Ketchup Is The Secret Ingredient For A Top-Notch Stir Fry

Ketchup is one of the most popular condiments in America. And while it's a well-known fact that it's great on hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and even eggs, ketchup doesn't get quite enough respect as an ingredient. This tomato-based sauce can work wonders in dishes, which is why you'll find it in a lot of recipes, such as many different kinds of meatloaf as well as some styles of barbeque sauce. Ketchup also can be a special flavor enhancer when used to make stir fry, too.

That's because ketchup is a remarkable mix of sweet and savory, as one can tell from just looking at the label. Depending on the brand, it's usually made up of some mixture of tomato concentrate, vinegar, a sweetener, salt, onion powder, and spices. That's a lot of flavor packed into one ingredient! And because of the way that it's made, ketchup can also add the flavor of long cooked tomatoes to any recipe including those you prepare in your wok.

Ketchup can play a supporting role in a number of different types of stir fry sauces. Given the flavor profile of the condiment, it's a natural addition to a sweet and sour sauce. It already has a sweet note to it, so you could simply combine it with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and garlic to do the trick. The sauce also usually includes pineapple juice; so you'll want to add the juice a bit at a time so that the sauce doesn't become overly sweet.

You can also try ketchup in a more straightforward stir fry sauce as it plays well with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Add some fresh garlic and ginger to the mix and you've got a great sauce for chicken or vegetable stir fry alike. You could also make ketchup the main ingredient in your sauce and mix in garlic and dried chiles or chili powder along with a bit of soy sauce and chicken stock for a combination often used in chicken Manchurian, a Chinese-style dish popular in Asia and that sometimes appears on menus at Indian restaurants.

Ketchup can also work well in pad Thai, a popular stir fry noodle dish. In this case, it can serve as a substitute for the traditional tamarind juice or paste since the condiment has a similar sweet yet tangy taste. And it can be easier to find at the grocery store than tamarind, too. You'll want to add a bit more acid, however, since tamarind is more sour than ketchup; you can simply use lime juice to accomplish this. 

Ketchup could be used to enhance store-bought stir fry sauces as well. It will give them a flavor boost and a bit more richness, too. You can also try mixing a few tablespoons in with some teriyaki sauce to create a more complex flavor.

In addition to stir fries, ketchup can add a wonderful tang to other sauces as well. It may seem sacrilegious to some, but a bit of ketchup actually helps make Bolognese sauce, a traditional Italian meat sauce, even better. The condiment can also help you make a quick goulash, too, since it can take the place of fresh tomatoes in the dish.