A dark, glossy, velvety Cantonese sauce made by slowly reducing fresh oysters with soy sauce, sugar, and a light thickener, true to the spirit of traditional oyster sauce.
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh shucked oysters with their liquor
- 650 ml spring water
- 70 ml Chinese light soy sauce
- 20 ml Chinese dark soy sauce
- 45 g light brown sugar
- 2 g fine salt
- 10 g cornstarch
Method
- Check the oysters: they should smell distinctly of the sea, never of ammonia. Rinse them very quickly in their strained liquor to remove any shell fragments, then keep all the liquid they release.
- Put the oysters, their liquor, and the water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring gently to a simmer, without a vigorous boil: the surface should tremble and form small, regular bubbles.
- Keep over low heat and let the oysters extract for a long time. Stir occasionally with a spatula, lightly crushing the oysters against the side of the saucepan to release their juices. The mixture is ready when the liquid turns beige-brown, salty, and highly aromatic, and the oysters have given up much of their substance.
- Strain through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a clean cloth. Press the oysters gently to recover the concentrated juice, without forcing them so much that the sauce becomes excessively cloudy.
- Return the strained juice to the saucepan. Add the soy sauces, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium-low, stirring until completely dissolved: the sauce should become dark brown, smooth, and glossy.
- Reduce at a controlled gentle simmer. The sauce should thicken through concentration, lightly coat the spatula, and release a deep aroma of brine, fermented soy, and salted caramel.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in a little of the lukewarm sauce taken from the saucepan, until you have a smooth, lump-free slurry. Pour it back into the saucepan while whisking continuously.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. The correct texture is velvety, thick, and coating: a clean line should remain for a few moments when you run a finger across the back of the spoon.
- Taste carefully, since the sauce is concentrated. It should be salty, slightly sweet, intensely umami, with a clear marine finish. Adjust only with a touch of salt or sugar if necessary.
- Pour hot into a perfectly clean jar. Let cool, seal, and keep refrigerated. Use a small amount to glaze stir-fried vegetables, rice, noodles, or pan-fried meats.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 85.9 kcal
- Protein
- 4.54 g
- Carbohydrate
- 15.8 g
- Fat
- 0.4 g
- Fibre
- 0.02 g
- Calcium
- 22.66 mg
- Iron
- 0.61 mg
- Magnesium
- 21.68 mg
