Sauces

Success

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The key to success is to add the salt to the sauce as late as possible before serving.

It is not possible to reverse the process, if too much is added.

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if a sauce starts to get separated, called a split sauce eller broken sauce,

it can be fixed with adding some cream to it and use a stick blender (UK) / immersion blender (US) to stabilize the sauce with.

To fix eg. a split buttermilk sauce, immediately remove it from heat and vigorously whisk in 1–2 tsp. of cold water, milk, or heavy cream. Alternatively, blend it with a tsp. of hot water or start a fresh, small batch and gradually whisk in the broken/split sauce.

 

Right from the beginning planning a dish, chefs recommend considering whether the consistency should be a vinaigrette, fish cream, soup, sauce or an "authentic sauce" like hollandaise, sauce blanquette, etc. eller en "broken sauce/split sauce" eg. a split buttermilk sauce with dill oil. The reverse order in which to devise a dish.

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For fancy fine dining chefs recommend using two large tbsp. of sauce for plating.

The backside of a tbsp. is commonly used amongst chefs for analyzing the consistency of a sauce.

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Roux-based Sauces

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Roux-based sauce / Sauce made with a roux:
White sauce / Béchamel: If it is a light baked sauce (e.g. for parsley sauce).
Gravy / Brown gravy: If it is a dark baked sauce (e.g. for roast).
Key terms:
Roux: The actual baking (butter + flour).
To thicken: To smooth/thicken (Danish Jævning)

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If an all-purpose wheat flour is used, then cooked it for 10-12 min. to reduce the taste of the flour.

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Pan Sauces

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Pan sauces are simple, 15-minute emulsions created by deglazing a searing pan with liquids like wine, broth, or citrus, then thickening with butter or cream. Common examples include Red Wine & Dijon, Lemon-Caper, Mushroom Cream, Balsamic, and Peppercorn Brandy, which transform pan drippings into gourmet sauces.

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Stir-fry Sauces

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A stir-fry sauce is a savory, sweet, and tangy liquid mixture used to flavor vegetables, proteins, and noodles during cooking.

It generally combines a soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free) base with aromatics (garlic, ginger), sweeteners (honey, brown sugar), and cornstarch, which creates a glossy, thick consistency that coats food. It is often called "brown sauce" in Chinese cuisine.

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Consistency/Viscosity

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If the consistency is too thin you can call it a vinaigrette. If the sauce is too thick you can call it a paste.

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Danish Cuisine

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Brun sovs vs. Brown sauce

​-If you're aiming for a brown sauce, then point your compass needle towards Danish cuisine.

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Should it be a pan sauce like the classic traditional brown sauce, which makes no difference if it is prepared in a dry pan.

The difference between a sovs and a sauce is exactly what it is.

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If the brown pan sauce is not quite perfect, just sprinkle with freshly ground black peppercorns.

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A typical beginner's mistake is to think that a brown sauce is a baked white béchamel sauce with added brown sauce color, which simply consists of ammoniated burnt caramel, only meant as brown, but tasteless coloring dissolved in water.

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You can't beat Knorr's superb ready-made brown sauce in envelopes, which is a sauce with only a little palm fat, otherwise only water added, no butter, cream or whole milk. See the ingredients list on the package.

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Parsley sauce

​Basically, a Béchamel sauce with parsley. Traditionally served with potatoes for dishes such as roast pork or fish.

Some would add lemon juice to the parsley sauce to compensate for the obesity with some acidity, but that's not authentic or traditional.

Chefs go waco if you add lemon juice directly into the parsley sauce. Put a lemon wedge on the side to baste the breaded fish with.

I find that a parsley sauce can be a bit tame in flavor, like tarragon in a bearnaise sauce, as these herbs lose their flavor instantly when exposed to heat. So, I prefer to sprinkle some extra on top of the sauce after plating.

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If you cook roast pork in the oven, all the fat that drains off takes all the salt with it. Chefs therefore recommend letting it rain with salt before cooking.

