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If you are a fan of soy sauce, you are sure to like this one. Be guaranteed that there is no flavor or smell of fish in it. However, it does contain MSG, and added preservatives. Use it judiciously, as even an extra drop can make your dish overwhelmingly salty. A high-quality oyster sauce will have oyster extracts or oyster essence as one of its primary ingredients. Avoid sauces that list ‘artificial flavors’ or ‘oyster-flavored’ as main ingredients. Always store oyster sauce in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight or heat. Make sure to refrigerate it after opening and use it within the recommended time frame to maintain its flavor and quality. Finding the Ideal Ratio in Recipes Yet, what is this magical brown sauce? Is it actually made of, well, oysters? And how can one start deploying it at home?
Left: LKK Boat Lady, winner of our taste test, contains the most amount of protein by volume by a long shot. Right: Healthy Boy, the loser of the taste test, has zero protein. What about the ingredient list?Along with a jolt of flavor, oyster sauce adds a dark caramel color to any dish, which, according to assistant food editor Jessie YuChen, is referred to as “the sauce color” in Mandarin. It’s a shade you’ll notice in many Chinese dishes like stir-fried broccoli, Cantonese beef chow fun, and lo mein. Whether the color is coming from soy, oyster, or another brown sauce like hoisin, it’s a sure sign a dish is going to be tasty. The equation is simple, according to YuChen: “Brown = sauce = flavor.” What does oyster sauce taste like? If you are allergic to soy, this could be a blessing, as it makes for an excellent replacement. Try Jap Chae with Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce instead of soy sauce and see the significant difference in taste for yourself. Maekura’s oyster sauce happens to be one of the most favored in the market today. It can be used as a low-sodium alternative to fish sauce. Because of its flavor and aroma, you need just half the amount of what you would use if you were using fish sauce. Use fish sauce in a 1:1 ratio, but be mindful of its strong aroma and flavor. Start with less fish sauce and adjust according to your taste. 3. Worcestershire sauce A few drizzles of the sauce on stir-fried Chinese greens like Yu Choy (a green leafy vegetable used in South-East Asian cooking) or Chinese broccoli can elevate its flavor. You can take it up a notch by adding some sweet chili sauce.
Source of Vitamins and Minerals: The oyster sauce is rich in essential minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. It also contains traces of vitamins A and C. These micronutrients contribute to maintaining bone health and supporting general well-being. You may have wondered about the difference between the red label and the green label oyster sauce. Well, this Panda Oyster Sauce is labeled green because it does not contain MSG at all and is more gluten-free than the red-label product. Low in Calories: The oyster sauce is relatively low in calories when compared to other condiments. A tablespoon of oyster sauce contains approximately 9 calories, making it a healthier alternative to other high-calorie sauces. When considering the nutritional information of oyster sauce, it's essential to understand both its health benefits and potential concerns. Health Benefits I call oyster sauce “the queen of stir fry sauces”. Meat and veggie stir fries, fried rice, fried noodles…all of these are great places to use oyster sauce - and though you can use it as the only sauce, I like to use it in combination with soy sauce and fish sauce for a more complex flavour.
How do you cook with oyster sauce?
As for the taste, oyster sauce doesn’t actually taste strongly of oysters but it does have the same undertones of the briny umami taste of oysters. From its name, you may think it tastes of the ocean but in fact, it’s much less funky than say, fish sauce. Instead, it’s salty, sweet, and savory and really an essential pantry item that enhances the flavor and appearance of just about any dish. How Is It Used?
Often, customers confuse this particular sauce with another non-premium version that Lee Kum Kee brings out. The latter, though less expensive, has less flavor than the premium version. While all three are popular Asian condiments, oyster sauce is made from oyster extracts and has a sweet, savory, and slightly briny flavor. Soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans and has a salty and umami taste. Refrigerate after opening. It will last in the fridge for 1 year, as long as you don’t dirty the bottle or cross contaminate with other ingredients. (In our experience, we’ve kept it even longer without a problem. Use your best judgment).
More Thai Ingredients 101
If you haven’t dabbled with oyster sauce yet, I’d highly recommend diving in. It might just become your kitchen’s secret weapon, as it has become mine.
Once opened, oyster sauce should be kept in the fridge as it will get moldy at room temperature. However, if you go to Thailand, you’ll see most people keep their oyster sauce at room temperature despite it saying “refrigerate after opening” on the label.Oyster sauce features primarily in Cantonese cooking, but Chinese chefs in other regions also prize it for its umami-enhancing capabilities. So I apologize to everyone in the past whom I advised going entirely by the ingredient list! Premium LKK oyster sauce (top) contains more oyster extract than the basic LKK (bottom). But this conclusion cannot always be drawn across different brands. Is oyster sauce gluten free?
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