Hoi Sin BBQ Sauce

This dreamy BBQ sauce is delicious with grilled veggies, noodles, tofu stir fries, veggie burgers and sandwiches. It’s made with a tamari and Hoi Sin sauce base, sriracha, ginger and star anise adds a beauitful finish to the flavour.

© Recipe from Veggie Burger Atelier by Nina Olsson, Quarto Books 

Hoi Sin is a cantonese chinese dipping sauce and marinade, that’s been adopted by many other asian countries and also sold in the western world for decades. The ingredient list and definition of the sauce will differ depending on where you are and who’s making it. It’s flavour is sweet, savoury, dark and nutty at the same time. I especially love it with greens like broccoli and to flavour tofu. This bbq sauce from veggie Burger Atelier bis inspired by the asian foast food kitchens in Amsterdam, Paris and London, where I would pop in and eat regularly so it’s absolutely a bastardised version and by no means an authentic chinese sauce. It’s otally delicious though :). Use it as marinade or as a cold sauce with sandwiches,it’s really flexible.

Serves 4

Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of vegetable oil. Fry the banana shallots with the star anise for 8 to 10 minutes until the shallots start to caramelize. Stir in the remaining BBQ sauce ingredients, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove and discard the star anise. Blend smooth. Let cool. Store sealed in the fridge and use within 2 weeks.

makes ca 8-900 ml sauce

vegetable oil, for frying
2 banana shallots, or 1 large red onion, finely sliced
1 star anise  
500ml vegetable broth
100ml Hoisin Sauce
50ml jaopanese soy sauce, or tamari
3 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
3 tablespoons ketchup
40ml water
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 tablespoon rice vinegar 
1 tablespoon fresh ginger puré

Vegan and gluten-free notes

VE ✔︎ (Hoi Sin sauce is most often vegan, but since ingredients can differ, double check the content label on the packaging.
GF Use tamari instead of shoy sauce.