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Cabaret sauce

Cabaret sauce is a classic, savory sauce primarily known as a Knorr-brand product in Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, etc.), traditionally designed to accompany game, duck, and chicken. It is characterized by a delicate flavor profile with a distinct scent of tarragon, combined with mustard, celery, onion, and curry. It is highly popular in Danish cuisine, often sold in 3-pack sachets to be prepared with margarine and milk, typically for traditional dishes such as roasted duck or game.

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French Cuisine 

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In French cuisine, the mother sauces known as grandes sauces (or 'ægte sauces' in Danish), are a group of sauces upon which many "daughter sauces" are based. Different classifications of mother sauces have been proposed since at least the early 19th century.

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The most common list of mother sauces in French cuisine currently in use are

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Béchamel sauce

White sauce, based on milk thickened with a white roux.

Espagnole sauce

Brown sauce based on a brown stock reduction and thickened with a brown roux. Ingredients typically include roasted bones, bacon, and tomato (puréed or fresh).

Tomato sauce

In addition to tomatoes, ingredients typically include carrots, onion, garlic, butter, and flour, plus pork belly and veal broth.

Velouté sauce

Light colored sauce, made by reducing clear stock (made from un-roasted bones) and thickened with a white roux. Velouté is French for "velvety".

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Bretagne sauce

Bretagne is a French region. Bretagne sauce (Sauce Bretonne, Breton sauce) is traditionally a classic, light French sauce based on a velouté (a light baked sauce), often flavored with tomato paste, onion, white wine, and herbs. It is often associated with dishes from the Brittany region, including fish, shellfish (such as lobster), or white meats.

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Emulsified/foamy/frothy sauces

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Egg-based sauces

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Mayonnaise sauce 

Emulsion of egg yolk, oil, and lemon juice or vinegar.

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Sauce tartare

Originated in France. A cold sauce made from mayonnaise, egg yolk and chives. In modern cooking, however, parsley, white wine vinegar, capers, mustard or finely chopped pickles are usually added.

Tartar sauce is similar to remoulade. It is often used with breaded food (e.g. fish and chips) or chicken.

Hollandaise sauce

A warm emulsion of egg yolk and melted butter, and lemon juice or vinegar.

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Hollandaise sauce is traditionally served with salmon and asparagus.

It is also served together with Eggs Benedict.

​​​Hollandaise/Béarnaise sauce is emulsified with egg yolk, which must only be heated to 82-84°C/180-183°F, otherwise the egg yolk will turn into scrambled eggs. To prevent the sauce from separating, a little boiling water can be added to the mixture with the butter.

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​A stick blender is fool proof, but it won't make the sauce as fluffy as if whipped constantly and quickly with a balloon whisk. A 6 oz. soup spoon held upside down in a bowl as a lid over the stick blender tosses the egg/butter emulsification around for extra fluffiness.

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Mousseline sauce

Mousseline Sauce is a luxuriously rich derivative of Hollandaise sauce. Whipped cream is folded in at the end to create an extremely "light", fluffy and elegant sauce. If you started with a hollandaise sauce and added too much lemon juice, it's hard to do something about it, but adding whipped cream to it to turn it into a mousseline sauce compensates for it.

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Béarnaise sauce

A classic French sauce, a "child" of Hollandaise sauce, made with clarified butter, egg yolks, and white wine vinegar, and flavored with shallots, tarragon, and chervil. It's known for its creamy texture and rich, slightly acidic taste, and is traditionally served with grilled meats, particularly steak.​

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A bearnaise can be made thick without heating the egg yolks enough, but it cannot be made fluffy without heating the egg yolks enough.

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A bearnaise can be whipped up in a water bath (Bain-marie) to add some indirect heat.

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Sauce Blanquette / Beurre Blanc
A classic French mother sauce, considered amongst chefs to be one of the most difficult to make, but that goes perfectly with fish and white meat, made with eggs, butter and broth. The broth could be fish stock, veal stock, vegetable broth or chicken stock based.

A chicken stock might give the sauce a darker color, so mind the final plating up with the color with the fish.

A sauce blanquette makes gourmet chefs go critical, so you're better off calling it a Beurre Blanc sauce that originated in the Nantes region of France. 2*-star Michelin awarded chefs claims that if the butter is replaced with an expensive olive oil it could take you to the next level.

 

All it takes it full focus on preparing the sauce, while preparing and plating the entire meal, and let the rest go to hell.

