Sha cha sauce
Sha cha is the Chaoshan and Taiwanese paste: dried flatfish, dried shrimp, garlic, shallot and sesame, often with coconut, fried into a savoury oil paste with little or no peanut. At the hotpot it goes into the saucer, and it also stir-fries beef and greens. It is not Hong Kong satay sauce, which is peanut-led. At Australian Asian grocers the tin is often labelled Barbecue Sauce or Satay BBQ, so read the ingredients for flatfish and shrimp.
Cautions: read first
- Contains fish, shrimp (a crustacean), soy and sesame, and some brands contain peanut, all mandatory-declaration allergens in Australia; read the tin, and refrigerate once opened.
Preparation
Stir the oil on top back in before use; at the hotpot, a spoonful or two goes into the saucer with light soy and spring onion.
Origin
Chaoshan and Taiwan. Tins and jars on the Asian grocer's sauce shelf, usually labelled Barbecue Sauce or sha cha sauce in English; read the ingredients for flatfish and shrimp.
Availability in Australia
Easy to find
Where · Every Asian grocer's sauce shelf
What to ask for · The tin is often labelled Barbecue Sauce; read the ingredients for flatfish and shrimp. Supermarket peanut satay is not this
If it is not there · Hong Kong satay sauce, with more peanut
