Sha Cha Sauce — Full Homemade RecipeA savory, aromatic, slightly spicy, umami-rich Chinese BBQ-style sauce. Excellent for hot pot, stir-fries, noodles, seafood, chicken, and beef.
Yield: Approximately 500 g
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20–25 minutes
Ingredients
- 60 g dried shrimp
- 40 g dried shallots
- 50 g garlic
- 30 g dried red chilies
- 25 g toasted sesame seeds
- 40 g peanut butter
- 50 g soybean paste
- 30 ml light soy sauce
- 15 ml fish sauce
- 15 g sugar
- ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 3 g salt, or to taste
- 250 ml neutral vegetable oil
- Warm water, for soaking the shrimp
Instructions
- Soak the dried shrimp. Place the dried shrimp in a bowl and cover with warm water. Let them soak for 10–15 minutes, then drain very thoroughly.
- Prepare the aromatics. Roughly chop the soaked shrimp, dried shallots, garlic, and dried red chilies.
- Make the paste. Add the shrimp, shallots, garlic, chilies, and toasted sesame seeds to a food processor. Pulse until you have a coarse paste. It does not need to be completely smooth.
- Heat the oil. Pour the vegetable oil into a saucepan or wok and heat over low to medium-low heat.
- Cook the aromatic paste. Add the prepared paste to the oil. Cook slowly for 8–12 minutes, stirring frequently so the garlic and shallots don’t burn. The mixture should become deeply fragrant.
- Add the seasonings. Stir in the soybean paste, peanut butter, light soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, Chinese five-spice, white pepper, and salt.
- Finish cooking. Reduce to low heat and cook for another 5–8 minutes, stirring regularly. The sauce is ready when it becomes aromatic, slightly darker, and you can see some of the oil beginning to separate from the paste.
- Taste and adjust. Add a little more soy sauce or salt for saltiness, sugar for sweetness, or chili if you prefer more heat.
- Cool completely. Remove from the heat and allow the Sha Cha sauce to cool before transferring it to a clean, dry, airtight jar.
How to Use It
For hot pot dipping sauce, mix 1–2 tablespoons of Sha Cha sauce with soy sauce, sesame oil, chopped scallions, and a little hot-pot broth.
For stir-fries, start with about 1–2 tablespoons per 250–300 g of meat or vegetables. It works especially well with thinly sliced beef, chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, and leafy greens.
For noodles, mix a spoonful with soy sauce and a little noodle cooking water, then toss with freshly cooked noodles.
Chef’s Tips
Keep the heat relatively low while cooking. The aromatics need time to fry and develop flavor without burning.
Drain the soaked shrimp particularly well; excess water can cause the hot oil to splatter.
For a smoother sauce, process the aromatic mixture more finely. For a more traditional rustic texture, leave it coarse.
Because this homemade sauce contains seafood and other moist ingredients, keep it refrigerated in a clean airtight container rather than storing it at room temperature. For longer storage, freezing it in small portions is the safer option.