Every amateur cook should know that if the sauce separates, it is a ground for dismissal of profession. Only one thing is worse, and that is if the entire meal is Inedible, like adding too much salt to any of the ingredients.

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A blanquette sauce can be made with either clarified butter, from which the whey has been strained, or with olive oil. If you choose olive oil, choose the most expensive one you can find on the shelf, as olive oil will give a strong flavor.

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A mushroom sauce blanquette is a classic, creamy French sauce often paired with veal or chicken. It features sautéed mushrooms, white wine, broth, and a roux-thickened base finished with egg yolks and cream for a silky texture. This rich sauce is traditionally served with rice or potatoes.

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Matelote sauce

A matelote is the name given in French cooking to a fish stew made with white or red wine. It is normally made with freshwater fish, and may contain a mixture of different fish or a single species. It is traditionally garnished with small onions and mushrooms that have been cooked with the fish.

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Nantua sauce

A classical French sauce consisting of a béchamel sauce base, cream, and crayfish butter, along with crayfish tails.

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Sauce Nage

A classic French sauce that is especially good to serve with fish.​

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Gastrique sauce

Caramelized sugar, deglazed with vinegar or other sour liquids, used as a sweet and sour flavoring for sauces.

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The gastrique is generally added to a fond, reduced stock or brown sauce. It is also used to flavor sauces such as tomato sauce, savory fruit sauces, and others, such as the orange sauce for duck à l'orange.

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The term is often broadened to mean any sweet and sour sauce, e.g., citrus gastrique or mango gastrique. An agrodolce is a similar sauce found in Italian cuisine.

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It is different from the Belgian sauce base of the same name, which consists of vinegar, white wine, shallots, tarragon stems, bouquet garni, and peppercorns.

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Sauce Américaine

A recipe from classic French cookery containing chopped onions, tomatoes, white wine, brandy, salt, cayenne pepper, butter and fish stock. This is the ultimate lobster sauce, which never fails to lift the simplest grilled or poached fish to ethereal heights.

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Noilly Prat sauce

Noilly Prat is a French dry vermouth created by Joseph Noilly in 1813 in the south of France. The vermouth itself is known for its herbal, complex flavor and is commonly used to make sauces, especially for fish dishes.

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Roquefort sauce

Roquefort is a French soft blue cheese made from sheep's milk. As far as I remember it goes well with game meat.

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Mornay sauce

One of the prominent basic sauces in French cuisine. It is made by adding grated Gruyère cheese to a béchamel sauce.

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Morel sauce (Morkelsauce in Danish)

Morel mushroom sauce. The sauce is a classic in French cooking, often associated with dishes like chicken in a vin jaune (yellow wine) and morel cream sauce, frequently featuring in regional cuisine.

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Sauce gribiche

A cold egg sauce in French cuisine, made by emulsifying hard-boiled egg yolks and mustard with a neutral oil such as rapeseed or grapeseed. The sauce is finished with chopped pickles, capers, parsley, chervil, and tarragon. It also includes hard-boiled egg whites cut into a julienne.​​​

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Vinaigrette

A French marinade or dressing of oil and vinegar. The vinaigrette is often seasoned with spices and possibly mustard. A variant is a vinaigrette salad of Russian origin.

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Green Peppercorn Sauce

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The history of green peppercorn sauce can be traced back to French cuisine, specifically the classic sauce known as "sauce au poivre".

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Peppercorn sauce is a culinary cream sauce prepared with peppercorn, which is prepared as a reduction of the cream in the cooking process. Various types of peppercorns can be used in its preparation, such as black, green and pink, among others. Peppercorn sauce may be served with beef steak such as a filet mignon and other beef tenderloin cuts, lamb, rack of lamb, chicken and fish dishes, such as those prepared with tuna and salmon.
 

A beef steak served with peppercorn sauce prepared with five types of peppers:
Some versions use several types of peppercorns in the sauce's preparation, and some may use ingredients that are similar in flavor to but not classified as peppercorns, such as sansho. Peppercorn sauce may be used on dishes served at French bistros and restaurants. Some versions of steak au poivre use a peppercorn sauce in their preparation.

