How to make Hoisin sauce, a spicy, sweet and salty condiment (recipe included)
05/04/2021 / By Rose Lidell / Comments
How to make Hoisin sauce, a spicy, sweet and salty condiment (recipe included)

Chinese and Vietnamese cuisines combine various ingredients with flavorful sauces to produce tasty dishes. If you love pork dishes or duck wraps, try this hoisin sauce recipe to give meals a natural flavor boost.

What is hoisin sauce?

“Hoisin” comes from the Chinese word for “seafood.” Earlier recipes might have used a seafood ingredient to provide the unique umami flavor of this condiment. However, modern hoisin sauce recipes no longer contain seafood.

This tangy, reddish-brown sauce is often used in Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine as an ingredient or as a dipping sauce. Hoisin sauce is a smooth, thick condiment with a similar consistency to American barbecue sauce. The sauce can be used to glaze meats.

Hoisin sauce is sweet and salty, and it’s traditionally made with fermented soybean paste as the base. If you don’t want to use fermented soybean paste, other recipes use different ingredients like:

  • Black pepper
  • Brown sugar
  • Five-powder spice
  • Fennel
  • Garlic
  • Hot sauce
  • Rice wine vinegar
  • Sesame oil
  • Soy sauce
  • Vinegar

Hoisin sauce and oyster sauce

Hoisin sauce and oyster sauce have some similarities, but there are crucial differences between the two condiments.

Hoisin sauce

Hoisin sauce is made with black pepper, honey, garlic, rice vinegar, salt, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and water. While hoisin sauce is a vegan alternative for other sauces, always check the ingredients list before using it when making a vegan dish.

Hoisin sauce is spicy, sweet and salty. Ingredients like chili, sesame oil, soybeans and vinegar make hoisin sauce more palatable and give it a complex taste. Compared to soy sauce, the saltiness of hoisin sauce doesn’t overwhelm the other flavors in a dish.

Hoisin sauce can be used to make glazes, mayonnaise and vinaigrettes. The sauce is usually served as a table condiment or a dipping sauce.

Oyster sauce

Oyster sauce is usually made with oyster, salt, sugar, water and other thickeners and artificial flavors. It’s also saltier than hoisin sauce. High-end oyster sauce varieties tend to have a more subtle oyster or fish flavor. Meanwhile, cheaper versions will taste much saltier.

Oyster sauce is dark brown in color and is used for stir-fries to coat vegetables and meat. Oyster sauce has a thinner consistency compared to hoisin sauce.

How to use hoisin sauce

Hoisin sauce is traditionally used in Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine for stir-fries and as a glaze for meat dishes. It’s usually paired with pork dishes and duck wraps.

In Vietnamese cooking, hoisin sauce is served with pho, a soup with noodles, broth and meat, either in the soup itself or as a dipping sauce for the meat. It’s also used as a sauce for spring rolls and gives noodle dishes an amazing flavor boost.

Here are five ways to use hoisin sauce:

Dipping sauce

Use hoisin sauce as a dip for Chinese or Vietnamese egg rolls, spring rolls or dumplings. The sauce pairs well with fried foods.

Glaze

Use hoisin sauce to make a delicious glaze for roasted or baked meat. Hoisin is a popular sauce for Peking duck. It gives the famous dish a delectable flavor profile and its well-known, deep, honey-colored sheen.

Marinade

Hoisin sauce is versatile and can be used as a glaze for chicken, duck or pork. You can use it on its own as a marinade, but you can also add other ingredients to make a flavorful dish.

Hoisin sauce isn’t just good for Chinese and Chinese-style dishes. It can also be used to marinade ribs or pork shoulders that are going to be smoked or grilled American-style. Hoisin sauce can be paired with a dry rub or added to barbecue sauce.

Stir-fries

Hoisin sauce can be added to a vegetable or meat stir-fry. Its sweet and salty taste complements many veggies and meats. Using hoisin sauce will help tie all the other flavors in a stir-fry without overpowering them.

Seafood

Use hoisin sauce when preparing fish or shellfish, like Chinese shrimp in hoisin sauce or salmon with a hoisin sauce glaze.

Hoisin sauce recipe

The recipe below is simple and skips the fermented soybean paste. Make some hoisin sauce at home and use it as a glaze or dipping sauce for egg rolls.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

  • 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons of rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, ground
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Hot sauce (to taste)
  • Sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation:

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, then whisk until the consistency is smooth.
  2. Taste the sauce. Add extra spices or vinegar if you wish. Garnish with sesame seeds.
  3. Serve the hoisin sauce at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Give dishes a spicy, sweet and salty kick with homemade hoisin sauce.

Sources:

OrganicFacts.net

TheSpruceEats.com

PepperScale.com

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