A tangy, spicy, deeply umami British brown sauce made by infusing and reducing vinegars, molasses, tamarind, aromatics, spices, and soy sauce, then straining it as a table condiment.
Ingredients
- 250 ml British malt vinegar
- 150 ml apple cider vinegar
- 90 ml naturally fermented soy sauce
- 80 ml British mushroom ketchup
- 70 g black cane molasses
- 35 g seedless tamarind paste
- 1 piece yellow onion
- 3 cloves fresh garlic
- 20 g fresh ginger
- 2 tsp English mustard powder
- 1 tsp mild smoked paprika
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 4 pieces whole cloves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 leaves dried bay leaves
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 120 ml filtered water
Method
- Coarsely slice the onion, crush the garlic, and slice the ginger. The pieces should remain large enough to flavor the sauce and then be strained out cleanly.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the vinegars, soy sauce, mushroom ketchup, molasses, tamarind paste, and filtered water. Heat over medium heat, whisking until the molasses has completely dissolved and the liquid is uniformly brown.
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger, English mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper, cloves, pepper, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer: the surface should tremble softly, without large, aggressive bubbles.
- Lower the heat and reduce uncovered. Stir from time to time with a spatula, especially around the edges, until the raw vinegar smell rounds out and the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon.
- Taste carefully by placing a drop on a cold spoon. The sauce should be very lively, salty, sweet-bitter, and spicy because it is used in small amounts; if it seems flat, continue simmering for a few minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let infuse off the heat until the saucepan no longer gives off hot steam. This pause settles the onion, spice, and tamarind notes without making the garlic harsh.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel. Gently press the aromatics with the back of a spoon to extract the juices, without pressing so hard that the sauce becomes excessively cloudy.
- Return the strained sauce to the clean saucepan and give it one last brief simmer. It should be fluid, brown, glossy, and closer to a liquid condiment than a syrup.
- Pour while boiling hot into a sterilized bottle or jar, seal, let cool, then refrigerate. Shake before using: fine spices may settle slightly at the bottom.
- Serve in very small amounts over eggs, Welsh rarebit, roasted vegetables, a savory pie, tomato soup, or a vegetarian brown sauce, as you would a classic Worcestershire sauce.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 144.6 kcal
- Protein
- 3.21 g
- Carbohydrate
- 27.23 g
- Fat
- 0.99 g
- Fibre
- 2.81 g
- Calcium
- 79.55 mg
- Iron
- 2.43 mg
- Magnesium
- 85.5 mg
