Black Pepper Free Salsa Verde Stir-Fry Sauce
Bright, tangy, and loaded with herbaceous depth, this salsa verde stir-fry sauce brings serious weeknight energy to whatever hits your wok. Simmered tomatillos form the backbone — their natural tartness mellows into something rich and almost jammy once blended with fresh cilantro, jalapeño, and a squeeze of lime. A splash of tamari and a touch of maple syrup round out the flavor with savory-sweet balance that feels genuinely complex without requiring a long ingredient list. For anyone avoiding black pepper, stir-fry sauces can be a minefield since the spice shows up in so many bottled versions and restaurant-style blends — this one skips it entirely while still delivering real heat from the jalapeño and warmth from ground cumin. The cornstarch slurry is a smart finishing move, giving the sauce that glossy, clingy texture that coats vegetables, tofu, or noodles the way a great stir-fry sauce should. It comes together in under fifteen minutes and keeps in the fridge for up to five days, so you can make a batch ahead and have a bold, pepper-free sauce ready to go whenever the craving hits.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the sauce
- 8 oz (about 5–6 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil
- ½ cup scallion greens, thinly sliced (green tops only)
- 1 medium jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp fine salt, or to taste
For the slurry
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- 1
Place the tomatillos in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 8–10 minutes, until the tomatillos are fully softened, have turned from bright green to olive-drab, and are just beginning to split.
- 2
Drain the tomatillos and transfer them to a blender. Add the scallion greens, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, tamari, maple syrup, cumin, and salt. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 30 seconds.
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