Home-made Oyster Sauce is a traditional Chinese recipe for a classic sauce made with boiled mussel meats blended with sugar, salt and dark soy sauce that's thickened with cornflour. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Chinese version of: Home-made Oyster Sauce.
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Like many Chinese sauces and condiments, oyster sauce is something that you can prepare at home. You can make this with fresh shucked oysters, but it also works as well with frozen oysters. I usually buy these in 1kg bags and half a bag is enough for this sauce. Don't discard the oyster meats after preparing oyster sauce as these can be used in preparing pie fillings or making Victorian-style oyster gravy.
Ingredients:
500g oysters (I used frozen oysters)
500ml water (for preparing the base oyster stock)
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp water (for dissolving the cornflour)
Method:
Put the frozen oyster meats in a large bowl, submerge them in cold water for 10 minutes. Gently wash the defrosted oyster meat with cold water for 2 to 3 times, making sure not to break them.
Drain the oysters, transfer in a large saucepan then pour over the 500ml cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat then reduce to medium low and keep the water just simmering for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, use a ladle or a fine meshed skimmer to skim off the scum and foam that rises to the surface of the stock.
After about 30 minutes, the broth liquid level should have reduced by half. Transfer the oysters to a food container. You can use them to prepare pie fillings, gravies or even an oyster omelette later.
Strain the mushroom stock through a fine-meshed sieve or a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a jug. You should get about 250ml oyster stock if you don't spill any. Beat the cornflour with the 2 tbsp water to a smooth slurry then whisk into the oyster stock along with the cornflour, sugar, salt and dark soy sauce. Stir until completely combined.
Pour the mixture into a small non-stick saucepan then bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring all the while. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring continuously using a silicone spatula for 8 to 10 minutes, until the oyster sauce has thickened to a caramel sauce like texture.
Transfer the oyster sauce to a warmed and sterilized jar. Seal securely, allow to cool and store in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 1 month. To ensure the sauce keeps, always use a clean spoon to spoon-out the sauce before use.
