What is this sweet, thick, soy-sauce-like condiment in China?
In Beijing, on two occasions, I was served a sauce I couldn't identify.
Visually it looks like soy sauce but it's much thicker and stickier. It tastes soy-ish, but sweeter, maybe malty in some way. Definitely has fermented aspects. I asked someone who lives elsewhere in Asia and he said "sweet sauce" which isn't helpful. During the dinner where I took this picture, I asked my "handler" who said "we just call it sauce" which again wasn't helpful.
Does it have a name outside China? Is this something I could buy, as you can buy oyster sauce, hoisin sauce etc, if only I knew its name? It was really good.
Best Answer
It could be ???/?? or sweet bean sauce aka sweet flour sauce or just sweet sauce. You can probably find it in a Chinese supermarket under one of those names.
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What is the thick soy sauce called?
Thick soy sauces (also called soy paste or soy jam) are sweeter and have a thicker consistency than dark soy sauce. That is due to the addition of sugar, more wheat in the fermentation process, and, sometimes, a starch thickener that is used to make it.What is the sweet soy sauce called?
WHAT IS KECAP MANIS? Also known as ketjap manis, it's a thick and dark molasses-like sauce with palm sugar and soy sauce as its base and with the addition of aromatic spices for flavor. The word manis means \u201csweet\u201d in Malay/Indonesian and so the sauce is often referred to as \u201csweet soy sauce.\u201dWhat is sweet Chinese sauce called?
Hoisin or Sweet Bean Sauce (\u751c\u9762\u9171) As the name suggests, the sauce is a bit sweeter than other salty bean pastes. Some brands and recipes use the terms hoisin sauce and sweet bean sauce interchangeably, but, generally, commercial Hoisin sauces are thinner, lighter and sweeter than a traditional sweet bean sauce.What is the most popular soy sauce in China?
Koon Chun Soy Sauces are our number one pick of Chinese soy sauces. Koon Chun is made in Hong Kong with the basic ingredients of Canadian soybeans, sea salt, wheat flour and water without additives. Koon Chun soy sauces are widely recommended in Chinese cooking communities.Different Types of Soy Sauce Explained
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Answer 2
There is an Indonesian sauce called kecap manis that sounds exactly the way you describe. It is also common outside of Indonesia, including China and South East Asia.
That may not be what you had. If it was very sticky, the here in Ecuador they call it Eel Sauce which is mostly soy sauce with lots and lots of sugar. Another possibility is a variant on Hoisin sauce which has a more beany taste but is usually more brown rather than almost black like the one you show.
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