Oyster sauce is probably the most commonly used sauce in stirfry. It is prepared originally from oyster extract to provide umami flavor. However, it also contains salt, sugar, and MSG for flavoring. It has many applications in stirfry dishes with meats, vegetables, and tofu. It is a quick and convenient way to add flavor to a dish rather than creating flavor with individual herbs and spices. However, I prefer individual seasoning agents whenever possible to have better control of the flavor that I like. I call this flavor chasing in my FAST cooking system.

Oyster sauce is an excellent garnishing sauce. It is great for garnishing vegetable dishes, such as steamed vegetables. One of the most well known dishes in Chinese cuisine is Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, a dish originated in Southern China. Oyster sauce is used as a garnish for this iconic dish. Another dish that I use oyster sauce as a garnish is in foo young egg, an egg dish with tomatoes and other food ingredients. Oyster sauce is excellent for garnishing steam vegetables as well.