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Green peppercorns, preferably Madagascar and not Malabar.

Some chefs prefer them crunched a bit and not served as whole corns.

Red rose peppercorns are soft and unsuitable for grinding or it gets mushy.

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Red Wine Sauce

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First things first. The time ro reduce a wine sauce is between 3-30 min.

Chefs say that 45 min. to complete a whole dish with a reduced red wine sauce is daring.

You might also look into the trend of blending both port wine and red wine for a sauce.

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A new trend is red wine glaze; a standard red wine sauce, a favorite amongst chefs, but the classical technique for preparing it is both lengthy and labor-intensive. Some use a pressure cooker, to get great results much faster.

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​Possibly with veal stock. Both the red wine and the stock must be reduced so that the red wine sauce has a strong flavor.

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Cognac Sauce

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Chefs are more into using cognac rather than whisky in all kinds of dishes.

Here are some useful terms to know: VS (Very Special): Cognac that has been aged for at least two years. VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale): Aged for at least four years. XO (Extra Old): Must be aged for at least six years, but often much longer.

Instead of cognac you could opt for a cheaper brandy.

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Tennessee Whiskey Sauce

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2 Tbsp. Olive oil

½ can (70g) concentrated tomato puree

1.5 dl (0.63 cup USA) Milk

½ pkg. (100g) Philadelphia cheese (original) | Whisked heavily!

1 dl (0.42 cup USA) Jack Daniel's Tennessee whisky (caramel)

A pinch of Cayenne pepper (color)

1 tsp. dried rosemary

2 tsp. salt​

2 droplets of sauce color (caramel)

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German Sauce

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Jäger sauce

A German mushroom sauce typically used for Jäger Schnitzel and Jäger Soup.

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Korean Sauce

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Tteokbokki sauce

Made with gochujang (Korean chili paste), raw sugar, corn syrup, minced garlic, soy sauce/fish sauce etc.

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Korean soy sauce​​

Korean soy sauce (ganjang) is generally saltier, lighter in color, and less sweet than Japanese or Chinese varieties, often containing no wheat. The three main types - Guk-ganjang (soup) Yangjo-ganjang (brewed), and Jin-ganjang (mixed) - are used based on the dish, with, for example Guk-ganjang adding savory depth to soups without discoloring them.

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Seaweed sauce

seaweed-based sauces have multiple, distinct origins, primarily stemming from East Asian culinary traditions (Japan and Korea) where seaweed is a staple, with newer, modern interpretations emerging from Europe. Seaweed sauce is a savory, umami-rich condiment made by simmering seaweed (commonly nori or kombu) with soy sauce, sugar, and water, often inspired by Japanese tsukudani. It is used as a versatile topping for rice, noodles, fish, or tofu, providing a briny, oceanic flavor often used as a vegan alternative to fish sauce.

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Kimchi sauce

​Kimchi sauce originated in Korea as a seasoning paste (yangnyeom) designed for fermenting vegetables, evolving from ancient brine, soy, and salt-based preservation methods to the modern spicy mixture around the 17th-18th century. It is a blend of gochugaru (red chili powder), garlic, ginger, green onions, and jeotgal.

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Kkanpunggi sauce

Kkanpunggi sauce is a savory, spicy, and tangy Korean-Chinese glaze for fried chicken, defined by a base of soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and abundant garlic. It is typically thickened in a wok with garlic, onions, and chili peppers to create a sticky, glossy coating.

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Jjajang sauce

Jjajang sauce is a thick, savory, and slightly sweet black bean sauce used for the popular Korean-Chinese dish Jajangmyeon. Made by stir-frying chunjang (a fermented soybean and wheat paste) with minced pork and diced vegetables like onions, zucchini, and cabbage, this dark sauce is essential to Korean comfort food.

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Chinese Sauce

 

Soy sauce (British English: Soya sauce​)

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Soy sauce originated in ancient China as a meat-based, fermented condiment called "jiang" used for preservation, hence the salt.

