GLOSSARY: CHINESE FERMENTED BLACK BEANS OR DOUCHI

Chinese fermented black beans or Douchi is a popular Chinese flavouring that is used in cooking and to make black bean sauce.

Douchi is made by salting and fermenting soybeans. The process turns the beans black, soft and quite dry. It has a spicy smell, with a taste that is salty and somewhat bitter and sweet.

Douchi should not be confused with black turtle beans, that are commonly used in Central American, South American and Caribbean cuisines.

Douchi is usually used to flavour fish or stir-fried vegetables (particularly bitter melon and leafy vegetables). Unlike some other fermented soybean-based foods such as natto (a Japanese speciality made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis) or tempeh (Javanese fermented soybean cake), douchi is used only as a seasoning, and is not meant to be consumed in large quantities, being typically much more salty.

Small packets of douchi are available wherever Chinese groceries are sold. Use according to packet or recipe instructions.

BLACK BEAN SAUCE/PASTE


In Chinese cuisine, condiments such as black bean paste, black bean sauce or black bean garlic sauce is made from douchi, with garlic and soy sauce usually added to the beans. This paste is commercially available in glass jars from companies such as Lee Kum Kee. Use as a marinade, stir-fry seasoning or sauce over rice, noodles and all kinds of dishes such as my CHICKEN AND CHILLI BLACK BEAN SAUCE.

GLOSSARY: WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE OR LEA AND PERRINS SAUCE

WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (aka Worcester sauce or spelled phonetically as Wuster sauce or simply known as LEA & PERRINS) is a fermented liquid condiment first made at 68 Broad Street, Worcester United Kingdom, by two dispensing chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins. The LEA & PERRINS brand was made commercially in 1837 and remains the only WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE still to be made in the UK. In 1930 the business was sold to HP Foods and was subsequently acquired by the H.J. Heinz Company in 2005.

The product is made and bottled in the Midlands Road factory in Worcester, which has been the home of Lea & Perrins since 16 October 1897.

The H. J. Heinz Company, which now manufactures "THE ORIGINAL LEA & PERRINS WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE", under label LEA & PERRINS, Inc., lists the following ingredients on the label of a bottle produced in the United States: vinegar, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, anchovies, water, onions, salt, garlic, tamarind concentrate, cloves, natural flavorings and chili pepper extract.

The ingredients of a bottle of WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE from England sold under the name "THE ORIGINAL & GENUINE LEA & PERRINS WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE" by LEA & PERRINS Ltd., lists the following ingredients: water, molasses, malt vinegar (from barley), spirit vinegar, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind extract, onions, garlic, spice and flavouring. The LEA AND PERRINS sold in Australia is manufactured in England.

It is a flavouring used in many dishes, both cooked and uncooked, and particularly with grilled and barbequed meats such as beef; and drinks, such as the Bloody Mary. It is safe to say that it is considered the western equivalent of the soy sauce.

WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE plays a significant part in the cuisine of Asian regions which have seen significant exposure to Western cuisine.

In Cantonese cuisine, WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE was introduced in the 19th century via Hong Kong and is today used in dim sum items such as steamed beef meatballs and spring rolls. The Cantonese name for this sauce is "gip-jap". It is also used in a variety of Hong Kong-style Chinese and "Western" dishes.

In Shanghainese cuisine, the use of WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE spread from European-style restaurants in the 19th and 20th century to its use as an ingredient in ubiquitous, Eastern European-inspired dishes such as Shanghai-style borscht, and as a dipping sauce in Western fusion foods such as Shanghai-style breaded pork cutlets. It is also commonly used for Chinese foods such as the shengjian mantou, which are small, pan-fried pork buns. In Shanghai, WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE is called "luh jiangyou", literally "spicy soy sauce". After imported Worcestershire sauce became scarce in Shanghai after 1949, a variety of local brands appeared. These are now in turn exported around the world for use in Shanghai-style dishes.

Japanese WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE, often simply known as sōsu ("sauce"), or Usutā sōsu ("Worcester sauce") is made from purees of fruits and vegetables such as apples and tomatoes, matured with sugar, salt, spices, starch and caramel. Despite this appellation, it bears only moderate resemblance to Western Worcestershire sauce. Sōsu comes in a variety of thickness, with the thicker sauces looking and tasting like a cross between the original WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE and HP sauce.

There are many variations according to flavour and thickness, and are often named after the foods they are designed to go with, such as okonomiyaki sauce and tonkatsu sauce. These sauces, however, and others that are worcestershire relatives are much closer in taste to American barbeque sauce. These variants have become a staple table sauce in Japan, particularly in homes and canteens, since the 1950s. It is used for dishes such as tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlets), okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes), takoyaki, yakisoba, yaki udon, sōsu katsudon and korokke.

Source: Wikipedia

GLOSSARY: FISH SAUCE

FISH SAUCE is a condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. It is an essential ingredient in many South-East Asian curries and sauces, especially in Vietnamese, Thai, Lao, Cambodian, and Filipino cuisine. In addition to being added to dishes during the cooking process, it is also used as a dipping sauce.

There are different methods and ingredients used in making FISH SAUCE – it could be made from raw fish, dried fish, from only a single species or from a combination of fish. Some makers also add shellfish. Usually FISH SAUCE contains only fish and salt, but there are varieties where herbs and spices have been added.

