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Homemade hoisin sauce
Hoi sin jeung 海鲜酱: a sweet, savoury dark sauce of fermented bean paste, sugar, garlic and five-spice
Cantonese cooks in Guangzhou and Hong Kong brush hoisin over char siu, stir it into noodles and put a dish of it on the table with roast duck and spring rolls. Despite the name, which means 'seafood sauce', it contains no seafood at all. Making it yourself takes fifteen minutes and gives a fresher, less sticky sauce that is sweet, salty, garlicky and gently spiced, without thickeners or colourings. Use it for dipping, glazing tofu or vegetables, and in marinades. The usual mistake is boiling it hard, which scorches the sugar and turns it bitter; keep it at a lazy bubble. Chef's tip: fermented yellow soybean paste (huang dou jiang) gives the closest flavour, but white miso works too if that is what you have.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp yellow soybean paste (huang dou jiang)or white miso
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 4 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlicgrated
- ½ tsp five-spice powder
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 tsp chilli sauce (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 4 tbsp yellow soybean paste (huang dou jiang), 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 4 tbsp dark brown sugar, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp five-spice powder, 4 tbsp water and 1 tsp chilli sauce if using in a small pan and whisk until smooth.
Step 2: Bring to a gentle simmer over a low heat, stirring all the time, and cook until the sauce is thick and glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Don't let it boil hard.
6 minStep 3: Take off the heat and stir in 2 tsp toasted sesame oil. It thickens more as it cools; whisk in a spoonful of water if it gets too stiff.
Step 4: Cool and keep in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 45 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does homemade hoisin sauce take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of dark soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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