It's all because of a carelessness in Nanshui, Canton. Lee Kam Sheung, proud owner of a small eatery, forgets to take his oyster broth off the fire somewhere at the end of the 19th century and discovers the oyster sauce. Lee, who may have been simple but not stupid, turns on a light when it turns out that his newly discovered oyster sauce is very popular with locals. He can do something with it. He founds the company Lee Kum Kee, which still exists and no longer makes oyster sauce alone.

The local residents in Nanshui had seen and tasted it well. Oyster sauce, which by the way doesn't have a real fish taste at all, as many people think, gives dishes a refined sweet boost.

Oyster sauce is made by simmering oysters in water until the juices in the oysters thicken and a dark sauce remains.

In our kitchen in Hua Hin, Thailand we have extensively stirred in pots and pans to make a 100% natural oyster sauce, with as many organic ingredients as possible. Our tasting panel, a nice word for critical Thai locals, tests the taste. Always exciting, because Thai food and oyster sauce is almost a first necessity of life in Thailand. To make a long story short, our thumbs went up and that is why we now present a real Thai oyster sauce. Really Thai and really tasty.

However, a recipe is not only successful if it tastes good here in our kitchen. It is only good when it tastes good in your home as well. We couldn't escape using some organic cane sugar and salt to preserve the products. But in fact a bottle of oyster sauce from ONOFF SPICES is full of flavour. All ingredients from agriculture (such as tapioca and soy) are organic. The oysters are sustainably grown in the southern Thai regions of Songkhla and Pattani.

We can tell you a bit more about that. The oysters are grown through aquaculture in the Gulf of Thailand. The water in southern Thailand is much cleaner than in most other places in Thailand. We work with permanent nurseries that we have selected together with the Thai Earth Net / Green Net Foundation. Earth Net Foundation is a Thai non-profit organization that encourages and guides the cultivation of organic food and the making of natural products. Earth Net also checks if the breeders involved in ONOFF SPICES adhere to the agreements and grow the animals in a sustainable way.

An oyster starts as a larva, also called an oyster brood. When their shell develops and becomes heavier, they sink to the bottom. There they attach themselves to the soil (to old shells for example) and grow calmly.

The oysters we use grow in a shielded part of the sea. Oysters don't need a lot of space, they soon enjoy their shell. They live in nutrient-rich water, so that water can wash through their gills. So they absorb plankton and lime to live on and at the same time purify the water. The oysters are harvested by hand, so machines and nets are not used to dredge them. In this way, the breeding does not cause any pollution, is not harmful to the environment and is not a threat to the population.

We can't let Lee Kam Sheung taste any more, but maybe, just maybe, he would have been a bit proud that his discovery is in good hands.