Sauce, oyster, ready-to-serve

Oyster sauce is a thick, glossy Chinese condiment made from oyster extracts, sugar, and seasonings, prized for balancing sweet and savory notes in a single spoonful. It's a workhorse in stir-fries, where it coats vegetables and meat in a shiny glaze, and it's also brushed onto grilled dishes or stirred into noodle sauces for added depth. Its consistency is closer to a light syrup than a thin liquid, so it clings to whatever it's tossed with rather than pooling at the bottom of the pan. A spoonful whisked with a little water and cornstarch also makes a quick finishing glaze for steamed vegetables like broccoli or green beans.

A tablespoon (18 g) has 51 calories, with 10.9 g carbs and 0.25 g fat per 100 g contributing to its syrupy texture. Once opened, refrigerate the bottle, where it will keep for months given its sugar and salt content. At 2730 mg sodium per 100 g, it's usually used alongside other seasonings rather than as a dish's sole salt source, working well tossed with broccoli, bok choy, or sliced beef in a quick stir-fry, and it's worth checking the label since vegetarian versions made from mushroom extract are also sold under the same name.