Oyster Sauce

A special southern Chinese sauce made from extracts of oysters. It looks brown because of the caramel and is usually sold in bottles but sometimes also in cans. Its value lies in the savoury-sweet and ‘meaty’ taste it lends to other ingredients, whether meat, vegetables, rice or noodles. It is much more expensive than soy sauce. It can be used as a dipping sauce or as a finishing touch to a dish.