Asian Sauces and Glazes
Cooking Skills: Sauces 2
Chapter 4 · Asian Sauces and Glazes
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The basics
Asian sauces are built on balance. Most use four tastes: salty (soy sauce), sweet (sugar or honey), sour (rice vinegar or lime) and hot (chilli, ginger or pepper), plus savoury aromatics such as garlic and spring onion. If a sauce tastes flat, it usually needs more of one of the four; if it tastes harsh, it needs more of the opposite. Taste, adjust a little, and taste again.
Most are thickened with cornflour mixed with cold water, which turns the sauce glossy and makes it cling to food (see Cooking Skills: Sauces 1, chapter 1). Sesame, peanut and chilli noodle sauces are in Cooking Skills: Noodles 1, chapter 5, and stir-fried noodles in chapter 2 of that course; here we make the sauces on their own, to use with any meat, fish, tofu or vegetables.
The method
- Mix the sauce before you start cooking, because stir-fries and glazes move fast.
- Start with the salty and sweet, then add acid and heat a little at a time.
- Mix cornflour with cold water first (never straight into hot liquid) and add it to a simmering sauce.
- Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until glossy and thick; the sauce thickens more as it cools.
- Add toasted sesame oil and fresh herbs at the end, off the heat, so the aroma stays.
| Sauce | Main tastes | Thickened with | Goes with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teriyaki-style glaze | Salty and sweet | Reduction or cornflour | Salmon, chicken, tofu |
| Sweet chilli sauce | Sweet, sour and hot | Cornflour | Spring rolls, chicken, prawns |
| Stir-fry sauce | Salty, savoury | Cornflour | Vegetables, beef, noodles |
| Black bean sauce | Salty, earthy, savoury | Cornflour | Beef, fish, peppers |
Chilli and spices: chilli can sting skin and eyes, so wash your hands well after chopping it and don't touch your face. Add heat in small steps, and keep portions for children mild.
Allergens: soy and wheat (soy sauce), shellfish (oyster sauce), sesame, and fish (fish sauce) are allergens, and many Asian sauces contain several. Tamari or coconut aminos can replace soy sauce for a gluten-free version; check labels.
Try it
A teriyaki-style glaze
Real teriyaki uses mirin, a sweet rice wine; here rice vinegar and honey give a similar flavour with no alcohol. Brush it on salmon, chicken or tofu near the end of cooking, or simmer food in it.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 100 ml water
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp cold water
- Put the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, ginger, garlic and 100 ml water in a small pan and heat until the honey dissolves.
- Mix the cornflour with the cold water, stir it in and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until glossy.
- Taste: add a splash of vinegar if too sweet, or honey if too salty. Brush on food in the last minutes of cooking.
Burning: honey and soy burn quickly under a grill or in a hot pan, so brush the glaze on late.
Allergens: contains soy and wheat.
Sweet chilli sauce
A glossy red dipping sauce that is easy to make and far fresher than the shop-bought kind. Deseed the chillies for a milder sauce. Be careful when handling the hot syrup.
Ingredients (8 portions)
- 3 large red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 150 ml rice vinegar
- 100 g caster sugar
- 100 ml water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp cold water
- Put the chillies, garlic, vinegar, sugar, 100 ml water and salt in a pan, stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Mix the cornflour with the cold water and stir it in. Simmer for 2 minutes until it turns clear and glossy.
- Cool completely; it thickens as it cools. Store in a clean jar in the fridge for up to about 2 weeks.
Chilli and spices: chilli can sting skin and eyes, so wash your hands well after chopping it and don't touch your face. Add heat in small steps, and keep portions for children mild.
Jars and storing: wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse and dry them, then fill while the sauce is hot and cool before chilling. Keep in the fridge, label with the date and use within the time given. If a sauce smells off, looks fizzy or has mould, throw it away.
An all-purpose stir-fry sauce
Mix this before you start, and pour it into the hot wok in the last minute. It works with beef and peppers, chicken and broccoli, tofu or just vegetables. Taste and adjust, but do not add salt until you taste the cooked dish.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (or extra soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 100 ml low-salt chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Stir everything except the sesame oil in a jug until the cornflour is dissolved.
- Stir-fry your meat and vegetables, then pour in the sauce and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until glossy.
- Take off the heat, stir in the sesame oil, and taste.
Allergens: contains soy and wheat, shellfish (oyster sauce) and sesame.
A black bean sauce
Black bean sauce has a deep, salty, earthy taste that comes from fermented soy beans. Jarred black bean sauce is the easy route; rinsed fermented black beans are stronger and fresher. Because both are salty, go carefully with extra soy sauce.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp jarred black bean sauce, or fermented black beans rinsed and chopped
- 150 ml low-salt stock
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- Heat the oil, then fry the garlic, ginger and black bean for 30 seconds, stirring, without burning.
- Add the stock and sugar and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the cornflour mixed with the water and simmer for 1 minute. Add the spring onions, taste, and add soy sauce only if needed.
Allergens: contains soy and often wheat; fermented black beans are very salty.
Experiments
Honey or sugar
Flavour of the sweetener.
- Make two small batches of teriyaki glaze, one with honey and one with the same amount of sugar.
Look for: Honey is floral and slightly thicker and burns faster. Sugar is cleaner. Both work.
Cornflour or reduction
Gloss and body.
- Thicken one glaze with cornflour and reduce another by simmering for 8 minutes.
Look for: The cornflour sauce is glossy and clear; the reduced sauce is darker and more intense but less thick.
Rice or cider vinegar
Gentle and fruity.
- Make two stir-fry sauces, one with rice vinegar and one with cider vinegar, and taste.
Look for: Rice vinegar is milder and slightly sweet; cider vinegar is sharper and fruitier. Either works, but taste and adjust.
Fresh or dried ginger
Fragrance.
- Make two glazes, one with fresh grated ginger and one with a quarter of the amount of ground ginger.
Look for: Fresh ginger is bright and zingy; ground ginger is warmer and duller. Fresh is better in these sauces.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teriyaki-style glaze | ||||
| Sweet chilli sauce | ||||
| Stir-fry sauce | ||||
| Black bean sauce | ||||
| Honey or sugar | ||||
| Cornflour or reduction | ||||
| Rice or cider vinegar | ||||
| Fresh or dried ginger |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Too salty | Too much soy sauce | Add water, a little sugar or rice vinegar |
| Too sweet | Too much sugar or honey | Add vinegar or lime juice |
| Lumpy sauce | Cornflour added without mixing, or into boiling liquid | Always mix with cold water first; whisk, or strain |
| Sauce too thin | Not simmered long enough | Simmer for a further minute, or add a little more cornflour mixed with water |
| Bitter garlic or ginger | Burnt | Fry for only 30 seconds, and start again |
| Flat or dull | Missing acid | Add a squeeze of lime or a splash of rice vinegar |
Hot pan and hot oil: searing and stir-frying use very high heat and spitting oil. Dry the beef first, keep everything ready before you start, use a long spoon and keep children away from the hob.
Keeping sauces: cool a sauce quickly in a shallow container within 1 to 2 hours, press cling film onto the surface to stop a skin forming, chill and use within about 2 days. Reheat until steaming hot, stirring. Milk and cream sauces can split when frozen, so freeze other sauces instead.
- I can balance salty, sweet, sour and hot.
- I can thicken a sauce with cornflour without lumps.
- I can make a glaze and brush it on at the right time.
- I can mix a stir-fry sauce before I start cooking.
- I can work with salty fermented ingredients.