List of Chinese sauces

This is a list of notable Chinese sauces, encompassing sauces that originated in China or are widely used as cooking ingredients or condiments in Chinese cuisines mostly consisting of soy bean sauce and brown sugar.

Chinese sauces

These sauces are commonly used as ingredients for dishes in many Chinese cuisines. There may also be regional variations on the sauces, such as seasoned soy sauce or fermented bean curd.

• Light soy sauce () – a lighter-colored salty-flavored sauce used for seasoning
• Dark soy sauce () – a darker-colored sauce used for color
• Seasoned soy sauce – usually light soy sauce seasoned with herbs, spices, sugar, or other sauces
• Sweet bean sauce () – a thick savory paste
• Oyster sauce ()
• Fermented bean curd () – usually cubes of tofu, and sometimes other spices and seasonings, which are used as a condiment or marinade along with some of the brine
• Douchi () – fermented black beans, usually in a brine
• Cooking wine ()
• Sesame oil ()
• Black vinegar ()
• White vinegar ()

Cantonese cuisine

• Haixian sauce (, Cantonese: hoisin)
• XO sauce – a spicy seafood sauce that originated from Hong Kong. It is commonly used in Cantonese cuisine.
• Shao kao sauce (, Cantonese: siu haau) – a thick, savory, slightly spicy barbecue sauce generally known as the primary barbecue sauce used within Chinese and Cantonese cuisine.
• Shacha sauce () – A sauce or paste that is used as a base for soups, hotpot, as a rub, stir fry seasoning and as a component for dipping sauces.
• Cha shao sauce (, Cantonese: char siu)
• Plum sauce ()
• Fish sauce ()

Hunan cuisine

• Duo jiao () – chopped chilis pickled in a sour brine
• Yongfeng chili sauce () - finely chopped chilis that are mixed with flour and bean powder and fermented

Guizhou cuisine

• Ci ba la ()
• Zao la ()
• Lao guo la (; Lao Gan Ma is a brand of Guizhou lao guo la chili sauces.)

Jiangsu cuisine

• Rib sauce ()

Northern Chinese cuisines

• Sesame paste ()
• Fermented bean paste/Yellow bean paste ()
• Garlic chive flower sauce (韭花酱)

Sichuan cuisine

• Doubanjiang () – a mix of fermented beans, chilis, salt, and flour used for flavor and color
• Chili oil () – usually made by pouring hot oil that has been seasoned with spices onto ground chili flakes and left to steep

Notable exceptions

While doubanjiang can be considered the "mother sauce" of Sichuan cuisine, there are some prominent flavors in modern Sichuan cooking that are often referenced as sauces but are composed of other ingredients and sauces during cooking. These include:

• Yuxiang ()
• Mala ()
• Guaiwei ()

Taiwanese cuisine

• Soy sauce paste

See also

• Chinese pickles
• List of Chinese desserts
• List of Chinese dishes
• List of Chinese soups
• List of sauces

References