Meaning & use
hoisin
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A thick, dark, sweet and salty sauce from Chinese cooking, made from fermented soybeans, garlic and spices.
Grammar: Not counted and has no plural in normal use: add a spoonful of hoisin.
Patterns
- hoisin sauce
- brush something with hoisin
She brushed the ribs with hoisin before roasting them.
Hoisin gives the stir-fry a rich, slightly sweet flavor.
He spread a thin layer of hoisin inside each pancake.
adjectivebefore a noun
Made with or flavored with hoisin sauce.
Grammar: Always comes before a noun: a hoisin glaze, not a glaze that is hoisin.
Patterns
- hoisin duck
- a hoisin glaze
We ordered the hoisin duck wraps for the table.
The hoisin marinade soaked into the tofu overnight.
He made a hoisin glaze for the roasted vegetables.
Common combinations
- hoisin sauce
- Hoisin sauce is the key flavor in the dish.
- a dollop of hoisin
- Add a dollop of hoisin to the noodles.
- hoisin duck
- Hoisin duck is served with thin pancakes and cucumber.
- mix hoisin with
- Mix hoisin with honey and lime for a quick glaze.
- hoisin glaze
- The chicken was coated in a sticky hoisin glaze.
Synonyms and how they differ
- plum sauce
- Plum sauce is fruitier and thinner, while hoisin is darker, thicker and built on fermented soybeans.
- barbecue sauce
- Barbecue sauce is a Western smoky-tangy sauce, whereas hoisin tastes of soy and garlic and is not smoky.
Commonly confused: hoisin or oyster sauce?
hoisin vs oyster sauce
Oyster sauce is made from oyster extract and is more savory and less sweet than hoisin, though both are thick, dark sauces.
Practice
Which sentence uses hoisin correctly?
Choose one answer.
Hoisin is a sauce, so it can be brushed onto food. It is not a salad dressing of lemon, a temperature, or a plant.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hoisin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.