Hoisin Sauce Recipe

Hoisin sauce is also popularly known as a Chinese barbecue sauce. Often used in Chinese cooking to prepare the extremely popular Peking duck, this sauce is also often called Peking sauce. Rich in flavor and in color, it is a very popular sauce not only as an additive to Chinese food, but also as a dipping sauce. It is easily commercially available, primarily in the international foods section. However, a lot of people prefer making their own sauce for rich, authentic, and flavorful additions to their Chinese preparations. Not only the Peking duck, this delicious sauce is used to glaze and add flavor to various meats such as fish and poultry, and even as an addition to stir-fried preparations and noodles. Here, we will take a look at the recipe to prepare hoisin sauce.

Recipe

Hoisin sauce is prepared with the use of fermented soy paste, garlic, vinegar, chili, and a sweetener. As such, when you eat a preparation made with this sauce, you will feel a burst of flavors on your palate; a little sweetness, a little sourness, and a little spiciness! While these are the basic ingredients used to prepare it, there are lots of other additions and subtractions that people make to create a distinct flavor to suit their taste buds. Here is a simple recipe that you can follow to prepare this sauce.

Ingredients

• White Wine Vinegar, 2 tbsp
• Soy Sauce, 4 tbsp
• Honey, 1 tbsp
• Peanut Butter / Black Bean Paste, 2 tbsp
• Garlic Powder, 1/8 tsp
• Chinese Hot Sauce, 15 drops
• Sesame Seed Oil, 2 tsp

Preparation
To prepare the hoisin sauce, all you have to do is thoroughly mix the ingredients until they make a light paste. It is likely that you may see the ingredients not mixing well initially. However, continue till they gel and make the paste. Because hoisin has a very strong taste, it may appeal to some people instantly, and to others it may not. If you think it is too strong, you may experiment by using small amounts in your recipe till you are able to attain the desired flavor. Cooking experts also suggest diluting it in water if it is too strong for your taste. You may prepare this recipe and store it in the refrigerator to be used whenever necessary.

How Much Hoisin Sauce Should you Consume?

As delicious as it is, hoisin sauce has very high amounts of sodium, which when consumed in excess can harm your body in several ways. Even the soy sauce used for the homemade preparation is rich in sodium. You will be surprised to know that the number of calories in the one that is commercially available stand at 50 per tablespoon. That is a huge number of calories for one serving! This figure may be slightly lesser if the sauce is prepared at home, but it is still high. Finally, though this sauce is relatively fat free, it has high sugar levels making it dangerous when consumed in large amounts.

When hoisin sauce is used in any preparation, it is likely to magnify the calorific value of the entire meal. So the idea is to consume meals prepared with this sauce in moderation. As delicious as it is, you must take care of your health too. This sauce is not a highly dangerous food additive as long as you consume it in appropriate amounts. So enjoy the distinct flavors of this Chinese sauce and use it to come up with a unique creation that you can call your signature dish!