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Low-sodium soy

Gluten-free soy sauce

(Online shopping only)

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I don't add salt to the rice, if I plan to add soy ⚠️

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 The worst I have yet seen is Santa Maria Thai Soya

containing insane 22.6g of salt per 100g. ⚠️

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Fish sauce replaces salt in Thai cuisine and gives the right Thai taste and is also called "the salt of Asia". Fish sauce is made from fermented, salted anchovies. Ingredients: anchovy extract, salt, sugar, acidity regulator (citric acid).

 

Alternative, there's also oyster sauce. Fish sauce is a clear condiment that has a deep, red-brown color tint to it, whereas oyster sauce is a dark, opaque brown sauce more similar to a syrup. Consistency: Oyster sauce contains sugar and cornstarch, giving it a thicker consistency than fish sauce, which is a bit thinner and more liquidly.

Oyster sauce contains soy sauce.

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Fish sauce vs. Oyster sauce vs. Soy sauce

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I don't know who I am anymore. Time transforms and my metabolism is no longer asking for heavy western food. These days I am much more interested in Asian slow-cooked food.

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Do not reduce on a soy sauce, it will remove the water and make it taste even more too salty.

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Buddy System

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Starch on starch they say in Asia.

Tuna and rice are just delightful.

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For China rolls and Vietnamese spring rolls

see the deep-frying section.

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Hoisin sauce

Hoisin sauce is a sweet, savory, and thick Chinese condiment, most prominent in Cantonese cuisine. primarily made from fermented soybean paste, sugar, garlic, vinegar, and sesame oil. Key ingredients also often include salt, cornstarch (as a thickener), garlic, chili peppers, and Chinese five-spice powder. It is commonly used as a marinade, glaze, or dipping sauce. 

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Majiang sauce

​Made from heavily roasted and ground sesame seeds, giving it a more intense, toasty flavor than tahini (which is often made from untoasted seeds).

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Sesame paste/Soybean paste.

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Yuxiang sauce

Yuxiang (鱼香), or "fish-fragrant" sauce originated from Sichuan cuisine in China, and is a classic seasoning mixture characterized by a complex, savory, sweet, sour, and mildly hot flavor profile. Despite its name, it contains no fish or seafood, but rather uses aromatics - pickled chilies, garlic, ginger, and scallions - traditionally used in Sichuan fish dishes.

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Snacha sauce

Shacha sauce (沙茶酱) is a flavorful, slightly spicy Chinese dressing/sauce from Minnan cuisine, known as "Chinese BBQ sauce", but it doesn't taste like American BBQ. It is made from soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chilies, dried shrimp and fish (typically brill), which gives it an intense umami flavor. It is ideal for hotpot dipping, stir-fry dishes and marinades.

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Foo Young sauce

​Egg Foo Young sauce (or gravy) is a classic savory Chinese-American brown sauce thickened with cornstarch, typically made by simmering chicken broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and sometimes sesame oil or rice wine. It is designed to be a glossy, savory accompaniment to fried egg patties.

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XO sauce

XO sauce is a spicy seafood sauce from Hong Kong with an umami flavor. It is commonly used in southern Chinese regions such as Guangdong.

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Chinese Sichuan pepper sauce

Sichuan pepper (Chinese: 花椒; pinyin: huājiāo) is a spice made from the dried pericarp (outer shell of the fruit) of a plant of the genus Zanthoxylum in the family Rutaceae. It is commonly used in Sichuan cuisine of China and in the cuisines of the Himalayas.

Despite its name, Sichuan pepper is not closely related to black pepper or chili peppers.

Instead, Zanthoxylum plants are in the same family as citrus and rue.

When eaten, Sichuan pepper produces a tingling, numbing effect due to the presence of hydroxy-alpha sanshool. It is used in Sichuan dishes such as mapo doufu and Chongqing hot pot and is often added to chili peppers to create a flavor known as málà (Chinese: 麻辣; 'numb-spiciness').

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Japanese Sauce

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While so-su sauce (コース) is a general term for Japanese sauces, of which tonkatsu sauce is a specific type.

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Ponzu sauce

Made from a mixture of soy sauce, citrus juice, mirin, rice wine vinegar and kombu (seaweed).

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Okonomiyaki Sauce

A barbecue sauce for okonomiyaki pancake/omelet with cabbage.

If the eggs are beaten too much, they lose that fluffy soufflé.

