The 2-Ingredient “Secret Sauce” That Makes Vegetables Taste Amazing

I’m a firm believer in the power of a simple, flavorful sauce to take food — especially vegetables — from “ho hum” to “holy cow!” With this type of buy-in from the whole family, I know I can get more produce (and all the vitamins, minerals, and fiber built into them) into our diets, and that’s something I feel really good about.

One of my favorite sauces, a two-ingredient concoction of browned butter and oyster sauce, is one I’ve long leaned on to zhuzh up all manner of green vegetables. But I began to regret how this method took vegetables out of the vegetarian realm by introducing a shellfish component. Well, luckily there’s an equally delicious sauce I make now that relies on a fabulous, new-to-me ingredient: vegetarian oyster sauce. 

My go-to sauce requires only two ingredients, takes just a few minutes to make, can be prepared ahead in a large batch and stored in the fridge, and simply turns everything into a far more delicious version of itself. It’s an easy combination of browned butter and vegetarian oyster sauce. The resulting medley ends up with enough body to cling beautifully to any food. The browned butter gives it deeply nutty, buttery, and caramel-like notes, while the vegetarian oyster sauce lends savory, umami-rich depth with a hint of sweetness. I love this sauce most on green vegetables — especially spring vegetables like roasted or steamed asparagus, peas, radishes, artichokes, baby carrots, and baby zucchini. It’s also a knockout on broccoli, green beans, baby bok choy, and Brussels sprouts. 

Though I use it mostly on vegetables, its applications go well beyond that. Because it has such great clinging properties, it’s also fantastic on noodle dishes — whether it’s an Asian noodle-veggie combo like lo mein or chow fun or a take on American-style buttered noodles. I even use it to flavor seared tofu cubes or a breakfast scramble made with crumbled silken tofu (the latter of which is absolutely scrumptious). And if you’re a pescatarian or omnivore, the sauce can transform salmon, shrimp, chicken, and pork into a wow-worthy dinner.

1. Use a 1:1 ratio. Know that you’ll use equal amounts of unsalted butter and vegetarian oyster sauce.
2. Brown the butter. In a small, light-colored skillet or saucepan, melt unsalted butter over medium heat. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally, until the butter is very fragrant and the color of peanut butter.
3. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in vegetarian oyster sauce. Use a silicone spatula to scrape every last bit of the browned butter into a bowl, add the oyster sauce, and whisk until the mixture is well combined. Keep whisking until the mixture looks emulsified and the butter is no longer separated from the oyster sauce. Either use right away, tossing with cooked veggies (or noodles or tofu), or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

• Use a high-quality vegetarian oyster sauce. Shop for it in Asian markets or grocery stores that offer a robust selection of vegetarian options, or shop online. Most are flavored with mushrooms and tend to include soy and/or wheat, though some are gluten-free. Many are vegan as well. Some brands I recommend include Roland, KLDSCP, and Best of Thailand. Know that these sauces are very salty on their own, but the butter softens the saline punch. Also, although it’s not labeled as a vegetarian oyster sauce, Megachef Premium Mushroom Sauce is another favorite option, very similar in flavor and texture, that I could eat by the spoonful; I tend to find it in my local Asian markets. 
• Be sure to go with unsalted butter. Because these sauces are concentrated flavor boosters, they tend to be very salty. Unsalted butter will help to balance the salinity.
• Transfer the butter to a bowl before adding the oyster sauce. I’ve tried mixing the oyster sauce directly into the skillet with the browned butter, but that’s a mistake — it leads to lots of sputtering all over the stovetop and burned bits of oyster sauce. 
• Make a big batch and store in the fridge. The sauce keeps well for up to a week. Simply cover the bowl or store in an airtight container. It solidifies when cold, but it’s still scoopable — so you can spoon your desired amount over warm vegetables, which will melt the sauce.
• Start with these amounts. For 8 ounces of veggies, I like to go with 1 tablespoon each of butter and vegetarian oyster sauce. For 12 ounces of veggies, try 1 1/2 tablespoons of each. And for 1 pound, opt for 2 tablespoons of each.
• Go vegan if you’d like. Although I have not tried it myself, folks on Reddit report that Violife brand vegan butter browns well. So, mixed with a vegan oyster sauce, you can enjoy an entirely plant-based version of my go-to sauce.

This article originally published on The Kitchn. See it there: The 2-Ingredient “Secret Sauce” That Makes Vegetables Taste Amazing