Chinese-Style “Brown Sauce” (vegetable delight sauce)

Classic asian-style “brown sauce” is a fundamental of American Chinese takeout. It’s the crave-worthy backbone of dishes like “vegetable delight” and is pretty much guaranteed to make any stir-fry taste amazing.

Milder in flavor than some other sauces, brown sauce can catch you by surprise. It seems mild–and almost disappears into the background of the dish. But the deep umami notes keep you coming back for more. And the inclusions of rice wine, honey, and coconut aminos keep it fresh and sweet. All in all, brown sauce tastes balanced and round. It isn’t overpowering (and so goes well with soft veggies, tofu, etc.), but it’s savory enough to keep me always coming back for more.

Try this brown sauce out, and leave a comment or tag me on instagram! I love to hear your feedback!

Notes on Substitutions

• Cornstarch – I haven’t tried substituting cornstarch for other starches. However, I suspect potato starch would make a good substitute as I use it with no issues in other sauces like my vegan beef and broccoli. A 1-1 substitution should be sufficient. Omitting the starch is not recommended (you’ll end up with watery vegetables).
  
• Coconut aminos – I cannot guarantee good results by substituting aminos for any other soy sauce or soy sauce alternative.
  
• Mushroom broth – this is an essential umami flavor in this brown sauce. Using just water will not yield the same results. If you aren’t worried about this sauce being vegan, a meat-based broth might work (but I haven’t tested). If you have another plant-based broth that you really enjoy the flavor of, you could try that here as well. But any broth substitutions are likely to change the flavor quite a bit so bear that in mind.
  
• Fresh ginger – if you must, you can probably substitute fresh for powdered. But fresh is always better when you can manage it.

Chinese Takeout Style "Brown Sauce"

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