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SMOOTHChina · The plant take on the Cantonese classic

Mushroom Oyster Sauce

Dark, glossy, sweet-salty and deep with umami. A jar of this upgrades every stir-fry, noodle bowl, and plate of greens. And yes, the name is a wink: the original is made from real oysters, ours from oyster mushrooms, and it is every bit as good.

A plate of stir-fried greens topped with a dark mushroom sauce, with a jar of the same sauce sitting on the table behind it.

SMOOTH · The mushroom is blended into a sauce or soup. No pieces at all.

Where it comes from

Traditional oyster sauce is made by slowly simmering oysters until the liquid caramelizes into a dark, briny reduction. Oyster mushrooms, seared hard and concentrated, carry the same deep umami. The real technique, the one cheap versions skip, is making a true caramel first: sugar cooked to amber, which gives the sauce its color, its bittersweet backbone, and its gloss.

Makes about one cup. Keeps two weeks.

What you need
  • 8 oz Blue Oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 1 and a half cups vegetable broth or water
  • 3 tbsp sugar (for the caramel)
  • 2 tbsp water (for the caramel)
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp white miso paste
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tsp neutral oil
  • 1 tsp cornstarch or tapioca starch, mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
How to make it
  1. 01

    Heat a wide pan over medium high, dry. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring now and then, until they release their water, it cooks off, and they brown deeply, about 8 minutes. This deep browning is what gives the sauce its savory backbone. Add the 2 tsp oil for the last minute to help them color.

  2. 02

    Tip the seared mushrooms into a blender with the broth and blend completely smooth.

  3. 03

    Make the caramel: put the sugar and 2 tbsp water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Do not stir. Let it bubble and turn amber, 4 to 6 minutes. Watch it closely, it goes from amber to burnt fast.

  4. 04

    Off the heat, carefully pour in the blended mushroom mixture. It will spit. Stir, then return to low heat.

  5. 05

    Add soy sauce and miso. Simmer gently 5 minutes to marry, whisking to dissolve the miso.

  6. 06

    Stir in the starch slurry and cook 1 minute until it thickens to a pourable, glossy sauce. Finish with sesame oil. It thickens more as it cools.

Serve it with
  • Tossed through any stir-fry or noodles.
  • Spooned over steamed or roasted greens.
  • Brushed onto the seared oyster steaks.
Cook's note

The caramel is the whole game. A sauce made without it tastes flat and looks pale. Take it all the way to amber. This works with coconut sugar as well.

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