Japanese sauces are very simple sauces, compared to, for instance, the complexity of French sauces. Any cooking for Japanese sauces is generally just a brief, light simmer on the stove to reduce the liquid, and while a sauce may be an assembly of other sauces, those other sauces are all obtained commercially off the shelf….
Condiments
Kasundi
Kasundi is an Indian relish or chutney, typically made in Bengal, India. There are many different kinds; some are quite hot. Depending on the kind, Kasundi can be used as a side condiment, dipping sauces, etc. Eggplant Kasundi (Brinjal Kasundi) Eggplant Kasundi is made from eggplant, pepper, cumin, black sesame seed, mustard seed, curry leaves,…
Ketchup
Ketchup is a savoury sauce used as both a meal condiment, and an ingredient. The best known type of ketchup is tomato ketchup; in fact, it is so well known that for most people, the word “ketchup” is synonymous with the term “tomato ketchup.” It’s not, and in fact, ketchup was originally made without tomatoes….
Ketjap Manis
Ketjap Manis is a thick, dark, rich condiment sauce made in Indonesia. It is made from black soybeans, though it is also possible to use yellow soybeans. They are allowed to ferment, then mixed with garlic, palm sugar, and star anise. The taste is mild, not hot. It is used by almost everyone in Indonesia,…
Kitchen Bouquet
Kitchen Bouquet is a bottled condiment sauce used as an ingredient in cooking, rather than as a table condiment. It is mostly used for its ability to add a dark brown colour. It’s generically referred to as a “browning agent.” Some people think it has no flavour; some people think the flavour is an important…
Liebig’s Extract of Meat
Liebig’s Extract of Meat is a historical product. It was a thick, dark, syrupy beef extract paste sold in glass bottles, and later in tins as well. It gained popularity first as a food for the poor, and then also as an ingredient in middle-class kitchens. It was also called “Liebig’s Fleisch Extract” (“Fleisch” meaning…
Liquamen
Liquamen was a Roman fish sauce. Liquamen may originally have been a fish sauce different from the other Roman fish sauce, Garum. Some speculate that unlike Garum, Liquamen was originally just made from whatever fish and fish bits. The Romans were real snobs about food, and the fact that it wasn’t recorded in the 1st…
Lizano Sauce
Lizano Sauce (aka Salsa Lizano) © Leclaire & Schenk Salsa Lizano is a commercial bottled condiment sauce made in Costa Rica. It is a thin but slightly-viscous, smooth, pale coffee-coloured, vegetable-based sauce. It pours like a thin gravy. It can be used as a flavouring in cooking, or as a condiment at the table. The…
Madeira Sauce
Madeira Sauce is a savoury French sauce used particularly with roasted chicken and beef. In the French sauce lexicon, this is classed as a brown sauce. Classically it is defined (by Larousse) as a demi-glace sauce with Madeira wine added to it, boiled down. A demi-glace sauce is espagnole sauce, with brown stock, a few…
Maggi Seasoning Sauce
Maggi is a thin, dark, concentrated seasoning sauce produced commercially and sold in bottles. The formulation can vary by country; the Swiss version is the original. The colour of the bottle cap will vary by country as well.
Malt Vinegar
Malt Vinegar © Denzil Green Malt vinegar is very popular in England and Canada. In many people’s minds, it is the best vinegar to put on fish & chips, and on chips (aka French fries) in general. It is made from malted barley and grain that is mashed, then fermented, often in beech or birch…
Marie Rose Sauce
Marie Rose Sauce is a thick, pink uncooked dipping or condiment sauce used with fish and seafood. Generally, its base ingredients are one part ketchup mixed with six parts mayonnaise (e.g. 1 tablespoon ketchup, 6 tablespoon mayonnaise.) Sometimes a tablespoon of lemon juice and a dash of something zippy, such as a chili sauce (such…
Marmite Spread
Marmite is a thick, brown paste with a strong, salty flavour. It is the original yeast spread, made from yeast extract, salt, vegetable extract, and spices. It is sold in distinctive, bulb-shaped glasses with yellow lids. A French stock pot called a “marmite” is pictured on the label. It now comes in squeezable plastic jars…
Matelote Sauce
Matelote Sauce is made from red wine, butter, flour, shallots, sugar, salt and coarsely-ground black pepper. It is served warm, and should not be too thick. It is often served with eel. Language Notes Means “fish stew sauce.”
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise © Denzil Green Mayonnaise is a very thick, creamy sauce served at room temperature or chilled. It can be used as a sauce, a dressing, and or a condiment. It is made from oil and raw egg with something acidic added such as vinegar or lemon juice. The oil and the vinegar would normally…
Meat Sauces
Melba Sauce
Melba sauce is a raspberry sauce used for desserts. The base is fresh raspberries that are puréed and then strained to remove all seeds. Red currant jelly, sugar and cornstarch are then added, and the mixture is simmered until the cornstarch has cooked and thickened the sauce. It can be served warm or cold. You…
Melted Butter
In classical French cooking, a very simple sauce is made by melting butter slowly, then seasoning the melted butter to taste with salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. It’s used on foods cooked in water, such as vegetables that have been boiled, or fish that has been poached.
Mentsuyu
Mentsuyu is a Japanese sauce, made of dark soy sauce, white cooking sugar (“san-on-to”)and mirin (this base is called “Hon Gaeshi”), to which dashi (typically ichban dashi, aka Primary Dashi) is added. It can be used warmed, as a base for soup, or chilled, as a cold dipping sauce for cold noodles such as udon,…
Meunière Butter
In classical French cooking, Meunière Butter (“beurre meunière”) is a very simple sauce of browned butter (aka “Beurre Noisette”) flavoured with lemon. You make it by melting butter until it has started to brown, and seasoning it to taste with salt, white pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. It’s used in fish “à…
Mint Sauce
Mint Sauce is a British sauce, though it is also widely popular throughout the English-speaking world. It is a traditional accompaniment to lamb. Great European chefs see red when English-speakers ask for this green sauce in a restaurant. The Europeans see Mint Sauce as a nasty English-speakers’ invention, even though it isn’t: it’s one of…
Mint Vinegar
Mint Vinegar is vinegar flavoured with mint. Good for salads, particularly fruit salads, in gravy for lamb, and to brush on lamb while it’s cooking. Cooking Tips Per 2 cups (16 oz / 500 ml) of vinegar, use 1 to 2 handfuls of fresh mint, crushed lightly a few times to start releasing its essential…
Miracle Whip
Miracle Whip is a bottled, commercial salad dressing that looks like mayonnaise. Made by Kraft, it is sweeter, tangier, and somewhat less expensive than mayonnaise. It has been sold for over 70 years now, and has been used so widely that many people prefer it to the real thing. In the year 2000, it was…
Miso
Miso Paste is a savoury, fermented bean paste made in Japan. It can be used as a condiment, or an ingredient in cooking. It is made from a starter culture which will include steamed rice or barley, and then mixed with cooked beans (typically soybeans) and salt. The beans ferment, and the taste produced is…