What are the best alternatives to oyster sauce? Image credit: AdobeStock
It is a reddish brown sauce used for making mostly the Chinese and Thai dishes. It has a similar colour like soy sauce and the viscosity like ketchup with a slightly sweet mellow taste with strong umami flavour. Oyster sauce contains oyster extracts but it does not contain the smell of it. Oyster sauce can be used in different kinds of cooking including stir-frying, marinating, stewing and even dipping to level up the dish’s taste profile or giving a glossy look for better appearance of the dish.
Soy sauce is the most easy-to-go substitute for oyster sauce. Although it does not have the same viscosity and glossiness as oyster sauce, and also tastes saltier than the oyster sauce. But what makes it the closest alternative for the oyster sauce is its umami flavours. Use it in smaller quantities keeping the saltiness in mind. You can also add some white or brown sugar to it to balance the taste.
This dark brown sauce has a balanced taste of sweet and salty. Hoisin sauce is made from soybean plus different kinds of spices, it has a light sweet & mellow taste but it doesn’t have the umami taste as oyster sauce. It could be the substitute of oyster sauce only in some marinating or stir-fry dish. Use it in the same quantity as the oyster sauce.
It is an Indonesian variant of the classic Chinese soy sauce. Some people use it as a substitute to oyster sauce. It has soy umami flavour but is much sweeter than the oyster sauce. So, you need to be careful about the sweetness while using it.
Fish sauce can substitute oyster sauce in a few specific dishes only. It also has a salty taste but with stronger flavours. However, its viscosity is much lower than oyster sauce. You can start putting it in smaller quantities and then keep adding as per needed.
Though oyster sauce is the best for most of the Asian dishes with its versatile application, now you know what to do when you have a craving for a dish that essentially needs oyster sauce, but you do not have it in your kitchen. Each sauce has their unique taste and that’s the secret for a delicious Asian dish, ideally is to follow the sauce that is shown in the recipe and choose an authentic brand, using an alternative might alter the taste of the dish. If you want to understand the characteristics of different sauces or get some cooking inspirations, Lee Kum Kee Australia has a wide range of different kinds of Asian sauce and many recipes for you. You can purchase their product at supermarkets or the Asian groceries nearest stores or order online.