Where do I find oyster sauce?

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lln7262

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Hello! I was on the ethnic forum last night asking if anyone had a good recipe for Chinese restuarant style Broccoli Chicken, and someone gave me a recipe that looks pretty good. However, it does call for oyster sauce. Is this something that I can buy at a regular grocery store? I usually shop at Walmart because the groceries seem to be the most economical there. Thanks for your input! :)
 
Yes - WalMart does carry oyster sauce (at least ours does). It'll be in the "Asian Food" section, which is normally in the same aisle with the Mexican food, etc.
 
Most grocery stores these days have an asian food section, you should be able to find it there. Or go to your cities Chinatown.
 
Even my supermarket out here in the boonies has a surprisingly decent Asian food section. I just bought oyster sauce there the other day...
 
Yikes! If we all become big box shoppers things like oyster sauce will disappear. Please go to your neighborhood Asian grocer and support them. By the way my rice is far cheaper there than even cosco.
 
I agree with you Chaplain Kent, my local asian grocery

stores are less expensive than even the big box store. They have a better selection also. I can buy fresh vegetables of better quality at a better price than any of the chain grocery stores near me.
 
Yikes! If we all become big box shoppers things like oyster sauce will disappear. Please go to your neighborhood Asian grocer and support them. By the way my rice is far cheaper there than even cosco.
Why do you think it will they disappear? My big box store carries things like that.

Not all of us have local Asian or other ethnic grocers. A large number of us can only shop at the big box stores as that is all there is.
 
You guys have asian grocers? LUCKY!

Anyway, most grocery stores carry oyster sauce, you will be really happy to have it I think. I find it invaluable in stirfries and other dishes.
 
You're assuming an awful lot Chaplain Kent. As others have already stated, unfortunately, many of us don't have the luxury of a "neighborhood Asian market". The closest one to me is over an hour away & I rarely have the luxury of making that kind of trip to shop. Thus, I am absolutely THRILLED that all of my local supermarkets now carry items like oyster sauce (& hoisin sauce, & fish sauce, & garlic chili paste/sauce, etc., etc.).
In addition, not all "neighborhood Asian markets" are the same. Over the years we've come across several where we couldn't leave fast enough due to things like truly unclean conditions, expired goods, dented cans/opened containers, etc., etc.

And items like oyster sauce aren't going to "disappear" because big box supermarkets are now carrying them. In fact, I predict that just the opposite will happen - more & more different ethnic specialty items will become available to the regular consumer, thus sparking interest & curiosity. Folks who never stepped foot in an Asian grocer before will be more inclined to want to & see what they're missing.
 
And items like oyster sauce aren't going to "disappear" because big box supermarkets are now carrying them. In fact, I predict that just the opposite will happen - more & more different ethnic specialty items will become available to the regular consumer, thus sparking interest & curiosity. Folks who never stepped foot in an Asian grocer before will be more inclined to want to & see what they're missing.
I completely agree with this. As products make their way into more mainstream stores more people are exposed to them and try them. That in turn sparks interest where there once was none.
 
BC and GB are right!

I can remember a time when the only "Chinese" food in the grocery store was cans of LaChoy Chow Mein with a separate cans of fried noodles taped on top.

Now the selection is MUCH bigger and fresh produce used in Asian cooking is available as well.
 
Yikes! If we all become big box shoppers things like oyster sauce will disappear. Please go to your neighborhood Asian grocer and support them. By the way my rice is far cheaper there than even cosco.

Oyster sauce will probably not disappear, but neighborhood grocery's, Asian or not, are already losing ground to "big box" stores. I can buy Asian ingredients in two of the local chain stores, but still prefer driving a bit to visit the Asian Market.
 
Yikes! If we all become big box shoppers things like oyster sauce will disappear. Please go to your neighborhood Asian grocer and support them. By the way my rice is far cheaper there than even cosco.


I was thinking that too, and also, If we all become big box shoppers, grocery stores will disappear. Walmart has already sent millions of small businesses into extinction by underselling them at the same time they're locking their employees in the stores overnight and shorting them on overtime and benefits! Oh dear, :ohmy: don't get me started! :wacko:
 
I see both points of the argument... however, in the majority of cases, when I visit my Asian grocers, I will tell you that 90% of the people shopping there are of Asian background. The same when I visit the Latin markets. The vast majority of their business comes from their own ethnic community in the city. The other shoppers there are probably "foodies". Now, I am not disagreeing with any viewpoints, but I am offering my personal observations in the last three cities I have lived in. And by the way, no Wal Mart can beat the prices or even come close to the quality or selection of the produce at my ethnic grocer.
 
Hello! I was on the ethnic forum last night asking if anyone had a good recipe for Chinese restuarant style Broccoli Chicken, and someone gave me a recipe that looks pretty good. However, it does call for oyster sauce. Is this something that I can buy at a regular grocery store? I usually shop at Walmart because the groceries seem to be the most economical there. Thanks for your input! :)

You can substitute it for soy sauce.
 
We are truly blessed being this close to a large urban area.. we have Chinese, Thai, Italian, Polish, Czech, Korean, and Mexican grocery stores near us. I never shop for food at a box store, their quality is no where near what I can get at these little stores, and the little stores are much cheaper as well.
For some reason, our Wal Mart just doesn't stock much at all in their grocery section which is all of two isles. However, the Target does have a very large grocery section taking up a third of their space. However, it is still more expensive than the small ethnic grocery stores.
But again, we have them here so it is an option for us. If I lived in an area with out them, I would take what I could get and buy where I could get it. I do like to support mom and pop stores, as long as they are not trying to be trendy and marking their prices up 2 to 3 times what others are, but if you don't have any in your area then I don't see how you are hurting them. Hard to hurt something that isn't there.
What I don't truly get is all the people out here that show Jewel, massively expensive chain store that even Target beats in price!
 
The only place we can get oyster sauce here is at Wal- Mart. We live so far in the boonies that light has to be shipped in. No ethnic markets of any sort, which I was used to visiting when we lived in Washington, D.C.
 
You can substitute it for soy sauce.

Jeekinz, are you saying that you can use soy sauce instead of oyster sauce? :huh:

True, you can, but they don't taste anything alike. Kinda like saying if you don't have potatoes, you can use sweet potatoes. completely different flavor results.
 
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