Low FODMAP teriyaki sauce and stir fry recipe

The low FODMAP teriyaki sauce below is bonkers good, but if you prefer to buy a pre-made product, there are a couple options.

Teriyaki sauce contains garlic, and depending on the product or recipe, it may also contain honey or high fructose corn syrup. That spells trouble for IBS sufferers on the low FODMAP diet.

Unfortunately, many pre-made sauce products contains high FODMAP ingredients like garlic, onion, and high fructose corn syrup that can trigger symptoms in people with irritable bowel syndrome.

In the UK, Bay’s Kitchen has a low FODMAP teriyaki sauce, as does Fody Foods for people in Canada or the States.

I enjoyed the flavour or Fody Foods’ low FODMAP teriyaki sauce, but it wasn’t as thick as I like. I tend to prefer a fairly thick teriyaki sauce so it adheres evenly to everything in the stir fry. Sadly, I was unable to try the Bay’s Kitchen sauce because they don’t ship to Canada 🙁

Teriyaki stir-fries have been a favourite of mine since I was a child.   When I lived on campus during my first year at uni, my go-to food counter in the cafeteria was Teriyaki Experience. To this day I seek out TE if I have to eat in a mall food court.

So it’s no surprise that low FODMAP teriyaki sauce is a staple in my culinary repertoire.

The recipe below is adapted from a recipe by Monash University, but I made a few tweaks. Firstly, I seldom have fresh ginger on hand so I switched to ground ginger. Second, I decreased the brown sugar and the end result was just as good.

Low FODMAP teriyaki stir fry ingredients

Rice

White rice is the classic base for this meal. Brown rice is a great low FODMAP high fibre food that I recommend for this dish to boost your fibre and feed your gut bugs.

I find that cooking brown rice according to the package instructions can yield less than ideal results. If this has been your experience too, try these tips:

• Ignore the recommended amount of water on the rice package.
• Add the rice to a fairly large pot. Add enough water that it’s at least 2 inches higher than the rice.
• Once it’s boiling, turn down the temperature to medium low and cook with the lid on. I usually set the timer for about 35 minutes.

Voila. Your brown rice should be done around the time everything else in the stir fry is ready.

Chicken

Chicken is an easy protein for stir fries, but you can replace it with tofu, tempeh, salmon filets, beef or shrimp. You can use chicken breast or chicken thigh – whatever suits your palate and budget.

Red pepper

I know, I know. Red pepper is high FODMAP according to the Monash University FODMAP app. However, when you divide the pepper among 4 portions, you end up consuming a green light serve of red pepper.

I love using red pepper in my cooking because it’s high in vitamin C and vitamin A – both important nutrients for the immune system. It also roasts up really nicely in the oven.

Read more about low FODMAP serving sizes and
how much you should eat

Carrots

Carrots are very low in FODMAPs, so you can eat lots of them! And they work great in stir fries.

Broccoli florets

Whether you use frozen or fresh broccoli, make sure to cut off the stalks because they’re high in FODMAPs, while the florets are low.

Green beans

I’m always surprised when people tell me they don’t like green beans. I find they have such a mild flavour that they work well in many dishes.

Other low FODMAP stir fry vegetables

Bok choy and bean sprouts work really well in stir fries, too. Unfortunately, the day I went shopping for this meal the grocery store was out of bean sprouts 🙁 Topping the stir fry with spring onion is also nice.