Chinese Food

  • OK I don't know about the rest of the country but here in my area you can go to any take out Chinese place and order steamed Chinese vegtables with steamed chicken, beef, shrimp whatever.

    They will steam it in a wok with water with nothing else (soy sauce, MSG etc.)

    And then you have a choice.

    Hot Garlic Sauce OR Brown Sauce.

    Using limited English I managed to get out of the owner that the Brown sauce is lower in calories and sodium than the Garlic sauce.

    You get the steamed veggies, steamed white rice (I usually let them keep it) and you get a tub of brown sauce.

    EVERY Chinese place around here will sell you this is you ask for it as it is not usually on the menu.

    I have figured out what the calorie content of the veggies are it is the so called brown sauce that I am interested in. Itis brown (of course) and very thick and if you put it in the fridge it will congeal into a brown gel until you heat it up again.

    Sounds gross but I assure you it is very tasty. None of them can communicate well enough to tell me whats in it. When I asked they jast repeat back in broken English ... "Is berry good for you!" or something like that.

    I used to eat it all the time. I haven't since I started dieting. It sure was handy to call ahead on my way home and just pick it up 2 blocks from my house and have a hot meal as soon as I get home with no mess or fuss.

    Is anyone familiar with this so called "brown sauce"

    I am pretty sure there is a lot of soy sauce in there but I'm not absolutely sure but it tastes pretty salty.

    I wonder whats in it and how many calories it has and how much sodium?
    I'd like to eat it again if it's ok to eat and just the steamed veggies are pretty bland without the sauce.
  • did you google chinese 'brown sauce'? I did and got this which seems right.

    http://chinesefood.about.com/od/sauc...brownsauce.htm

    I've never heard of or seen the brown sauce but I have seen oyster sauce.
  • Quote: did you google chinese 'brown sauce'?
    DOHHH! No I didn't! I searched under Chinese food and kept coming up with so many hits I couldn't fing brown sauce! THANKS!

    I think this is it. The corn starch I guess is the thickener I was hoping it wasn't Gelatine.

    Ingredients:
    3/4 cup beef broth (beef bouillion cubes can be used)
    1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
    1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
    1/2 teaspoon sugar
    1 tablespoon cornstarch

    Looks to be low in calories although I have no idea what "oyster sauce" is

    The tbsp of soy sauce is a little more sodium than I want but it is not a whole lot for the amount of sauce you get. Maybe I can make my own and use less soy sauce!

    And of course I would use the low sodium beef broth in the carton instead of the cubes which are high in sodium.

    OH THANK You for finding that I may have one more thing to eat in my boring menu because I cannot cook very well.
  • The oyster sauce in my fridge is 25 calories per teaspoon and contains water, sugar, salt, oyster extract, MSG and cornstarch and wheat flour as thickeners. Hope this helps.
  • Quote: The oyster sauce in my fridge is 25 calories per teaspoon and contains water, sugar, salt, oyster extract, MSG and cornstarch and wheat flour as thickeners. Hope this helps.
    Thanks I found some in the grocery store! I made my own brown sauce today with less soy sauce and instead used Potsticker Gyoza dipping sauce (way less sodium) and boy was it tasty. I used the sauce on brown rice and steamed Chinese veg. with white meat chicken.

    I am so glad I now know how to make the brown sauce. It is one more thing to have in my arsenal to make my bland cooking taste better!

    Next project I am going to learn how to make a low calorie spicy curry sauce!
  • omg I love brown sauce! now Im going to make it to!!
    Woohoo!