Cantonese oyster sauce sauce over blanched lettuce

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add about half a teaspoon of salt and optionally a little oil.

Boil the vegetable until done; lettuce takes about five seconds.

Strain, put it on a plate and pour off any excess liquid.

Mix oyster sauce, water or stock, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and MSG well.

Heat peanut oil in a non-reactive, preferably non-stick saucepan over a medium flame, then add the sauce.

Once at a heavy simmer, drizzle in a slurry of starch and an equal amount of water. Once slightly thickened it is done.

Smother the sauce over the vegetable.

Variation: pour the same sauce straight over noodles, add a little hot water to loosen, and mix well.

Blanch the vegetable last, after the stir-fries, so the water cleans the wok and picks up the flavour and oil already in it.

Variation: with a Thai oyster sauce such as Megachef, cut the sugar at least in half, because sugar is already added to the sauce.