are one of the most cooked items in our home.

About Plain Chinese Gravy Recipe

Plain Chinese Gravy Recipe – As the name suggests, this gravy is without chicken, paneer, or vegetable balls. Instead, it has sliced vegetables. It is quite a basic recipe and can be made in under 10 minutes if you have all the ingredients ready.

The plain Chinese gravy is special for its taste profile – the heat in the vegetable gravy comes from green chilies, red chili sauce, green chili sauce, and black pepper powder. Tangy taste from vinegar, and a wee bit of sweetness from sugar.

The aromatics, vegetables, and spices used in this delicious gravy not only soothe your taste buds but also works if you have a sour throat.

I make this killer gravy recipe to serve with fried rice for our weekday or weekend lunch or dinner.

This plain chinese gravy recipe is easy to put together when guests are coming over, or a party, or a celebration.

Sometimes I add more garlic and sometimes I add more ginger for a strong gingery flavor. You can give this a try as per your liking.

Reasons to make

One-pot recipe

Extremely easy to make

Simple yet packed with flavor

Finger-licking good

Easily customizable

No MSG

Requires minimal ingredients

Pro Tips

Below are the tips you need to follow to nail the recipe.

Keep all the ingredients ready before you start the cooking process.

Use a good knife or a food processor to finely chop the garlic, ginger, and green chilies.

For the best flavors, add fresh ginger and garlic. I will not recommend using ginger-garlic paste.

Do not saute ginger, garlic, and green chilies for a long time. It will make the gravy taste bitter.

Always remember, in Indo-Chinese cuisine the vegetables should have a bite. So do not overcook the vegetables to turn limp and mushy.

To make cornflour slurry, mix cornflour with 2-3 tbsps of water until it forms a smooth paste. If you have kept it aside for some time, the flour will settle to the bottom. So, mix well before adding to the wok.

The consistency of the gravy is thick compared to the soup. However, you can adjust the consistency by adding more water if you like it thinner, or add more cornstarch if you prefer thicker than this.

The spiciness of the gravy can be increased or decreased by adjusting the amount of green chilies, red chili sauce, and green chili sauce.

Ingredients

Oil: I have used Sunflower oil in this recipe. I suggest to use any neutral flavor oil or sesame oil.

Aromatics: Garlic and ginger.

Vegetables: In this recipe, I have used onion, cabbage, and capsicum.

You can pack a lot of fresh vegetables such as sweet corn, baby corn, mushroom, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, etc too. Basically, you can add a mix of vegetables that are available in your refrigerator.

Sauces: Red chili sauce, green chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar.

Spice: Black pepper powder. It is a spice commonly used in Indo-Chinese dishes made in a restaurant.

Herbs: Spring Onions(both bulb and stalk).

Cornflour: Cornflour mixed with water is used to thicken the gravy. Cornflour slurry is commonly used as a thickening agent in Indo-Chinese gravy dishes.

How to make Chinese Gravy

Pre-prep

1. Peel ginger and garlic. Finely chop them along with green chilies.

2. Slice onions, cabbage, and capsicum.

3. Make cornflour slurry.

Steps to make Chinese Gravy

1. Heat a wok or thick bottom kadhai over high flame. When it is hot, add oil and swirl all around the wok to create a non-stick layer.

2. Now add finely chopped garlic, ginger, and green chilies. Saute till garlic turns light brown in color or until the ingredients have no raw smell.

3. Now add the sliced mixed vegetables – onions, cabbage, and capsicum. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes or until the vegetables have cooked slightly.

4. Now add water, and allow it to reach a roaring boil. (You can replace plain water with vegetable stock).

5. Add red chili sauce, green chili sauce, soy sauce, and vinegar. Mix well and continue to cook for 30 seconds.

6. Add salt, sugar, and black pepper powder. Give a good stir. Check for seasoning and spice, add extra if required.

7. Mix the cornflour slurry well to get rid of any lumps and add it to the wok. Give a good mix.

8. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the gravy thickens.

9. Switch off the heat and add finely chopped spring onion greens.

10. Plain Chinese Gravy is ready. Serve piping hot with your favorite fried rice or noodles.

Serving Suggestions

Serve plain Chinese gravy as a side dish with Egg Fried Rice, Chicken Fried Rice, or Schezwan Veg Fried Rice, and surprise your family with an Indo-Chinese feast.

Storage Suggestions

The gravy tastes best when freshly made and enjoyed piping hot. Over time, veggies lose a bit of crunch and shine.

If you have leftovers, you can refrigerate once it cools down completely. You can store it in an air-tight container for 1 day. I haven’t stored it beyond 1 day so can’t comment to store it for a longer period.

Before serving, reheat in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot. The gravy thickens on cooling. Add little water and adjust the consistency of the sauce as required.

Variations

This is the most basic gravy recipe and is very versatile. It can be used to make a variety of different veg and non-veg dishes.

1. Can add Paneer or Tofu pieces to the gravy.

2. Can add boiled and shredded/chopped pieces of chicken.

3. For a spicier gravy, add homemade or store-bought Schezwan chutney.

More Indian-Chinese Recipes

Street style Chili Chicken

Chicken 65

If you’ve tried this authentic Plain Chinese Gravy Recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Feedback and suggestions are highly appreciated. Also, please share the recipes with your friends and family members.

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