Eel Sauce vs. Hoisin Sauce is a common comparison, especially among home cooks and even professional chefs. Both eel sauce and hoisin sauce are dark, flavorful, and widely used in Asian cuisine, which often leads to confusion about whether they are the same or interchangeable. While they may look similar and are sometimes used as substitutes for one another. These two sauces differ in several key aspects, including taste, ingredients, texture, and culinary uses. In this article, we’ll explore the differences and similarities between eel sauce and hoisin sauce to help you understand which one best suits your recipe.
Let’s get started by exploring the differences between Eel Sauce and Hoisin Sauce. Make sure to pay attention so you can clearly understand the differences.
Is Hoisin Sauce the Same as Eel Sauce?
No, they are not the same. Both are different in terms of ingredients, but there are similarities in terms of taste and use. Well, that’s what sometimes confuses many people about the substance of these two dark black sauces.
Eel Sauce is produced using sugar-based soy sauce, which is why it tastes similar to hoisin sauce, even for some of the lightest people. You can also add hot sauce for a stronger taste.
Hoisin sauce is sometimes used as a substitute for eel sauce, but its flavor is stronger and more intense. Hoisin is a thick, flavorful sauce made from sugar, soybeans, and other seasonings. It’s sometimes considered eel-sauce-like due to its color and texture. However, unlike teriyaki sauce, hoisin does not contain mirin. But, using a substitute for mirin, this sauce contains vinegar, rice wine, garlic, roasted sesame peppers, and sometimes uses hot sauce. The taste of hoisin is not the same as eel sauce.
The ingredients used are more, hoisin consists of soy sauce with a sugar base when compared to Eel Sauce.
But even though the two are different, you can use either sauce in the recipe, meaning you can use Eel Sauce VS Hoisin Sauce in the recipe interchangeably. Ok, we will tell you how to use these two sauces in your recipe.
Quick Differences between Eel Sauce VS Hoisin Sauce
Brief differences between the two sauces; by understanding this, you can also use them more precisely.
- Eel sauce comes from Japanese cuisine, while Hoisin sauce comes from Cantonese cuisine.
- The main ingredients for making eel sauce are soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. While there are more ingredients for making Hoisin Sauce, hoisin uses fermented soybean paste, fennel, red chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, 5-spice, and sugar.
- Eel sauce has a sweet-salty umami taste, while hoisin sauce has a sweet-salty taste with a spicy aftertaste.
- In terms of texture, hoisin sauce is thick, and eel or unagi sauce is Thicker than Hoisin.
- Eel sauce and hoisin sauce also differ in appearance. While both are dark, eel sauce tends to have a slightly darker and glossier look compared to hoisin sauce.
- Eel sauce is used to marinate. Drizzle it over grilled eel or any meat, fish, BBQ dishes, stir-fry, and dipping sauce. Meanwhile, hoisin sauce is used in glazes for meat, noodle dishes, stir-fry, and dipping sauce.
What is the difference between Eel or Unagi Sauce VS Hoisin Sauce?
Hoisin sauce looks the same as eel or unagi sauce, only it is different in the sweetening ingredients, which use soy sauce and sweeteners. It doesn’t use mirin, but uses ingredients such as garlic, pepper, and various other ingredients and spices.
However, despite their differences, hoisin sauce and eel sauce can sometimes be used in the same recipe. Just keep in mind that hoisin has a stronger, more intense flavor compared to eel sauce.
What is Eel Sauce? The Eel sauce
Eel sauce is a sauce from Japan. We can see from the ingredients used, most of them are ingredients found in Japanese cooking.
Most likely, at one time, Japanese cooks combined ingredients to make a sauce for eating eels. After the sauce was made and everyone agreed on the taste. So, this eel sauce is famous as the best sauce for serving eels at the dinner table.
Because this sauce suits the taste of grilling eel, use this sauce as an eel sauce, and of course, we don’t use eel as an ingredient, but this sauce is delicious to serve with grilled eel. Eel sauce is also called “unagi” because in Japanese, eel is called “unagi no tare”.
What does Eel Sauce Taste Like?
Eel or unagi sauce is a sauce that is rich in taste, There are several types of taste for eel sauce, such as umami, smoky, salty, and sweet. The sweet flavor comes from the use of soy sauce.
What’s Another Name for Eel Sauce?
Eel sauce is a sauce made by Japanese people, and it tastes thick and sweet. Historically, when they grilled eel, they made a sauce with certain ingredients. Because it is made as a sauce when eating eel, it is called eel sauce, or in Japanese, it is called Unagi, or Uani notare.
How to Use Eel Sauce?
Eel sauce is used in many dishes, especially in sushi that features grilled eel (unagi).
This is a delicious dish, and is perfect to enjoy with chicken or fish. You can also use eel sauce for grilled tomato salads stuffed with mozzarella and unagi sauce.
What is the Purpose of Hoisin Sauce?
Hoisin sauce is widely used as a sauce for stir-frying in Asian food. This sauce can be combined with regular cooking sauce for grilling. There are many uses, such as in Vietnamese cuisine and Chinese cuisine. Because it is widely used in Chinese cooking, it is also called Chinese barbecue sauce.
What is the Closest Sauce to Hoisin Sauce?
There are two quick alternatives that you can use as a substitute for Hoisin sauce: these are Soy sauce and Tamari sauce for use in stir-fries and soups.
Is it possible to substitute hoisin sauce for eel sauce?
As we’ve seen above, there are clear differences between hoisin sauce and eel sauce. Eel sauce is a well-known Japanese condiment commonly used in sushi, grilled dishes, and various stir-fries.
If you don’t have eel sauce on hand, several sauces can serve as substitutes. The best alternatives include hoisin sauce, galbi sauce, and teriyaki sauce, each offering a similar balance of sweetness and umami, though with slightly different flavor profiles.
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A quick substitute for canned eel sauce is a mixture of sake, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce. You can try it!
FAQs
What are the differences between Hoisin Sauce and Eel sauce?
Eel sauce differs from hoisin sauce in several ways. They differ in terms of taste, color, viscosity, use, texture, main ingredients, and origin. Eel sauce comes from Japan, while Hoisin sauce comes from Cantonese cuisine.
In terms of usage, hoisin sauce is commonly used for glazing meat, stir-frying, noodle dishes, and as a dipping sauce. Meanwhile, eel sauce is often used as a marinade, drizzled over grilled eel or other meats, and added to BBQ dishes, fish, stir-fries, and dipping sauces.
What Is Japanese Sauce Made Of?
Japanese sauce is made from ingredients such as citrus, which is traditionally known as Yuzu in Japan, rice vinegar, and mirin. Also uses Tamari ponzu Shyu (known as ponzu).
How long does eel sauce last?
Store-bought eel sauce will last for 3 weeks from opening. Meanwhile, you must store homemade variations in the refrigerator and use them within 3 to 4 days after taking them out.
Where can I buy unagi sauce?
Unagi sauce or eel sauce is available in most Asian supermarkets or in retail stores. But if you have difficulty finding it, you can buy it online.
How can I make unagi sauce without mirin?
Can you make unagi sauce without mirin? Yes, if you don’t have mirin, you can make Uangi sauce using Japanese hard wine.