Salt and pepper make cabbage come alive.

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Thai Sauce

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Sriracha sauce

Sriracha is a hot, fermented chili sauce made from chilies, vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is named after the coastal town of Si Racha in Thailand.

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Teriyaki sauce

Basically, a soy sauce with a sweet, salty and umami-rich taste often used in wok meals like

Teriyaki chicken. Don't be ashamed of drowning your dish in Teriyaki, it's pretty common and very addictive.

Since Teriyaki is a sweet sauce best served at room temperature, it gets caramelized and too sweet if heated.

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Tonkatsu sauce / Chicken Katsu

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Indonesian/Pakistan Cuisine​

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Tandoori

Relating to a style of Indian cooking based on the use of a tandoor, meaning an oven made of clay.

A spice mixture often used to marinate meat, especially chicken.

Masala: A spice mixture to make a chicken

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Tikka Masala

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Another spice mixture often used to marinate meat, especially chicken.

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Butter Chicken

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Not made with butter milk, but with yogurt.

Another spice mixture often used to marinate meat, especially chicken.

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Korma

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Another one not made with butter milk, but with yogurt.​

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Ajam Pangang

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Ajam Pangang is a popular Indonesian-Chinese dish consisting of grilled or fried chicken in a sweet and sour, spicy ketjap-sauce filled with carrots, bamboo shoots and ginger, etc.

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Babi Pangang

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Ajam Pangang is a chicken variation of Babi Pangang (pork), often marinated in ginger, garlic and ketjap-sauce, and served with rice, noodles or vegetables.

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Ketjap-sauce

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Marinade: Typically made from ketjap manis (sweet soy), ginger, garlic, sambal oelek and lemon juice.

Note: Google might translate ketjap-sauce into ketchup-sauce.

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Tamarind Sauce

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Indigenous to tropical Africa but has been cultivated for so long on the Indian subcontinent that it is sometimes reported to be indigenous there. It grows wild in Africa. In Arabia, it is found growing wild in Oman, especially Dhofar, where it grows on the sea-facing slopes of mountains.

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Another thing I find profoundly to African cuisine is the use of apricots in the salty cuisine, and not the sweet one.

These days associated with Moroccan cuisine (Northwest Africa).

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​Middle Eastern Sauce​​

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Tahini sauce​

Tahini sauce is a creamy, nutty, and savory Middle Eastern condiment made from blended sesame seed paste (tahini), lemon juice, garlic, and water. It acts as a versatile, vegan, and nutrient-dense sauce used for drizzling over falafel, roasted vegetables, and salads, or as a dip for pita bread.​​​

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Curry Sauce

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Indian Cuisine

E.g. Indian rice dish with raisins, which can be made as a one pot dish, or meatballs in curry, which is a very popular and traditional dish in Danish cuisine.
Curry is burnt off in butter so that dried spices can release their aromas. If the white sauce is baked first, then you can add tons of extra curry for flavor, just like with a mustard sauce, without it leading to anything. Curry is a mixed spice consisting of about. 30% turmeric, which gives the yellow color, but which is relatively neutral in taste. In addition, about. 30% coriander and a little cumin and fennel. In addition, a little black pepper and cayenne pepper are added, which make your eyebrows sweat.

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Another popular curry sauce is with pineapple mixing hot with sweet.

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Satay Sauce

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An Indonesian peanut sauce made with roasted or fried peanuts. Can be used as a salad dressing

or as a dipping sauce.

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Royal Sauce

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Ingredients: ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, and some spices with a backdrop of tangy onion and garlic.

Together with this, the sauce layers sweet tomato and tart vinegar.​

 

It is what you want it to be.

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Hungarian Sauce

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Paprika sauce

With fat, broth, and sour cream. It was developed to create a rich, creamy, and vibrant red sauce famously used with chicken.

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Italian Sauce

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Alfredo sauce

A classic Italian creamy pasta sauce folded into cooked pasta, typically Fettuccine Alfredo.

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Balsamico sauce

 Once reduced the sugars concentrate, making it too sweet for what chefs consider to be a sauce. 

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Parmesan sauce

See also the Italian-American garlic parmesan sauce.

