Chinese Chip Shop Gravy

That thick, pitch-black, glossy "tar-like" gravy is iconic to old-school British-Chinese chip shops from the 1980s and 90s. I don’t know if you can still get it in the UK but here in Canada I have never seen it.

This recipe is pretty close to the one I used to get from the Clover chippy and it was my favourite. I had it every day when I worked up the street from the chippy until my jeans started to shrink and I had to look for a slimmer alternative!

Replicated 1980s/90s Chippy Dark Gravy

Yield: Approx. 1.2 – 1.3 Litres (Doubled Batch) Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 25 mins

Ingredients

The Liquorice Infusion:

  • 1 small shaving/piece of dried liquorice root bark (Gancao)

  • 75 ml boiling water

The Aromatic Base & Dark Roux

  • 80–100 gm lard

  • 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed

  • 1 thin slice of fresh ginger

  • 1 whole star anise

  • 80–100 g plain flour (100g for an ultra-thick gravy)

The Liquid & Flavours

  • 1.2 Litres unsalted pork stock

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce

  • 1½ tbsp oyster sauce

  • 1 tsp MSG (optional)

  • ½ tsp ground white pepper

  • 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

  • ½–1 tsp Chinkiang Chinese black vinegar (added to taste)

Method

  1. Brew the Liquorice Tea: Place the liquorice root shaving into a mug with 75 ml of boiling water. Let it steep for 5 to 8 minutes to extract its natural sweet, woody notes. Set aside.

  2. Deep-Caramelize the Aromatics: Heat the lard in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, and star anise. Fry gently, letting the onions go past golden to a deep, dark caramel colour to build flavour and natural colour depth.

  3. Make the Roux: Remove the star anise, ginger slice, and whole garlic pieces. Lower the heat, then gradually whisk the flour into the oil and caramelized onions to form a thick paste. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly until fragrant and pale golden.

  4. Build the Gravy: Strain out the liquorice bark piece and mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of the liquorice tea directly into the pork stock. Then whisk the stock into the roux paste and whisk until you have a smooth gravy.

  5. Add the Seasonings: Stir in the dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, MSG, white pepper, and five-spice.

  6. Blitz for Smoothness: Use an immersion blender to blitz the sauce until completely smooth.

  7. Fine-Tune the "90s Tang":

    • Stir in ½ teaspoon of Chinkiang black vinegar. Taste test and add a tiny drop more vinegar if you want extra background tang.

  8. Simmer to Finish: Bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes until thick and glossy. Adjust with a splash of water if it becomes too dense, or simmer down slightly to hit your ideal thickness.

Serving Suggestion:

Besides chips, this also goes well with Gammon and pork chops.