Chinese restaurant brown sauce

[grislyatoms]

Some may recall I asked a bit ago about recipes for American-Chinese restaurant-style brown sauce.

I started out experimenting with soy sauce, sugar, corn syrup, garlic, green onion, and mirin.

The results were mixed, but eventually I came up with a concoction I liked. It was not the sauce I was hoping for, turns out I was actually making a version of teriyaki sauce...

Anyway, I found this recipe: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/saucesmarinades/r/brownsauce.htm

Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
3/4 cup beef broth (beef bouillion cubes can be used)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Preparation:
Combine the above ingredients in order and bring to a boil, stirring. Yields about 1/3 cup.

This IS the Chinese restaurant brown sauce. My version is a little different, I use 1 cup of prepared beef base, low sodium soy sauce, corn syrup instead of sugar and add in some garlic.

Also, make sure to add the cornstarch to cold ingredients, or you will have a lumpy mess. The directions don't really make that clear.

Give it a whirl, it's very tasty.  

(Going through my original post, some folks were trying to steer me in the right direction but I didn't listen... ) 

[wmenorr67]

(Going through my original post, some folks were trying to steer me in the right direction but I didn't listen... )

See, you should never doubt the us.  We do control everything.

[grislyatoms]

(Going through my original post, some folks were trying to steer me in the right direction but I didn't listen... )

See, you should never doubt the us.  We do control everything.

I shall never doubt the us. I shall never doubt the us. Got it.

[K Frame]

Ever wonder why so many Chinese restaurants have sauces that taste so much alike?

There are supply houses that provided the sauces in 5 gallon pails... 

That said, I think I'm going to try this for dinner this evening.

I have everything on hand.

[Manedwolf]

Ever wonder why so many Chinese restaurants have sauces that taste so much alike?

There are supply houses that provided the sauces in 5 gallon pails... 

That's how Olive Garden gets their sauces, too, pails and frozen pillows.

Chinese stuff has a lot more MSG, though.

[Bigjake]

This is perfect, I was just thinking about what to do for dinner. 

I am supprised that a thread about chinese food made it this far without a cat joke. 

[lee n. field]

There are supply houses that provided the sauces in 5 gallon pails...  laugh

Well, duh.

Chinese Restulant Suppry.com.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

.

[Bigjake]

Chinese Restulant Suppry.com.

 

[Mabs2]

Can you get a hold on an egg drop soup recipe?

[280plus]

Cheaters egg drop, prepare a package of ramen noodles and when the noodles get soft crack an egg in there and swish it around in the boiling soup till it's cooked. Yum, yum! 

[mfree]

Why the heck would you *knowingly* use corn syrup in place of sugar in something you're making for yourself?

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I've seen a handful of recipes that specifically call for corn syrup instead of sugar.  I've seen others that call for both corn syrup and sugar at different points in the process.  They aren't exact replacements.

[Sergeant Bob]

Why the heck would you *knowingly* use corn syrup in place of sugar in something you're making for yourself?

Don't panic! He didn't say







































ZOMG!!!1111!! HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!!!11!!! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!11!1

[Antibubba]

Oh, man, the Chinese Restaurant Mafia is going to rub you out!

Nice knowing you.   

[grislyatoms]

I use corn syrup because it blends in very well, and adds a little body. Sugar doesn't seem to work quite as well, and I don't think the miniscule amount of corn syrup I use in this is going to put me in the ICU anyway.

Oh, man, the Chinese Restaurant Mafia is going to rub you out!

Nahh, I worked closely with the Triads in a videogame. I'm a "made man".

Anyone try it yet? I'm interested to hear about any improvements made, what y'all thought about it, etc.

[K Frame]

Corn syrup of the kind that you can find in the grocery store is not high fructose corn syrup.

It's essentially the base for what will become HFCS.

[280plus]

The brown sauce is bad man, don't do the brown sauce! 

[Racehorse]

Most chinese restaurants I've eaten at resulted in a lot of intestinal discomfort and some very disturbing brown sauce. I personally try to avoid the brown sauce.

[280plus]

My favorite was the one where I pointed the cockroach out to the cook and he shrugged his shoulders. 

[K Frame]

Reading this thread made me go to my local Chinese restaurant for dinner last night.

Chicken Szechuan. It has a sauce that seems to be primarily hoisin and lots of shredded carrots.

One of my absolute favorites, but man was I drinking the water last night.

[Antibubba]

Look, most new Chinese restaurants are wonderful--everything is fresh, the spices are amazing, etc.

One year later, after you've been going in a couple times a month, the taste changes.  It's similar, but it doesn't stand out.  Passing by the open kitchen door, you notice, where once there were mounds of odd vegetables and meats there are now plastic and cardboard containers, which look like the boxes and containers at the last Chinese restaurant you stopped going to.  The Chinese Restaurant Mafia has struck whatever their nefarious bargain is, and you've got to find someplace else to eat.

This always happens.  And only with Chinese places.  I've never had a Vietnamese place turn like this, though they'll occasionally let the French part of their cuisine dominate and fancify the joint. 

[seeker_two]

Now that we have the brown sauce down....anyone have a good recipe for sesame chicken?.....