With so many different sauces available, it can be quite easy for some to get confused between them. Speaking of this, a topic that people often struggle with is the differences between hoisin sauce and plum sauce. Both of these are popular sauces that have lots of uses in the kitchen, which is why it’s important for any learning chef to know the difference between them if they intend to use them. That’s exactly what we’re here to help with today by offering a detailed comparison between both of them.
Not knowing which ingredient is nothing to be worried about. Everyone struggles with something similar when they’re new to cooking. Even more, experienced chefs might have issues like these sometimes. So, if you haven’t got an idea of the differences between hoisin sauce vs plum sauce, don’t be alarmed. Where here is to clear your confusion away with this detailed comparison between both. Simply check out the details shared below to find out what makes them distinct from each other.
Hoisin Sauce vs Plum Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
This is a popular sauce that has lots of applications in the modern kitchen when it comes to cooking. Hoisin sauce is especially great for meat because of its great taste and texture. This substance features a very strong flavor to it, which goes great with most types of meat. On top of that, it has a smoother texture than most other sauces. This allows chefs to use hoisin sauce as a glaze for their meat, applying it before cooking the food to bring out its taste and make it much more enjoyable.
It can be best compared to BBQ sauce. That’s because it has a similar sweet but tangy taste which enhances meat’s flavor. On top of that, it’s got a similar brown color as well. The thick consistency is another similarity both those sauces share with each other. Long story short, if you’re a fan of barbecue sauce and want something similar tasting with its unique feel, there’s a chance that hoisin sauce will be right up your alley. But, there’s also one key difference between this and most other sauces.
This key difference is none other than hoisin sauce’s unique use of soy sauce. This gives the flavor a sharp and salty feel to it, which in turn does a great job at bringing out the flavor in the meat. Just imagine the flavor of BBQ sauce infused with some good old soy sauce. Once you imagine that, you’re not too far away from being able to taste what hoisin sauce is like. So, you can already guess just how good it can be with meat. It can be used to glaze it, dip the meat inside of it, or for some other purposes.
Plum Sauce
The previously discussed hoisin is a unique sauce that most people tend to enjoy at the end of the day. Plum sauce, on the other hand, is even more unique. It features most of the same ingredients as hoisin, giving it that same BBQ sauce-like consistency as well as a somewhat sweet and sharp taste. It includes garlic, sugar, chili pepper, and more. But, one key difference between it and hoisin is the inclusion of plums in this sauce.
This is something that brings a whole new kick to your meat. Plums are naturally acidic. When this acidic fruit substance is added to the sauce, it develops a sharp and assertive feel to it. This is the biggest difference between it and hoisin sauce, as it completely alters its flavor profile. Because of the plums inside of it, it tastes sweeter and has a purple-like color instead.
It’s thinner than hoisin sauce and has a texture more similar to ketchup. Although, it’s important to keep in mind that this might differ depending on the exact ingredients used and on the brand you buy the plum sauce from. Generally speaking, it’s a sweeter, sharper, more acidic, and thinner version of hoisin that has a different color as well. Both of these are quite unique in their own way, and now it’s up to you to choose which suits your needs better.