Oyster Sauce

Oyster sauce adds a savory flavor to many dishes, making it a fantastic choice for many kinds of vegetables. The sauce is a kitchen pantry staple in family style Chinese cooking. It is often used in noodle dishes, such as Lo Mein and in savory dishes. Oyster sauce is a thick, brown sauce with a sweet, salty, and earthy flavor. Oyster sauce is a popular ingredient in Vietnamese, Thai, and Cantonese cuisine. This thick, savory sauce is full of "umami." Umami is described as another taste sensation in the mouth along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Umami might be described as an earthy taste. I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

 2 ½ ounces dried shiitake mushrooms (slices or pieces work best)

1 quart boiling water

2 Tablespoons brown miso (you can substitute any miso available)
1 – 3 Tablespoons date puree or agave (*see note below)
1 Tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tablespoon of water

The Night Before:

Place dried shiitake’s in a large bowl or container. Pour the boiling water over them and make sure they are submerged. Cover and let sit overnight or at least 8 hours.

 The next day, strain mushroom liquid into medium sauce pan. Reserve hydrated shiitake’s to use for dumpling filling, stir fry or soup. Bring mushroom liquid to a boil and reduce until only ½ cup remains. Keep an eye on it and check frequently by measuring the amount of liquid left once it has reduced by about 75%.

Pour reduction into bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, except the cornstarch slurry) Pour your oyster sauce into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer 2 or 3 minutes to marry flavors. Slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry a few drops at a time. You probably will not need to use all of it to thicken the oyster sauce. Let mixture come to a simmer, stirring well with the whisk, and continue to cook until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove to cool and pour into container. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Date Puree:

I make the date puree by soaking dates in a glass jar overnight with enough water to cover. The next day, I puree the dates and liquid in blender, adding a little more water at a time, until I have a thick, sweet paste. I keep it stored in the refrigerator in the glass jar. You may use your own date syrup or agave, adding it 1 Tablespoon at a time to oyster sauce until you have a balanced, salty and slightly sweetened taste.