For choice of parmesan cheese see the pasta bolognese section.

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​Then there's also a mixture of ricotta and Parmesan cheese, frequently used as a pasta sauce, often described as a "no-cook" or "whipped" sauce. It is a popular, quick, and creamy alternative to traditional red or cream-based sauces.

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​Prosciutto sauce​

Prosciutto sauce is a savory Italian pasta sauce featuring crispy, salty prosciutto ham cooked in butter or olive oil, often combined with aromatics like onion or garlic. It comes in two main variations: a creamy parmesan base (often with peas) or a tomato-based sauce (sugo), both typically finished with fresh basil.

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Pea sauce

Italian "pea sauce," most famously known as the basis for Pasta e Piselli (pasta and peas), originates from Southern Italy—particularly Naples and the Campania region. It is a quintessential dish of cucina povera (peasant cooking), designed to create a creamy, nutritious meal using simple, inexpensive ingredients.

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Pine nut sauce

Pine nut sauce, or salsa di pinoli (sarsa de pigneu in Ligurian dialect), originates from the Genoa region of Italy. It is a historic, creamy Ligurian condiment traditionally used for pasta like pansoti or ravioli, dating back to regional traditions that utilized nuts and garlic to create thick, flavorful sauces, often dating to the 16th century or earlier.

Pine nut sauce is a creamy, rich, and often dairy-free condiment made by blending toasted pine nuts with liquids like water, oil, or broth. It is used as a flavorful, nutty alternative to traditional pasta sauces, spreads, or salad dressings. Key variations include Italian pesto, creamy vegan sauces, and Ligurian sarsa de pigneu.

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Anchovy sauce

Anchovy sauce, particularly the Italian colatura di alici, originates from the ancient Roman fermented fish sauce known as garum. Primarily rooted in the fishing village of Cetara on the Amalfi Coast, this savory condiment was developed from salted anchovies fermented in barrels, a practice perfected by medieval monks who kept the tradition alive. Anchovy sauce is a savory, umami-rich condiment made from fermented or dissolved anchovies, salt, and sometimes acid or oil. It is used sparingly to add deep, salty, and fishy flavor to dishes. Key types include Italian colatura di alici, British anchovy essence, or creamy, blended pasta sauces.​

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Italian-American Sauce

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Garlic Parmesan sauce

Garlic Parmesan sauce is a rich, creamy, and savory white sauce made from a base of butter, heavy cream, garlic, and grated Parmesan cheese. Often thickened with flour (a roux), it is a versatile, 15-minute sauce used for pasta, pizza, chicken wings, or dipping vegetables. ​

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Scampi sauce

​In Italian, "scampi" (plural of scampo) refers to Norway lobsters (Nephrops norvegicus).

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American adaptation

Scampi sauce (and the dish "shrimp scampi") originates primarily from Italian-American cuisine, where it originated as an adaptation of traditional Italian recipes to ingredients available in the United States in the late 19th to early 20th centuries.

When Italian immigrants arrived in the United States, they didn't find the same Norway lobsters. So, they substituted shrimp but kept the cooking method and the original name.

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Sauce ingredients

The classic Scampi sauce is a simple, quick and flavorful sauce made with melted butter, olive oil, lots of garlic, lemon juice, and with a dry white wine, crushed chili flakes and topped with parsley. It is ideal for shrimp, pasta, fish, or chicken. For a creamy version, cream and parmesan can be added, while white wine gives a classic flavor.

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Spanish Sauce

 

​Romesco sauce

There are hundreds of ways to interpret a Romesco sauce within Spain.

A sauce to be eaten with fish. Some would give it a shot with poultry like a chicken ballotine.

Made from any mixture of roasted tomatoes and garlic, toasted almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, olive or sunflower oil, and nyora peppers (a sun-dried, small, round variety of red bell pepper).

 

 

Buttermilk Sauce

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Buttermilk sauce does not have a single origin.

Buttermilk ranch dressing.

Buttermilk pasta sauce.

Buttermilk sauce with dill oil. Typically served with scallops.​​

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Spinach Sauce with Coconut Milk

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Spinach cooked in coconut milk is a popular dish across several cultures, and it goes by different names depending on the region.