many east asian dishes included some ready made sauce like 豆瓣酱 or 柱侯酱 in chinese cuisines or 고추장 in korean cuisine. These sauces make our dishes delicious but unfortunately they are very high in salt and/or sugars. Is there some way to make the dishes with these sauces from scratch or without such high salt/sugar? We often have to add sugar in the dish in addition to the sauces. Thanks.

I’m sure this is a similar problem in other cuisines but my question is just about east asian cuisines.

edit: i’m referring to homemade food, not restaurant food.

  • Pat12@lemmy.worldOP
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    7 months ago

    Many western foods made at home can easily made with less salt and rarely require sugar to be added.

    I can’t reduce the salt or sugar in the premade sauces that are required in east asian dishes. I don’t know what duck sauce is but we don’t eat that in asia; it’s also a condiment and not a required ingredient in our dishes like fermented bean paste

    this sample recipe for taiwanese spicy beef soup which is a classic taiwanese dish as you can see requires both rock sugar and salt to be added to the already salt doubanjiang: https://seonkyounglongest.com/taiwanese-beef-noodle-soup/

    • daddybutter@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Duck sauce is a name that was adapted in American Chinese cooking. The original product, which is used in Asia (particularly known with Canto food), is plum sauce. Same thing, though you may get a slightly different product depending on where it was made.

    • just_another_person@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      There’s a huge difference between using salt and sugars, and adding TOO MUCH of them. Just cutting the suggested amount added in half beta you what you’re asking for. As for the premade stuff, just add less, or dilute them a bit maybe.