From: Dr. Neal Pinckney (ip64-75-190-13.dial.aloha.net)
Subject: Re: Brown Sauce
Date: January 9, 2002 at 6:06 pm PST

In Reply to: Brown Sauce posted by Joe on January 9, 2002 at 9:37 am:

The reply posted by Cornelius names one likely ingredient in "brown sauce". It also could be made from fermented black beans (this sauce will usually be about 30% calories from fat).

Other ingredients that are typically used in Chinese food is soy sauce (very high sodium, both salt and MSG), chicken broth, peanut oil and monosodium glutamate.

Restaurant Chinese food is almost always higher in fat than recommended in our program. In an analysis of 15 local popular Chinese restaurants a few years ago, almost all dishes were over 40% calories from fat.

I've found that one cannot rely on asking the waiter to make a dish with less or no oil. The waiter may tell the cook, but the cook will usually ignore the request and prepare it the way it is always made. If one talks directly to the owner, sometimes one can get a lower fat dish, but don't bet your life on it.