Make it Yourself Monday: Hoisin Sauce

Last week I was looking for a recipe to use some ground beef and sliced cabbage, and came up with this Mu Shu beef.  It called for hoisin sauce, which I don’t happen to have on hand.  I was determined to make the recipe, so I found a homemade version on Food.com, which I  adapted using ingredients in my pantry. 

Authentic Hoisin Sauce is typically made with soybean paste, which (shockingly!) I didn't have on hand.  Soy sauce substitutes for the soybeans in this recipe. 

This hoisin sauce would taste great in a variety of dishes: as a dressing for slaw or salad, a marinade for chicken,  a stir-fry sauce, or a glaze for grilled shrimp.

Hoisin Sauce

8 tbsp soy sauce OR Worcestershire sauce ( I realized after I started that I only had 2 tbsp soy sauce, so I made up the difference with Worcestershire, and it tasted fine)

4 tbsp creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp molasses

3 tsp white vinegar

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (toast on a cookie sheet in the oven for 3-5 minutes, checking frequently and turning once)

Whisk all ingredients together until the consistency is even. 

Makes about 1/2 cup -- enough to marinate 1 pound of chicken or to dress 1 recipe of Mu Shu Beef