Newest ingredient discovery: oyster sauce

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

Wow! Oyster sauce has added a new kick to my stir fries. I've always made a boring brown sauce with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and corn starch.

I [heart] oyster sauce!!!

[jennysmurf]

I've never tried this! I don't like oysters, but it's a texture issue, not a taste one, so I'm a-gonna give it a try! Thanks!

[realmenhatelife]

A spoon of Hoisin is good stirred into stir frys too.


I've been using garum masala on a lot of turkey lately. The turkey is crazy cheap and readily available.

[Chigworthy]

In my experience, commercial oyster sauce has very little oyster flavor. They would sell a lot more of this stuff in our country if they changed the name. It is good for rounding out the flavor profile of an asian dish.

[landarch]

A spoon of Hoisin is good stirred into stir frys too.


I've been using garum masala on a lot of turkey lately. The turkey is crazy cheap and readily available.

Do you make your own garam masala or get it from a store?

I live around a dense population of Indians, so have been surprised that I haven't found the spice readily made in a jar. Many websites I have checked for Indian recipes strongly frown on using a premade garam masala. Apparently it's easy enough, as adapted from ochef.com:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cardamom seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 (3-inch) stick cinnamon, broken up
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon saffron (optional)

Instructions:

Put the cumin, coriander, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon, and cloves in a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the spices, stirring occasionally, until they turn several shades darker and give off a sweet smoky aroma, about 10 minutes. Do not raise the heat to quicken the process, or the spices will brown prematurely, leaving the insides undercooked. Cool completely.

Working in batches if necessary, transfer the mixture to a spice mill or coffee grinder and grind to a powder. Stir in the nutmeg and saffron. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Garam Masala keeps for 3 months.

[realmenhatelife]

Do you make your own garam masala or get it from a store?

I live around a dense population of Indians, so have been surprised that I haven't found the spice readily made in a jar. Many websites I have checked for Indian recipes strongly frown on using a premade garam masala. Apparently it's easy enough, as adapted from ochef.com:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cardamom seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 (3-inch) stick cinnamon, broken up
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon saffron (optional)

Instructions:

Put the cumin, coriander, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon, and cloves in a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the spices, stirring occasionally, until they turn several shades darker and give off a sweet smoky aroma, about 10 minutes. Do not raise the heat to quicken the process, or the spices will brown prematurely, leaving the insides undercooked. Cool completely.

Working in batches if necessary, transfer the mixture to a spice mill or coffee grinder and grind to a powder. Stir in the nutmeg and saffron. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Garam Masala keeps for 3 months.

I order all of my spices online and I'm not doing anything authentic with it, generally I'm making Turkey Chilli or Turkey Pot Pie. Sometimes I put it in dry rubs. So it's fresh and flavorful, good enough for me. I would spend too much money assembling the componants just to make a spice I only use sometimes.

[landarch]

I'm going to try to find some online then before I go nuts buying a spice mill and all that. Can't wait to try it.

[hanso]

Stay away from the clam juice.

[realmenhatelife]

I'm going to try to find some online then before I go nuts buying a spice mill and all that. Can't wait to try it.

I really like spicebarn.com for my online spice shopping needs.



I think its funny when a stat is given for food consumption. Like the average American drinks 50 gallons of soda in a year, and I think "Someone must be absolutely pounding soda because I dont get anywhere near that." And then I think about how much cumin and red pepper flake I go through totally raising the national average.

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

I really like spicebarn.com for my online spice shopping needs

Thanks for the link!!