Where and how is oyster sauce used. oyster sauce

Where was oyster sauce invented?

Oyster sauce originated in China. The origin of the recipe is almost a myth: the fisherman was cooking oyster soup and fell asleep from fatigue - this is how the sauce appeared. Actually, this is water, according to the myth - just sea water - otherwise they use ordinary clean water, oyster meat and spices. Further corrections for modern reality begin. Today, oyster meat soup is too expensive, and boiling it down to a sauce, then pouring ordinary rice noodles with this jewel is just an outrage on the wallet. Therefore, today it is not the oysters themselves that go into the sauce, but the oyster extract.

How is it received?

Most likely, by simply pressing the oyster meat, it is something like fresh shellfish. The extract is preserved in jars and in this form is distributed around the world. In Moscow, finding one is not a problem; go to any culinary boutique. Initially, oyster sauce began to be produced in the Chinese province of Zhang Qin, then in neighboring Japan and Korea. There are nuances, but the taste is similar everywhere, salty-sweet. Asians love it very much, sometimes even use it instead of salt - which means that the scope of the sauce is unusually wide, like that of soy sauce. Ketchup is resting...

What, besides extract and water, is needed to make oyster sauce?

We use caramelized sugar, corn starch, you can also use potato starch, monosodium glutamate.

Flavor enhancer?

You really are surprised. Asian sauces are very strongly associated with these spices. As for usefulness, glutamate comes in two forms. The most common now is a chemical product, but there is also natural glutamate, a natural extract from plants. Of course, the natural version will be ten times more expensive, and it is hardly appropriate for oyster sauce. Here again, as in the case of oyster meat, the question of price arises.

How do we prepare the sauce?

We boil oyster extract, starch, sugar in water, add a little citric acid - and wait. We need a jam-like consistency. As it came - set aside from the fire. The sauce has a piquant sweet-salty taste, rich in amino acids and proteins. Store it in the refrigerator and use quickly.

The oyster sauce just asks for something fish or a seafood dish...

But no! It is ideal to accompany them not with fish, but with meat dishes, especially pork. In second place is beef, followed by fish dishes and chicken. You will understand a lot about oyster sauce if I call it the Russian word "gravy". Asians cook meat, rice and eat them with this very gravy - it turns out "lack of food", but the main thing is that the rice is juicy and you can eat a lot of it. The sauce is always poured in at the very end of cooking, it is always heat-treated. To eat something somewhere with raw oyster sauce - like barbecue with ketchup, for example - this does not happen. Heat treatment greatly enhances the taste of the sauce, although some of its properties, of course, are irretrievably lost.

It looks like beef noodle soup to me. We take beef tenderloin, soft meat, cut across the fibers into square pieces, slightly wider than azu. Marinate lightly in sesame oil, Chinese rice wine, salt and pepper. “Marinating” is a strong word: in fact, we just mix the meat with the above ingredients with our hands. And then immediately throw it into deep fat for 20 seconds. Outside it turns out a crust, inside - tenderness. Next, we take rice, best flat noodles, fry them in a small amount of oil in a hot frying pan so that it does not stick to the walls. The right frying pan is a wok, the right spatula is wooden. We fried it, added a little chicken broth, turned it off and do not remove it from the stove so that it cools as slowly as possible. Now we prepare the dressing: we throw garlic, ginger into the pan, fry them with the addition of chicken broth, pour in oyster sauce, thick dark soy sauce, Chinese wine and a drop of sesame oil. Here - cornstarch for thickening, and then beef, after which we remove from the stove and spread on the noodles. The plate must be deep.

What do we garnish?

Serve noodles marinated in spices with sugar and rice vinegar red capsicum, which must first be scalded and immediately cooled with frappe ice, because if you leave it to cool on its own, the scalded pepper will continue to cook, and the taste will not be the same.

Interviewed by Anna Karmanova

Such an unusual, oyster sauce, originally from China, has entered many kitchens of European and Russian housewives. How to use it and what dishes can be cooked, first of all, many housewives are wondering.

Despite the fact that the sauce is made from oyster extract, i.e. seafood, it perfectly reveals and complements the taste of meat. Best of all, it emphasizes the taste of pork and beef.

In China, oyster sauce is also added to vegetables, shrimp, or simply eaten with boiled unleavened rice, which, thanks to this dressing, plays with new colors.

So, here are the options for using oyster sauce.

1. Sauce for vegetables

Add oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil to cooked vegetables (Beijing cabbage, broccoli, etc.) to give an original taste.

2. Marinade for tofu (tibu)

Top steamed tofu with oyster sauce, sugar, minced garlic, and sesame oil.

