Sauces, pastes & condiments · Soy & fermented sauces
Yellow soybean paste (huangjiang)
Salty, savoury Chinese fermented soybean paste (huangjiang) used in northern noodle sauces and braises.
Also called: huangjiang, huang jiang, dajiang, yellow bean sauce, ganhuangjiang
Around the world: 黄酱, 黃醬, 大酱, huangjiang (zh)
What it is
A coarse, salty paste of fermented yellow soybeans, sometimes with wheat flour. It is lighter in colour and saltier than sweet bean sauce, and chunkier and funkier than Japanese white miso. Northern Chinese cooks combine it with sweet bean sauce for zhajiang noodle sauce.
How it’s used
- Zhajiangmian (with sweet bean sauce)
- Braised pork and fish
- Stir-fried vegetables
- Dipping sauce for raw vegetables
Characteristics
- Taste
- Very salty and savoury with fermented bean depth.
- Texture
- Coarse, sometimes with whole beans.
- Appearance
- Yellowish to mid-brown.
- When cooked
- Fry in oil to remove raw taste and release aroma.
- Sold as
- paste, fermented
- Cooking uses
- Mainly a seasoning, Commonly cooked
- Common in
- Chinese
Storage
Refrigerated. Refrigerate after opening with a clean spoon; keeps for months.
Diet, allergens and safety
Contains Soy. May contain Wheat, Gluten — check the label.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free (check label)
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
- Contains soy; may contain wheat (gluten). High in salt.
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 198 kcal
- Protein
- 12.79 g
- Carbohydrate
- 25.37 g
- Fat
- 6.01 g
- Fibre
- 5.4 g
- Sugars
- 6.2 g
USDA FoodData Central: Miso (a close stand-in).
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Miso — Red miso, a little more than the paste; less salty and coarse.
Related ingredients
Recipes with yellow soybean paste (huangjiang)
Homemade hoisin sauce
Cantonese · 28 min · 42 kcal · Vegan
Zhajiangmian (Beijing fried sauce noodles)
Chinese · 45 min · 775 kcal
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