{"id":109818,"title":"Hoisin Sauce","modified":"2025-10-29T15:28:51+01:00","plain":"Hoisin sauce is a deeply aromatic, slightly spicy sauce often used in Asian vegetable stir-fries, marinades, and grilled dishes. It\u2019s a key ingredient in many Chinese dishes and some Vietnamese recipes. It\u2019s also known as Chinese barbecue sauce.\n\n\n\nWhat is hoisin sauce?\n\n\n\nHoisin sauce is a condiment made from fermented soybean paste blended with seasonings and spices. It adds a distinctly Asian flavor profile, combining umami with sweet, tangy, and spicy notes.\n\n\n\nIt typically contains no animal products and is therefore suitable for vegans and vegetarians, although it is traditionally served with Peking duck. It\u2019s also used in the recipe for Chinese char siu (barbecued pork)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrigins of hoisin sauce\n\n\n\nVery little is known about the origins of hoisin sauce beyond its Cantonese roots. The name hoisin comes from the Chinese word for seafood, and earlier versions may have contained a seafood ingredient to provide umami.\n\n\n\nToday, it no longer contains seafood. In fact, it\u2019s generally not used with seafood at all, so the origin of the name is a bit of a mystery. One leading theory is that hoisin sauce shares a common ancestor with oyster sauce, which is very similar in appearance and texture, and even somewhat in taste.\n\n\n\nWhat\u2019s in hoisin sauce?\n\n\n\nStore-bought versions are typically made with fermented soybean paste, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, chilies, and a sweetener. They may also contain preservatives, stabilizers, and colorings.\n\n\n\nThe ingredients in the very popular Lee Kum Kee brand include sugar, water, fermented soybean paste (contains wheat flour), salt, sweet potato powder, modified cornstarch, sesame paste, garlic, chilies, and spices. You can find it here on Amazon.\n\n\n\nWhat does hoisin sauce taste like?\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s dark and very thick, with a pronounced salty flavor and a hint of sweetness. You can compare it to American-style barbecue sauce, but it\u2019s much saltier, richer, and less sweet, with a character all its own.\n\n\n\nFermented soybeans add a deeply savory umami element that other sauces often get from fish or meat.\n\n\n\nHoisin chicken wraps\n\n\n\nHow to use hoisin sauce in cooking\n\n\n\nBecause its unique taste can be irresistible\u2014especially if you\u2019re new to Asian cooking\u2014start by using just a little at a time to get a feel for the flavor. You can also dilute it with water or sesame oil before adding it to a recipe.\n\n\n\nHoisin sauce is an excellent way to add authentic Asian flavor, body, and color to a stir-fry or noodle dish. Use it as a dipping sauce for samosas, shrimp pancakes, shrimp tempura, and other Asian fried snacks. It also goes into the marinade for making crispy air fryer pork\n\n\n\nRecipes that use hoisin sauce\n\n\n\nDelicious pineapple chicken\n\n\n\nHoisin sauce substitutes\n\n\n\nIf you can\u2019t find hoisin sauce at the store, your best bet is to use a recipe (see the end of the article) to make a substitute. Another quick fix: stir some sriracha and Chinese five-spice powder into a typical barbecue sauce.\n\n\n\nAuthentic Chinese beef with onions\n\n\n\nWhere to buy hoisin sauce?\n\n\n\nMany supermarkets carry hoisin sauce in the Asian foods aisle; look for brands such as Lee Kum Kee. At Asian grocery stores you\u2019ll find other higher-quality brands with fewer artificial ingredients. You can also buy hoisin sauce online from Amazon.\n\n\n\nYou can use it in place of the sweet bean sauce in my Zha Jiang Mian noodle recipe\n\n\n\nHow to store hoisin sauce?\n\n\n\nStore an unopened jar in a cool, dark place; it will keep for a few years. Still, check the expiration date. If you\u2019ve had the sauce for a while, make sure it hasn\u2019t developed mold or an off odor.\n\n\n\nOnce opened, refrigerate the sauce. You don\u2019t need to use it quickly\u2014it keeps for up to a year in the fridge, thanks to its high salt content, which inhibits bacteria and mold. Discard it if you see mold, notice an off odor, or observe discoloration.\n\n\n\nHomemade hoisin sauce recipe\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\tHomemade Hoisin Sauce\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t4 tablespoons soy sauce2 tablespoons black bean paste or peanut butter1 tablespoon honey or molasses2 tablespoons white wine vinegar1 pinch garlic powder1 pinch Chinese five-spice2 teaspoons sesame oila few drops of Tabasco1 pinch pepper\t\n\t\n\t\tCombine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tSauceChinoise","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109818"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110000,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109818\/revisions\/110000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}