3. Glossy Sauce in Roast

Just add in the last few minutes to a roast for a sophisticated taste.

Sauteed shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, yellow and/or red bell peppers, etc. season with sauce from 1 tsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. l. oyster sauce, water. Saute until the vegetables are coated with an evenly glossy sauce.

4. Brown sauce like in a restaurant

Heat vegetable oil, add chopped garlic and fry for 1 minute. Stir Panda oyster sauce with chicken broth, sugar, add to sautéed garlic and bring to a boil. Starch, diluted in cold water (1: 2), enter, stirring, into the sauce. Add ground black pepper to taste, chopped green onions. The sauce is ready. Serve with crabs and lobsters.

5.Aromatic addition to fried rice.

Fry a couple of eggs while stirring. In another pan, sauté the ground beef with peas and diced carrots. Add 1 tsp sugar, 4 tbsp. oyster sauce, boiled rice and fried eggs. Stir and cook for a few more minutes.

6. Sauce for beef with broccoli.

In the fried beef and broccoli, add 2 tbsp. dry sherry, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp. Panda oyster sauce and black pepper to taste. Overcook, slowly add starch diluted in water (1 tbsp.), Stir continuously until the sauce thickens.

7. Chinese barbecue sauce

Marinade: 2 tbsp Panda oyster sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp brown sugar, orange or pineapple juice, black pepper, 2 tsp. ketchup, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard.

Coat meat steaks with marinade and put in the cold for 30 minutes. Fry the steaks for 5 minutes on each side, brushing with the remaining marinade. It is used in frying, marinating and preparing a mixture for dishes, and also served as a seasoning for ready meals.

Recipe "Pork with oyster sauce"

Ingredients:

Pork - 200-300 grams

Nectarine - 1 piece

Tomato - 1 pc.

Canned pineapple - 2 rings

Bulb - 1 pc.

Red bell pepper - ¼ pcs.

oyster sauce- 4-5 tbsp. l.

Honey - 2-3 tsp

1 garlic clove

Dried ginger - ½ tsp

Dried barberry - to taste

Olive oil for frying

Cooking:

Cut the pineapple rings into four parts, cut the nectarine into large slices. Cut the meat into strips, pepper, salt. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut the tomato and peeled red pepper into small pieces. Finely chop the onion.

Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan. Fry shredded pork. Transfer the finished meat to a plate, and put the onion in the pan, stirring occasionally, fry it over medium heat, add bell pepper and tomato slices. Stir-fry the mixture until tender.

Sauce mixture: mix minced garlic with oyster sauce and honey, add barberry, ginger. Mix everything thoroughly.

We add nectarine, pineapple to almost ready vegetables, just before the readiness we put meat on top of the vegetables, pour the mixture based on oyster sauce. We fry pork with vegetables with sauce quite a bit (0.5 - 1 min) and remove from heat.

The history of oyster sauce began not so long ago, only 120 years ago, in China. In a fairly short time, it has become indispensable in Chinese cooking. Possessing a spicy taste, this dish is also very healthy for humans. It is enriched with amino acids that nourish our body with proteins. The sauce has a dark brown color, a specific smell and a sweet-salty taste. Perhaps no seasoning goes so harmoniously with meat, seafood and vegetables as oyster sauce. In China, grated oyster dressing is considered the most versatile and essential addition to many dishes. In the era of popularization, this dish won the love of many gourmets around the world. Now it is served in many restaurants.

Cut into thin slices. Fry it should be no more than 2 minutes. We will get the meat, and save the marinade, it will come in handy a little later. In a frying pan, heat the oil over low heat, stirring thoroughly, fry the beef for about 5 minutes. After frying, put the meat on paper towels. Pour the oyster sauce into a clean skillet and bring to a boil. Then add the remaining marinade and cook for 2 minutes. Add the fried slices of meat and pepper to the pan, mix thoroughly. Beef in oyster sauce is ready! Serve with noodles sprinkled with cilantro and mint leaves. With such a dish, you will not only please your household or guests, but you can also pleasantly surprise them by bringing new notes to ordinary dishes. Bon appetit!

Oyster sauce is a phrase familiar to anyone who loves Asian cuisine. It is in such dishes that this spicy dressing is often found. Want to know more about her and learn how to cook on your own? Then our review is made especially for you!

What it is

The product is a thick dark liquid - a mixture of oysters and several other components. In the photo you can see the thick, "caramel" texture of the dressing.

It is used in cooking in Asian countries as - dishes with oyster sauce are popular in China, Vietnam, Cambodia.

