What is shacha sauce?
Shacha (沙茶酱, shāchá jiàng) is an oily, grainy seasoning paste made from soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chili, dried flatfish and dried shrimp. Sa cha, sha cha and sacha all mean the same sauce; the spellings follow different romanizations. The paste comes from the Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong and from Fujian, and in Taiwan it is a kitchen staple. The name derives from Southeast Asian satay. In flavor, shacha has little in common with peanut satay sauce. You can read more about its origin and use under Sa cha sauce.
Buying and substituting shacha sauce
At an Asian grocery store, shacha comes in cans or jars, for example from the Taiwanese brand Bull Head with the bull's head on the label. Oil collects on top. Stir the contents before you scoop so you get paste and oil in the right ratio. After opening, store the sauce in the fridge. If you have allergies, read the label, because manufacturers' recipes differ.
There is no equivalent substitute. For this recipe, you get close if you briefly toast 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp finely chopped dried shrimp, one chopped garlic clove and a pinch of chili flakes in 1 tbsp oil. Peanut satay sauce tastes different and does not work here. You will find more swap ideas under substituting Asian ingredients.
How to get Sha Cha Ji right
- Cutting the meat: Cut the chicken breast into 2 cm cubes or finger-thick strips. Boneless chicken thighs stay juicier and tolerate a few more minutes of heat.
- Binding the marinade: Stir 1 tsp cornstarch into the marinade. The starch coats the meat, keeps it juicy and thickens the sauce in the wok.
- Garlic: Fry it for 10 seconds, until fragrant, and then add the chicken. Garlic fried dark tastes bitter.
- Batches: Fry 500 g of meat in two rounds. In a full wok, the meat stews in its own juices and does not brown.
- Bell pepper: Leave the bell pepper some bite. After 3 to 4 minutes in the hot wok, it is cooked and crisp.
More dishes with shacha sauce
You will use up an opened jar quickly. Taiwanese street kitchens fry beef with shacha and water spinach. That works with the recipe for wok-fried beef if you swap the oyster sauce for shacha. For hot pot, stir shacha with soy sauce and chopped scallions into a dip to go with Huo Guo. A spoonful of shacha in fried noodles or in a noodle soup adds toasty flavor and salt.
What goes with it
Serve Sha Cha Ji with jasmine rice; the instructions are under Cooking jasmine rice. Steamed bok choy or broccoli with a little garlic works as a vegetable. For 4 people, cook 300 g of rice.
