CHILLI HOISIN SAUCE: very low sugar, adventurous, indulgent

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An adventurous Chilli Hoisin Sauce with lots of garlic & ginger...

Versatile punchy sauce, here as a dribbling or dipping sauce for low-fat tofu fritters/dumplings

This recipe, adapted from Fuchsia Dunlop, was an experiment for 67goingon50's menus  for Chinese New Year and turned into a savoury delight.   

The blogger is not a great fan of chillis but the heat was offset by the blend of other lovely flavours; it lingered mildly on the tongue but in a good way.  

67goingon50 was able to use mainly store cupboard ingredients.  (Okay, not everyone stocks 4 types of Chinese sauces.  Three sauces, maybe?)  If a trek to an Asian supermarket is not on the cards, substitutes are given.   

Chilli Hoisin Sauce has a myriad of uses. 

Dribbled over the Pastry-free Tofu Dumplings (posted later this week) it took the crispy fritters to another level.  

It gave chicken wings a beautiful punchy glaze. (recipe next week). 

Plain steamed rice was brightened up with a dash of sauce stirred through.  

The sauce will also enhance bowls of clear Chinese soups and bowls of noodles & vegetables in broth.  And 67 will test the sauce next in Chinese breakfast Congee, where it will likely shine.

Preparation is easy but there are a few steps.  Trust 67; the sauce is well worth the effort.  Get everything ready before cooking and it will go like the breeze.   

Cost: depends on cupboard ingredients but maybe £2'ish

Makes: 1/3 cup; recipe multiples easily

Ingreds:

 

1 tbsp peanut or other cooking oil
2 tbsp hoisin sauce

3/4  tbsp grated garlic
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
150 ml vegetarian stock or hot water
2 tsp sugar (opt) 
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp potato flour or cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp cold water
1 tsp Chinkiang/black vinegar OR 1/2 tsp Balsamic + 1/2 tsp cider or white vinegar

5 tbsp green part off spring onions, finely sliced  

min 1 teaspoon - max 1.5 tsp hot sauce (67 used Chiu Chow chilli oil because it was in the cupboard but any thick hot sauce will do).

1/2 tsp  toasted sesame oil
 

Method:

1. Heat peanut/cooking oil in a med pot/wok over a medium flame 
2. Add hoisin;  stir fry until it smells delicious; add garlic and ginger and continue to fry until they smell wonderful too
3. Add the stock or water with the sugar if using, and light soy sauce
4. Bring to the boil; bubble until the sauce has reduced by half (a few minutes)
5. Stir starch mixture; pour into sauce; cook until consistency is like gravy
6. Add vinegar & spring onion; stir a few mins to fuse flavours
7. Take off heat; stir in  sesame oil 
8. Carefully stir in choice of hot sauce, tasting after the first teaspoon and after each further addition (Generally 67 finds 1 tsp is fine for the chilli novice and possibly adventurous kids; 1.5 tsp is usually ok for most adults; 2 tsp is for the chilli lover

This recipe was adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission