Peking sauce is a savory, sweet, and tangy Chinese sauce, typically featuring a base of sweet bean paste (Tian Mian Jiang) or hoisin sauce, enriched with soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil, often with rice vinegar for tang and sometimes five-spice powder for depth, creating a versatile condiment for duck, pork, or vegetables.
Hoisin sauce is a great substitute. It should come out just as good.
Hǎixiānjiàng (Hoisin sauce)
It is known for its balanced combination of sweet, salty, and umami flavors, and is made from fermented soybeans blended with sugar, vinegar, garlic, and various spices.
Beijing sauce is sometimes used as another name for Peking sauce, since Peking was the older English spelling of Beijing. In many cases, they refer to the same sauce, though some chefs or restaurants may use the term Beijing sauce for a variation of the recipe.
Peking sauce is similar to a sweet and sour sauce but has more depth. Alongside the sweet and tangy notes, it also brings umami richness from soy sauce and added aroma from garlic and ginger.
The sauce is both spicy and sweet at the same time, and is made from a blend of aromatic spices and umami-rich soybeans. Also use the Peking duck sauce in marinades for roast meats, or toss a tablespoon through a stir fry for a quick meal.
Ground bean sauce is a key Cantonese ingredient for marinades, stir-fries, braises, and sauces. In Cantonese, we call it, “meen see jeung,” and use it in stewed dishes and Chinese BBQ recipes like our Takeout-style Chinese Spare Ribs. Made with fermented yellow soy beans and spices, it's less sweet than hoisin.
Basic Formulas
Salsa ocopa (Peruvian black mint sauce)
Salsa ocopa is a popular Peruvian sauce originating from Arequipa. It is made with queso fresco, aji amarillo chilis, milk, and huacatay, also known as Peruvian black mint, giving the sauce a unique flavor.
Soy Sauce is the king of all sauces for Chinese. The usage of soy sauce in Chinese cooking is as important as it is salt & pepper in western cuisine. Chinese use soy sauce almost every day; every Asian household will keep at least one bottle of soy sauce in their house.
It typically features a combination of salted plums, soy sauce, garlic, and other seasonings, offering a perfect balance of sweetness, umami, and tanginess.
You will need 2.5 tbsp of sweet bean paste, 2 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of grated garlic, 1 tsp of grated ginger, 3 tbsp of water, 1 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of cornstarch. Give that a mix and we can get our wok ready.
Worcestershire Sauce
This deep, brown English sauce is very popular for adding flavor to meat marinades and in soups, stock, sauces, etc. It will not make a perfect substitute for hoisin, but it does have things in common, and you likely have a bottle of this in your cupboard!
There are 5 types of Mother Sauce namely Hollandaise Sauce, Bechamel Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Veloute Sauce, Espagnole Sauce.
So a seasoned soy sauce is that so-called “mother sauce” that your takeout restaurant is reaching for. But different restaurants are… different, and have different needs. A Sichuan noodle vendor's seasoned soy sauce could be steeped with spices.
18 Best Chinese Sauces: Origins, Flavours and Serving Suggestions
Herbs and seasonings
Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, fennel, cloves and white peppers and smart weed are also used in different regions. To add extra flavor to the dishes, many Chinese cuisines also contain dried Chinese mushrooms, dried baby shrimp, dried tangerine peel, and dried Sichuan chillies.
Hoisin sauce, also known as Peking sauce, is a beloved essential ingredient for dishes like Peking duck or mu shu. Its thick, ketchup-like consistency makes it incredibly versatile, often used as a dipping sauce, marinade for barbecued meats, or a key ingredient in stir-fries.
Soy Sauce: Soy sauce is one of the main ingredients that you'll find in nearly every version of Chinese brown sauce. There are many different types of soy sauce, and you'll find some recipes call for more than one soy sauce in the mix.
If you're from the Midwest or Eastern seaboard of the United States, duck sauce is likely an orange jelly-like substance—similar to sweet-and-sour sauce but with a fruitier flavor—that comes in packets with your Chinese takeout.
In Asian food, MSG powder is a staple in many kitchens, used to enhance the flavours of soups, stir-fries, and sauces. Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisines, in particular, use MSG to create the umami taste that defines many of their dishes. Meanwhile in Latin American and African cuisines, MSG is gaining popularity.
Fermented black beans have seasoned Chinese cuisine since the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), when salt-preserved legumes became a shelf-stable protein source. This classic Cantonese sauce combines these intensely savory beans with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and often a splash of Shaoxing wine.
Sichuanese cuisine is renowned for fiery and bold tastes, particularly the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chilis, as well as the unique flavors of Sichuan (Szechuan) pepper.