Hong Kong sweet dipping sauce

A CLOSER LOOK

How to recognize it

A compounded Cantonese dipping sauce called tian jiang; distinct from plain fermented sweet bean paste or sweet soy sauce.

In the kitchen

Drizzled on plain rice rolls and served with fried noodles, fried snacks or roast meat.

Formulas vary. One producer combines sugar, water, tomato sauce, salted plum, fermented soy-wheat paste, salt, modified corn starch, red yeast rice, caramel color, sesame paste and oil, spices, garlic, acetic acid, salted chili, MSG and preservative. Check soy, wheat, sesame and sulfites; do not assume every brand is vegan.

Ask about this ingredient

A few dishes to explore

These examples use this ingredient in typical or optional preparations. Open the dish to see the distinction; a restaurant’s recipe can differ.

Hong Kong plain rice rolls

港式街头猪肠粉Hong Kong · Street food