Southeast Asian FISH SAUCE is often made from anchovies, salt and water, and is often used in moderation because of its intense flavour. Anchovies and salt are arranged in wooden boxes to ferment and are slowly pressed, yielding the salty, fishy liquid. The variety from Vietnam is generally called nước mắm and from Thailand, nam pla.

Southeast Asians generally use FISH SAUCE as a cooking sauce. However, there is a sweet and sour version of this sauce in Vietnamese cuisine which is used more commonly as a dipping sauce. It is called nước chấm. In Thailand, FISH SAUCE is used in cooking and is also kept in a jar at the table for use as a condiment. This jar often contains a mixture of FISH SAUCE and chopped hot chilies, called nam pla prik.

FISH SAUCE was also used in Classical Roman cooking, where in Latin it is known as garum or liquamen. The original English Worcestershire sauce is a related product because it is fermented and contains anchovies too.

GLOSSARY: OYSTER SAUCE

Oyster sauce was "accidentally invented" by Mr. Lee Kum Sheung in 1888 (in Nam Shui Village in Guangdong Province, China) who is the founder of the LEE KUM KEE company. Mr. Lee was a restaurateur when he discovered the sauce from an over-cooked pot of oyster soup. His company, LEE KUM KEE, continues to produce oyster sauce to this day, along with a wide variety of Asian condiments.

Oyster sauce is a dark brown sauce commonly used in Chinese, Thai and Khmer cuisine. It is especially common in Cantonese cuisine. Oyster sauce is prepared from oysters, brine, umami (savoury) flavour enhancers such as MSG and typically contains preservatives to increase its shelf life.

A "true" oyster sauce of good quality should be made by condensing oyster extracts, the white broth produced by boiling oysters in water. This opaque broth is then reduced until a desired viscosity has been reached and the liquid has caramelized to a brown colour. No other additives, not even salt, should be added to the sauce, since the oysters should provide all the savory flavour. The LEE KUM KEE Premium Oyster sauce is an example of true oyster sauce.


Many oyster sauces are actually diluted solutions thickened with starch, coloured with caramel coloring (E150), with oyster extracts and synthetic preservatives. In some countries, including the UK, the oyster content in some sauces is lower than its Asian counterparts of the same brand due to laws regulating the import of seafood.

VEGETARIAN OYSTER SAUCE

Vegetarian oyster sauce is prepared from mushrooms, often oyster mushrooms. It is popular with vegetarians and non vegetarians as it is generally lower in price. It may contain more taste enhancers if less mushroom extract is used to reduce costs. It is normally sold as Vegetarian oyster sauce, Mushroom sauce or Vegetarian stir fry sauce. LEE KUM KEE makes a nice version of the sauce.

GLOSSARY: SOY/SOYA SAUCE

Like tofu, soy sauce is made from soy beans. While the Europeans only discovered the soybean plant in the early eighteenth century, the Chinese were relying on it as a food source at least 5,000 years ago. Nutritionally, soy beans provide a healthy and inexpensive source of protein - two pounds of soy flour contains approximately the same amount of protein as five pounds of meat.

Soy sauce is derived from the fermentation of soy beans, roasted grain, water and salt. Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years. It has various forms and it is widely used in East and South East Asian cuisines.

It is important to note that despite its rather similar appearances, soy sauces produced in different cultures and regions are very different in taste, consistency, fragrance and saltiness. As such, it may not be appropriate to substitute soy sauces of one culture or region for another.

Examples of different soya sauce:

1) Indonesian Kecap Manis - a thick and sweet soy sauce that is nearly as thick as molasses. Apart from the normal ingredients in soy sauce, it has a generous addition of palm sugar. The term ‘kecap’ is used to identify all ‘fermented’ sauces. The same term is used in Malaysia by the Malays but it is spelt ‘kicap’.

2) In Singapore and Malaysia, the Chinese there refer to soy sauce as dòuyóu (anglicised as ‘toyu’); dark soy sauce is called jiàngyóu and light soy sauce is jiàngqīng. Malaysia, which has cultural links with Indonesia, uses the word 'kicap' for soy sauce. The Malaysian equivalent to the Indonesian kecap manis is the thick caramel soy sauce.

3) The two basic types of soy sauce used in Chinese cooking are light and dark. Dark soy is aged much longer than light soy, giving it a brownish-black color and much thicker texture. As its name suggests, light soy has a lighter colour, plus a saltier flavour. It is used more in cooking, as the rather pungent odour and darker colour of dark soy sauce can ruin the taste or appearance of a dish. (Dark soy is used in red-cooked dishes and is good for marinating meat). There is also mushroom flavoured soy sauce.

4) Japanese soy sauce or shō-yu, is traditionally divided into 5 main categories depending on differences in their ingredients and method of production. Japanese soy sauces include wheat as a primary ingredient and this tends to give them a slightly sweeter taste than their Chinese counterparts. They also have an alcoholic sherry-like flavour. Not all soy sauces are interchangeable. Tamari, a soy sauce unique to Japan is darker in appearance and richer in flavour. It contains little or no wheat; wheat-free tamari is popular among people eating a wheat free diet. It is the "original" Japanese soy sauce, as its recipe is the closest to the soy sauce originally introduced to Japan from China. Technically, this variety is known as miso-damari, as this is the liquid that runs off miso as it matures.

5) Vietnamese soy sauce is called xì dầu, nước tương, or sometimes simply tương. Again, its taste is quite distinctive. If a recipe does call for tương, do try to find it. If not, substitute with light soy sauce.