The secrets of China's 'secret sauce'

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/03/27/ [login to see] /the-secrets-of-chinas-secret-sauce
Chef Peter begins his workday each afternoon by mixing together a fragrant broth of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar and a boatload of spices.

Then he carefully unwraps a plastic bag with his secret ingredient: a sauce that is 40 years old.

"This is just one small element to the dish, but it is crucial to the overall taste," says Peter.

The sauce is called Lu (pronounced "loo"), and virtually every Chinese regional cuisine uses some variation of it. Lu sauce originally denoted salted water used as a marinade for meat that's boiled, then served cold, and for vegetables. Nowadays it's made out of a base of salty liquid, such as soy sauce, with sugar and a mix of spices. And it's not just a marinade — it's also used to finish the dish once it's cooked.

Lu is the secret sauce at the heart of many Chinese family cuisines. To Peter, his Lu sauce is also a heritage from his beloved mother.