Chee Hou Sauce isn’t called for often in our recipes, and it’s not an ingredient you’d find in most Chinese household pantries. However, we do use it in one particular dish that we love, our Pork Rib Stew with Foo Jook.
If you’re unfamiliar with this ingredient, we’ll tell you everything you need to know in this quick article.
What Is Chee Hou Sauce?
Chee Hou Sauce (zhù hóu jiàng, 柱侯酱), also sometimes called “chu hou paste,” is a fermented soybean sauce similar to Hoisin sauce but with a different mix of seasonings, including more unusual ingredients like salted plums, salted lemons and fermented bean curd (though ingredients vary by brand).
How Is It Used?
Chee Hou Sauce is primarily meant to be used in Cantonese-style braised dishes. Like hoisin sauce, it is quite sweet. When using it, be sure to adjust seasoning levels accordingly and adjust the amounts of sauce according to your own preferences for sweetness.
Buying & Storing
Brands like Pearl River Bridge, Lee Kum Kee and Koon Chun vary when it comes to ingredients and flavor. We prefer Koon Chun brand, since it uses more complex ingredients. It’s also a brand that leans towards Cantonese tastes and cooking, where this ingredient is most relevant.
If you take a close look at the ingredients listed on the jar, you will see several items that differ from hoisin sauce, including salted garlic, salted plums, and salted lemon, which add subtle flavors to your dish or stew.
You can find this ingredient in most Chinese grocery stores (though it’s not as standard as say, soy sauce or oyster sauce, or online at sources like Amazon or JustAsianFood.com.
Once opened, you should store the jar in the refirgerator.
Substitutions
If you can’t find chee hou sauce, you can substitute hoisin sauce.
Our Favorite Recipes That Use This Ingredient
If you have any further questions about this ingredient, let us know in the comments below. We try to answer every single one!
