I'm not exactly sure what to call this. The sauce was in the nature of a wild experiment. I found myself missing hoisin sauce and teriyaki sauce (both highly sweetened and therefore verboten), so I dug into my spice cupboards and got down a countertop-full of random ingredients. I fiddled and tweaked and this sauce came forth. It's not really much like hoisin, but it hits the same flavor notes for me, so here you are.

Note that the second ingredient, "Not Ketchup BBQ Sauce" was also an earlier experiment. I had been searching for a low-carb ketchup recipe and found this one on the internet somewhere. Turns out it tastes, in the words of Douglas Adams, "almost but not entirely unlike" ketchup but it makes a great BBQ sauce.

Ume vinegar (or umeboshi) is a Japanese vinegar made from a bitter plum. It's hard to find, but two different natural foods stores in my area carry it, and you might find it in an Asian grocery. Nothing else in the world has that particular sour/bitter flavor and it's indispensable for several Asian sauces and simmers that I do.

For the main dish, I cut 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves into strips and stir fried them in sesame oil until nearly done, then simmered a full recipe's worth of this sauce over them. Served with a big heaping bowl of soy-sauce-flavored cauliflied rice and everyone waddled away from the table!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Asian Simmer Sauce

Recipe By :Scott Hysmith
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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6 tablespoons soy sauce, Tamari
6 tablespoons Not Ketchup BBQ Sauce
1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice

Mix all ingredients in a glass bowl.

Use as a simmer sauce or marinade or beef or chicken.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 15 Calories; trace Fat (2.7% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1028mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

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* Exported from MasterCook *

Not Ketchup BBQ Sauce

Recipe By :Unknown
Serving Size : 48 Preparation Time :2:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 cups canned tomatoes -- pureed
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 packages sweetener

Strain seeds, if any, from the tomato puree

Add puree, onion powder, cloves, allspice, cinnamon and white vinegar into medium non-reactive saucepan and simmer slowly for 1.5 hours, sitring often.

Remove from heat and add sweetener.

Cool and pour into jar.

Description:
"This was found by doing an Internet search for low-carb ketchup. I tried it, and to me it tastes nothing like ketchup but it has a nice tangy flavor that I use as a BBQ baste for chicken."
Source:
"Found at http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/4966/ketchup.htm"
Yield:
"3 cups"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 4 Calories; trace Fat (5.6% calories from fat); trace Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 23mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : I found a brand of pureed tomatoes called Parmalat, in a carton next to the Italian sauces. One carton is exactly 3 cups of smooth puree with no seeds, and is perfect for this recipe.

This recipe keeps four months in the fridge.

WOW that sounds good I been dieing for some chinese food... thanks