What is it?

Hoisin sauce is the intensely flavored, dark-brown Chinese dipping sauce that perks up classics like Peking duck and mu-shu pork. Hoisin is made from fermented soybeans, sugar, garlic, chiles, and vinegar, and its high sugar content makes it a wonderful addition to barbecue sauces and marinades for roasted or grilled meats. It also brings tangy, robust flavor to stir-fried greens such as bok choy, broccoli, or spinach.

Supermarket hoisin sauces vary widely in flavor, color, and consistency, the best being dark brown, thick, and richly flavored with soy, garlic, and chiles. A good hoisin sauce should have a nice balance of sweet and salty notes and lots of soy flavor.

How to store:

Hoisin sauce will keep indefinitely refrigerated in a non-metal container. If you buy canned hoisin, transfer it to a nonmetal container, tightly seal it and store it in the refrigerator.

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Recipes

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  Recipe

  Hoisin-and-Maple-Glazed Roast Pork Tenderloin

  This recipe is based on the Chinese barbecued pork called char su, with a glaze developed by my wife, Nancy, who is chef/owner of Boulevard in San Francisco. To help…

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  Recipe

  General Tso’s Chicken

  This version of General Tso’s Chicken resembles the original created by Peng Chang-Kuei in Taiwan. Strictly speaking it is not a traditional Hunan dish, but the technique and flavors are…

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  Recipe

  Asian Barbecue Chicken Wings

  Even if it’s not a game day, you’ve still got game in the kitchen when you make this finger-licking, umami-laden take on chicken wings. The recipe calls for slow cooking…

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  Recipe

  Grilled Baby Back Ribs with Asian Plum Marinade

  This fruity, sweet, and savory marinade is also delicious with chicken or pork.

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  Sweet and Spicy Sesame Chicken Kebabs

  A great hors d’oeuvre, the kebabs are also delicious for dinner, served with rice and seared baby bok choy. If using wooden skewers, soak them for at least 20 minutes…

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  Recipe

  Turkey Sloppy Joes with Hoisin and Cilantro

  Hoisin sauce, a thick sweet-and-spicy Chinese condiment, gives ground turkey a deep and savory flavor in this new twist on a classic American sandwich.

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  Recipe

  Stir-Fried Bay Scallops with Ginger, Red Onion, and Toasted Walnuts

  Walnuts complement the nutty flavor of the scallops in this deeply flavored stir-fry. Rice is a natural accompaniment.

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  Recipe

  Stir-Fried Chili Beef with Bell Peppers and Snow Peas

  This spicy dish gets its deep, nuanced flavor from Asian hot bean sauce, which contains soybeans in addition to chiles. It’s a rich, complex flavor worth seeking out, but if…

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  Recipe

  Crispy Tofu with Sesame Asparagus and Dipping Sauce

  A coating of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) is the secret to these ultracrisp tofu triangles. Hoisin sauce does double duty, adding flavor to the tofu’s coating and serving as a sweet-tangy…

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  Recipe

  Soy and Ginger Shrimp en Papillotes

  In this Asian-inspired dish, tender shrimp and crisp bok choy are infused with the complex flavors of ingredients like hoisin sauce and hot chili oil (available in the supermarket’s international…