What is "hoisin sauce"

n. A sauce made from soy, garlic, chili etc, used in Chinese cooking

n. a thick sweet and pungent Chinese condiment [syn: duck sauce]

Hoisin sauce is a thick, pungent sauce commonly used in Chinese cuisine as a glaze for meat, an addition to stir fries, or as dipping sauce. It is darkly colored in appearance and sweet and salty in taste. Although regional variants exist, hoisin sauce usually includes soy beans, ketchup, maple syrup, red chillies and garlic. Vinegar, Chinese five spice and sugar are also commonly added. The word hoisin (, Cantonese: hoi2 sin1 Mandarin: hǎixiān) is Chinese for seafood, but the sauce does not contain any seafood ingredients.