3 c. chicken or meat stock
1 c. soy sauce
1 c. wine, dry sherry
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 star anise
4 whole cloves
1 finger ginger, smashed

Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Cool, then refrigerate. Use as needed. This makes about 2 pints of sauce.

COMMENTARY: This is a very useful sauce. A busy cook can simply immerse many different meats, simmer for a given time and achieve a rich, mysterious flavor. Most times, fat meats are used, such as duck, pork, short ribs of beef, chicken wings, beef tripe, pork tripe and belly pork. Simmering time varies from one to two hours.

Sometimes eggs or tofu are cooked in this sauce. These take less time to cook. Just bring to a boil, turn off the heat and allow to cool.

The quantity of sauce used depends upon the amount to be cooked--use enough to cover. When cool, the stock can be reconstituted by skimming off the fat and the volume brought back to the original amount by adding soy sauce, wine, sugar and spices as needed.

Salting and blanching of meat before placing in the stock is recommended. This is done by rubbing two tablespoons of salt per pound of meat and leaving it refrigerated overnight. Then place the meat in boiling water until scum appears and can be easily removed. Rinse meat in cold water, freeing it of all scum. The brown stock should thus remain very clear.