Got a quick tour? Now it's time to talk about what oyster sauce is eaten with, where to add aromatic dressing.

Where to add

To begin with, we note how to use oyster sauce - there are certain rules for consuming the product:

• At the end of cooking in a small amount - a tablespoon per pot / pan is enough;
• Reduce the amount of salt when preparing such dishes;
• Cook at a low temperature - too high a figure will “kill” all the flavors.

Figured out how to use oyster sauce with meat or other ingredients. Now let's talk about what oyster sauce is eaten with. The list is quite wide:

• Thai oyster sauce good for chicken or noodles as well as teriyaki;
• Creamy oyster sauce perfectly harmonizes with vegetables and potatoes;
• Pepper-oyster sauce suitable for rice, sushi and sashimi, rolls.

What else is combined with this unique oyster component?

• Beef and pork dishes;
• Stews;
• As a base for other sauces and marinades;
• boiled fish;
• Grilled dishes;
• Mushroom snacks;
• Salads from vegetables and meat ingredients.

Surely you will be interested to know what the gas station consists of? Then read on!

Compound

It is very important to study the composition of oyster sauce - in order to get a general idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe product and find the right ingredients for making it yourself. To begin with, let's talk about the components that make up the composition - so, let's figure out what oyster sauce is made of:

• oysters;
• Water;
• Salt;
• Sugar;
• Corn starch;
• Wheat flour;
• Caramel color;
• Monosodium glutamate.

There is also a vegetarian version - for those who do not consume animal products:

• Mushrooms;
• Soy sauce;
• glucose syrup;
• Water, salt and sugar, starch.

Now it's time to discuss the chemical composition of oyster dressing - it includes a large number of useful elements:

• Iodine and potassium;
• Phosphorus and zinc;
• calcium and selenium;
• Magnesium and copper;
• Iron and fluorine;
• B vitamins;
• Vitamin PP, A and C;
• Glucose;
• Folic and ascorbic acids.

The calorie content is quite small due to the low fat content, but it contains a lot of proteins and carbohydrates (high in sugar and salt).

Let's now talk about what the dressing tastes like and what you can substitute for oyster sauce.

Features of taste than to replace

To begin with, let's discuss what oyster sauce tastes like - it is important to study the taste characteristics of the product even before using it.

• It has a delicate, sweet-salty flavor;
• The taste of salt is not pronounced;
• The smell is not like the aromas of fish products;
• Somehow it tastes like umami.

Now you know what an oyster product looks like - it's time to figure out if there are available analogues.

• Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce;
• Fish sauce.

We learned how to replace oyster sauce - there is always a choice! If you don’t want to look for analogues or go to the store for a cherished bottle, try making it yourself - read below how to make oyster sauce at home.

Self-cooking

Not everyone can buy Chinese oyster sauce or any other type of product - but you can try to push your culinary boundaries and make your own dressing.

The recipe for cooking at home is quite simple - and the result will surprise you with incredible taste and aroma! We figure out how to make the perfect dressing at home:

Learned a simple oyster sauce recipe? It's time to move on - before use, it is important to study the features of the storage of the product.

• A self-prepared product is stored in the refrigerator for a month;
• Factory refueling is stored according to the rules indicated on the package;
• The product of industrial production, on average, costs about 3-6 months without loss of quality and taste in a cold place, the packaging must be airtight.

Pay attention, if you notice a change in color and loss of smell, then it's time to throw the product away.

You know how to make and where to add oyster sauce. The next important part of the article is the useful properties and possible contraindications of the product.

Benefit and harm

The benefits and harms of the oyster product come from its composition, which we discussed in detail above. Let's start by talking about the beneficial qualities of dressing - with regular moderate consumption, you can extract the following positive properties:

• Conclusion of harmful cholesterol;
• Increased immunity;
• Normalization of metabolism;
• Improved appetite;
• Stress relief and help in getting rid of depression;
• Normalization of the digestive system;
• Stimulation of the brain;
• Improving the functioning of the liver and blood vessels;
• Gives a charge of vivacity and energy.

However, there are some contraindications for use - you should carefully study them before buying or preparing a dressing:

• Diabetes;
• Obesity;
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Allergy to seafood.

We call for moderation in the consumption of any product - this also applies to spicy dressing. If you have any questions, please contact a specialist!

How to choose where to buy?

You can buy an oyster product in any large store - you will find it on the shelves with spices and other sauces, as well as in the Asian cuisine departments.

When choosing, pay attention to the composition - it is better to look for labels that indicate the least amount of artificial components. It is also important to look at these words:

• Oyster Sauce - speaks of the naturalness of the composition;
• Oyster Flavored is a label for products that are flavored like oysters.

