Eating clean sometimes means giving up things you are familiar with or once attached to. To me, it's Chinese food, the kind that is laden with greases and artificial ingredients. I still remember the day when I purged my kitchen pantry, I finally said goodbye to my last jars of Chinese condiments like hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and sesame paste that I was holding onto for the longest time.
Lately I was looking for a dan dan mein recipe to surprise my husband on his birthday (his childhood comfort food). I found one that looked amazing but required hoisin sauce, the hoisin sauce I threw away years ago. So I googled home made hoisin sauce and landed on a recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good. It turned out to be so DELICIOUS and the easiest thing to make! It has become a condiment I often use now to make simple stir fries and Ma Po Tofu. Click here for Ma Po Tofu recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- one large garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 1/2 cup red miso paste
- 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (add more to taste)
Method:
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and five-spice powder and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Whisk in the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and cook, whisking or stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add more maple syrup to taste.
- Let the sauce cool before using. It keeps well in the refrigerator for a week or so.