Hoisin sauce is a very useful condiment as well as a nice glaze for poultry, pork and beef. Its ingredients such as soy sauce gives it a tangy, salty taste, balanced with some sweetness with either honey or molasses, tang from vinegar, and umami from miso or peanut butter.
Always remember that a recipe is a suggestion and with your imagination and creativity, you can create your own hoisin sauce with the different ingredients.
I like the fact that you have most of these ingredients in your pantry.
Hoisin
Sauce No. 1
Combine all ingredients:
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon miso paste, or 1/2 teaspoon spicy fermented bean paste, or 1/2 teaspoon gochujang, or 1 teaspoon spice powder plus 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
Mix well and store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Hoisin
sauce No. 2
This recipe gets boiled and then thickened with cornstarch.
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water to form a slurry
Heat all ingredients except the cornstarch. When it boils, add the cornstarch slurry to thicken.
Store in an airtight container for up to one month in the refrigerator.
Hoisin sauce was believed to some form the Guangdong Province where it was sold from large vats. As the earliest Chinese immigrants came from this region, it is probable that they brought some hoisin sauce with them. It became so popular that you now see it on the tables at Vietnamese restaurants that serve pho.
Hoisin comes from the Cantonese word for seafood. It could be that it was originally added to seafood to give it umami flavors.
Sweet and Sticky Chicken
Serves 6
First make the glaze.
Mix together in a bowl:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Measure out 1/4 cup and set aside.
Mix together in a small bowl:
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
In a shallow dish, place:
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Pour over the chicken and toss to coat evenly. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes or you can marinate the chicken overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the grill to medium-high. When the grill is hot, cook the chicken for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Brush both sides of the chicken with 1/4 cup of the glaze, cooking about 30 seconds on each side.
Hoisin Tofu
Serve 4
One block extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into three pieces, and pressed between paper towels and weighted down to remove water
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup water plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
After you have drained the water out of the tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes. In a large bowl, mix together the granulated onion, garlic, nutritional yeast and 3 tablespoon cornstarch.
Toss the tofu to coat completely.
Place them on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Heat oven to 425 degrees and bake for 15-20 minutes. Flip the tofu, rotate the pan, cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the tofu is lightly golden brown and crispy.
If you have an air-fryer, heat to 375 degrees and bake for 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. Check for crispness, mist with avocado oil if desired and cook for another 10 minutes till crispy.
Mix the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and minced garlic in a small bowl.
When the tofu is done, heat the sauce and make a cornstarch slurry with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/4 cup water, add to the pot to thicken. Add the tofu to the sauce and gently toss. Serve.
Today we will be celebrating the life of my hanai mother, Dora Kraul, who passed away in my arms on Mother’s Day. She was a great cook and will be missed by many of her family and friends. Aloha Mom Dora!
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