Now you know what oyster sauce is used for, what features it has and to whom it is contraindicated - finally, read the reviews of those who were able to prepare the dressing on their own!

Oyster sauce is one of the most popular additions in Asian cuisine. Although the main component to which the product owes its name is boiled oyster extract, this sauce does not have a "marine" flavor. It tastes more like a sweet-salty, rich beef broth. Just a few drops of this additive are enough to give any dish an oriental character. It has a rather thick, viscous consistency and a dark brown color. It contains many amino acids necessary for the human body.

Where did oyster sauce come from

Unlike many other well-known Asian food additives, oyster sauce does not boast a very long tradition. Legend has it that its recipe was created in the mid-19th century by Li Kum Sang (Shang), a chef from a small cafe in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. The establishment offered mostly simple oyster dishes. Li found that the long cooking of these seafood produces a very fragrant and rather thick broth, which, after appropriate refueling, becomes a delicious addition to other dishes.

When a Chinese chef founded Lee Kum Kee a few years later, oyster sauce became its signature product. In the following decades, the product gained immense popularity, and not only in Asia. Today, Lee Kum Kee International Holdings, headquartered in Hong Kong, offers about 200 different food additives that are sold in 100 countries around the world. And oyster sauce is still its biggest hit, even though many other companies make similar products. However, the quality varies...

What can be found in oyster sauce

Before buying an oriental delicacy, you should familiarize yourself with its composition. The base for the sauce should be an extract of long-boiled oysters, which gives it not only taste, but also the appropriate density and characteristic dark brown color. But in practice, often such a “hood” is only a small addition - sometimes only 2-3%. Therefore, it is worth choosing products with a more “serious” content. natural oyster extract. Fortunately, sauces can be found on the market, where its percentage can reach 30%.

When choosing oyster sauce, make sure that the content of natural oyster extract is 30% - this is the best indicator of the authenticity and quality of the sauce.

Unfortunately, manufacturing companies, looking for ways to save time and money, usually base their recipes on on water, sugar and caramel, giving the product a dark color. The role of the thickener is played by corn starch or wheat flour (oyster sauce is quite thick). In the composition we can also find soy sauce or soybean paste made from soybeans, wheat flour and salt.

Attention: preservatives

The list of ingredients should end there, but many oyster sauce manufacturers use other additives that are much less beneficial to our health. This Asian extract is itself considered to be the "purveyor" of umami, the fifth of the main flavors, sourced from natural glutamic acid. However, in the composition of oyster sauce, we can often see an additional "amplifier" in the form of synthetic monosodium glutamate, sometimes hiding under the index E621. According to scientists, its excess contributes to the development of obesity, as it causes a significant increase in appetite and increases the feeling of hunger. It can also cause damage to brain cells. Opinions are also expressed that this substance is responsible for not such unpleasant physiological symptoms as numbness, weakness and palpitations.

Sodium benzoate is often responsible for preserving the sauce ( E211). Studies have shown that frequent use of this substance in large doses leads to irritation of the gastric mucosa. Therefore, products with it in sensitive people (for example, with an ulcer) can cause pain and malaise. It is also not recommended for children, the elderly, people allergic to aspirin, and asthmatics.

Another preservative used by oyster sauce manufacturers is potassium sorbate. It causes allergic reactions in some people.

How to use oyster sauce in the kitchen?

Good quality oyster sauce can be a great addition to meals. But it is worth remembering that you need to store it in a dry and dark place, and after opening the container - in the refrigerator.

A fragrant product perfectly emphasizes the taste of boiled meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. Oyster sauce can be used as a condiment for salads. Excellent performance in marinades for meat, especially when combined with soy sauce and butter.

Enhances the taste of food stir fry fried in very hot oil (preferably sesame or peanut), with pork, poultry, fish or seafood (especially shrimp) and vegetables (radishes, white onions, carrots or bamboo shoots).

Keep in mind that you need to add oyster sauce at the end of cooking and do not overdo it with the amount, especially if the dish has already been salted before.

Oyster sauce goes well with seasonings: pan-fried sesame seeds, ginger, coriander, lemongrass or galangal.

A few drops of this extract should also be added to soup, for example, oriental cuisine, seafood. They are first marinated in oyster sauce, then fried with onions and carrots, poured with broth, and boiled over low heat. Finally, coconut milk, diced tomatoes and finely chopped coriander are added. Thanks to the oyster sauce, the soup will become rich and will be a wonderful warming dish for an autumn or winter lunch.