Worcestershire sauce - where to add it and how to make it

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

• Category:

  sauce

• Cooking time:

  15-20 minutes

Ingredients

• garlic
• Apple vinegar
• honey
• lime juice
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• fish sauce

Worcestershire sauce is a delicious savory sauce that is considered one of the most popular in the world. In England, where it was created, its original recipe is carefully hidden, but chefs from different countries managed to independently recreate the recipe as close as possible to the present. We will tell you more about what Worcestershire Sauce is and where to get it.

Worcestershire sauce - what is it

Worcestershire, or, as it is also called, Worcester sauce allows you to add new flavors to a huge number of dishes. This culinary masterpiece was first mentioned over 170 years ago. He owes his story to Lord Sandy, who lived in England and worked for several years in Bengal, where they loved spicy food.

Returning to his homeland, Sandy realized that all the food he was served was rather bland. Then he called two pharmacists to his place and asked them to prepare their favorite sauce, giving the necessary recipe.

All the necessary products were purchased and the pharmacy workers did an excellent job with their task, but the Lord did not like the result. The sauce was very spicy and had an unpleasant odor. Disappointed, Sandy ordered the cans of the failed sauce to be taken to the basement. A few years later, the lord stumbled upon these jars again and decided to try the contents again. This time the taste was just perfect.

Already in 1837, the mass production of Worcestershire sauce was launched, which soon became very successful.

We repeat that only a narrow circle of people knows the original recipe for this sauce, but one thing is certain - it takes 3 years and 3 months to prepare it.

What is Worcester sauce eaten with

The range of uses of Worcestershire sauce is very wide, as it can add a pleasant taste to almost all dishes. It is often added to fish and meat dishes, vegetable stews, and so on. In Spain, Worcestershire sauce is especially used in salad recipes.

In certain cases, this sauce is even used in the preparation of drinks. In China, Worcester sauce is often used to make a variety of marinades.

Few people know, but the recipe for the famous alcoholic cocktail "Bloody Mary" also contains a small amount of the sauce we are considering, which makes the combination of tomato juice and vodka just perfect.

How to make Worcestershire sauce

Considering what Worcester sauce is and where to get it, one should not lose sight of the fact that this sauce can also be prepared at home.

Fastest recipe

Of course, on your own you will not be able to observe the exact recipe and find all the necessary products for the original Worcestershire sauce, so we bring to your attention a simplified version of the original recipe. It is quite simple to prepare and, moreover, you do not have to wait 3 years to taste the prepared sauce. So let's get down to cooking.

Ingredients:

• garlic - 1 pc.;
• apple cider vinegar - 0.5 tbsp.;
• honey (preferably dark) - 3 tbsp. l.;
• lime juice - 1 tbsp. l.;
• onion powder - 0.5 tsp;
• garlic powder - ¼ tsp;
• fish or oyster sauce - 2 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

We start with garlic. It can be chopped with a garlic press or a knife. We transfer the chopped clove of garlic into a tall glass, in which we will mix all the ingredients

Pour apple cider vinegar into the same container

• Then add honey and lime juice. It is better if it is freshly squeezed.
• Add onion and garlic powder. If you do not have these ingredients, then you can replace them with regular chopped garlic and onions.

One of the last steps is adding fish sauce or chopped anchovy fillets. Mix everything thoroughly with a whisk

Pour the resulting sauce into a bottle and close it with a lid. It is recommended to store in the refrigerator

The resulting sauce does not need to be insisted. It can be used immediately after preparation and it will taste just as good.

Recipe close to the original

And also when discussing what to replace Worcestershire sauce, if the original is not at hand, you can consider another quick recipe. This recipe will be more complicated than the previous one, as it involves boiling all the ingredients. However, its taste will be as close to the original as possible.

Ingredients:

• garlic - 2 cloves;
• vinegar 9% - 1, 5 tbsp.;
• grated ginger root;
• cloves - 1 tsp;
• cardamom - 0.5 tsp;
• black peppercorns - 1 tsp;
• red pepper - 2 pinches;
• mustard seeds - 3 tbsp. l.;
• cinnamon - 2 sticks;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• water - 100 g;
• soy sauce - 0.5 tbsp.;
• sugar - 0.5 tbsp.;
• tamarind - ¼ st.;
• anchovies - 2 pcs.;
• curry - 0.5 tsp

Preparation:

• Fold the cheesecloth in half and put chopped garlic, ginger, cloves, cardamom, black and red pepper, mustard seeds, cinnamon in it and sprinkle all the ingredients with vinegar. Finely chop the onion and send it to the rest of the ingredients.
• In a saucepan, mix cold water, vinegar and soy sauce.
• Add tamarind and sugar there. Mix everything well until the sugar grains dissolve.
• Tightly bind gauze with all the ingredients and boil in the resulting mixture for about 30 minutes.
• While the spices are boiling, finely chop the anchovies. Then add curry to them, a little water and about 10 minutes before the end of cooking, send them to the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Do not forget to stir periodically.
• When 30 minutes have passed, we filter the future sauce through a sieve and pour it into a convenient container. Put cheesecloth with spices in the same place.
• We send the resulting mixture to a cold place for 2 weeks. Throughout the entire time, every day it is necessary to take out the gauze with spices and wring it out, then put it back in place.
• After 2 weeks, the sauce will be completely ready to use.

Where to buy sauce

Since Worcestershire sauce has become even more popular lately, questions about what it is and where to get it disappear by themselves. You can buy Worcestershire sauce absolutely in any large supermarket, and if there is none in your city, then you can order it in an online culinary store.

You can also make this sauce at home using the recipe above. Believe me, it will turn out to be no less tasty.

How to store Worcestershire sauce

Worcestershire sauce can be stored for up to 4 years after opening if the conditions are right. The best way is to keep the sauce unopened in its original packaging, so the chances of spoilage are minimal.

The best place to store Worcestershire sauce is in the refrigerator, as it retains its flavor and texture better in the cold.

Long-term storage may cause sediment to form on the bottom of Worcester sauce. There is nothing wrong with that. To get rid of this sediment, shake the sauce before use. And if Worcestershire sauce has an unpleasant taste or smell, it is most likely spoiled. You cannot eat such a product. Also, the sauce must be thrown away if there are traces of mold on it.

Now you know what Worcester sauce is and where to get it. This information will certainly come in handy for creating new culinary masterpieces or for preparing ordinary dishes that will acquire a new taste with the help of sauce.