Instant umami: Andrew Wong’s tips for using oyster sauce at home

If you’re looking for a way to up the umami in your home cooking, reach for a bottle of oyster sauce next time.

The origin story goes that in the late 19th century, Mr Lee Kum Sheung overboiled oysters at his food stall in what is modern-day Guangdong province, creating a rich, syrupy liquor we know today as oyster sauce. His customers loved it and the rest is history. 

Since then of course it’s been modified with sugars and starches but the essence, the pure umami of the condiment, which has become synonymous with stir-fried dishes, remains and is a useful tool for any cook who wants to round off a dish. 

“A lot of dishes that you eat in China or Hong Kong, you won't even know that there's oyster sauce inside, but you understand that when you eat that dish, there's a roundness to the umami, and there's a roundness to the flavour,” says Andrew Wong, the chef behind A. Wong in London, the first Chinese restaurant outside Asia to win two Michelin stars. 

Wong uses oyster sauce at the restaurant in marinades, stir fries and in braised dishes. “It has such incredible diversity in the way that it can be used. It's just such an incredible umami rounder. It would be the equivalent of Western chefs putting Marmite in stuff,” he says. 

Scroll down for Wong's tips for using oyster sauce at home. 

Tom Jenkins

Andrew Wong’s tips for using oyster sauce at home

When buying oyster sauce, a higher oyster concentration doesn't necessarily mean the sauce is better. It’s all down to personal preference. Try experimenting and finding the brand and flavour profile that works best for you. 

Oyster sauce's uses extend far beyond just Chinese dishes. Pie mixtures, red wine stews, creamy dishes like stroganoff or chicken chasseur, coq au vin, cacio e pepe – adding a tiny bit of oyster sauce to these dishes has an incredible impact,

Use no more than a tablespoon in anything. When you're stir frying, you don't want to add too much: it'll be umami overload and you'll end up with a too salty dish, and it'll be too moist and the whole thing will end up feeling wet and claggy. Stir fries should be dry and smoky. 

Don't try to cook it out; add in to boost the umami once your dish is nearly complete. If you're going to use it in a casserole, braise the meat down first, and then when you think that your casserole is nearly ready, add it. For stir frying, do all your prep – blanch, pre blanch, pre stir fry, etc. Get all the colour on everything, then just before serving, add the oyster sauce, toss it into the wok a few times, and you're ready to go.