Hoisin Sauce (Better than Store-Bought)

• servings: 1 cup
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated

One 1-inch thumb-size piece fresh ginger, finely minced or grated

2 green onions, whites and light green parts only, finely minced

5 tablespoons (65g) light tamari or light soy sauce, plus more to taste

5 tablespoons (65g) pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons (30g) molasses

1 tablespoon (20g) peanut butter, try homemade peanut butter

1 ½ teaspoons Gochujang, see notes

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice, see notes

1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions

Heat sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and green onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Set the saucepan aside to cool.

Stir in soy sauce, maple syrup, molasses, peanut butter, Gochujang, rice wine vinegar, and the Chinese Five Spice. Return the saucepan to medium heat and, while stirring, slowly bring to a simmer. Taste the sauce and adjust with 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon of soy sauce if necessary.

Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with 2 teaspoons water. Whisk the slurry into the sauce. As it simmers, the sauce will thicken. Once thickened, remove it from the heat and let it cool. Refrigerate your sauce for up to one month.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
• Calories: 86
• Total Fat: 2.8g
• Saturated Fat: 0.5g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 290mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 14.8g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.3g
• Total Sugars: 12.3g
• Protein: 1.3g