Recipes » Sauces » Vegan Oyster Sauce

By Chef Del Sroufe

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Traditional oyster sauce is a sweet and savory sauce full of umami, that fifth flavor prized by chefs. The porcini mushrooms in this recipe are not the usual ingredient for this sauce, but they are full of umami.

Yield: 2 servings

Nut Free

Author’s Notes: You can add this sauce to any stir fry. The traditional recipe also uses sugar for sweetness. We use date paste, which gives natural sweetness and thickens the sauce.

Ingredients

1 cup water, plus more as needed
¾ cup Two-Minute Date Paste
½ cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp porcini mushroom powder (see tips)
1 tsp toasted, ground nori (see tips)
1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to a medium saucepan and whisk to combine.
2. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently until the sauce is thickened.
3. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water to thin it out.

Cooking Tips

1. Porcini mushrooms are usually sold dry. You can find them near the fresh mushrooms in the produce section of most grocery stores. To powder them, add them to a spice mill or blender and process until desired consistency.
2. To toast nori, place it in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and cook until fragrant.
3. Add this vegan oyster sauce to the peanut sauce for summer rolls for a delicious touch.