eight-treasure hot sauce recipes

How to Make Eight-Treasure Spicy Sauce (Ba Bao La Jiang)

Eight-Treasure Spicy Sauce, a iconic Shanghai condiment, delights with its savory, slightly sweet, and spicy flavor. Here’s a simple guide to making it at home.

Ingredients:

- 200g ground pork (or chicken)

- 100g dried tofu, cubed

- 50g shiitake mushrooms, soaked and diced

- 50g bamboo shoots, diced

- 30g peanuts, roasted

- 20g dried shrimp, soaked and chopped

- 3 dried chilies, deseeded and sliced

- 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp cooking wine, 1 tbsp starch (for marinade)

- Oil, sesame oil, and scallions for garnish.

Steps:

1. Marinate the meat: Mix ground pork with soy sauce, cooking wine, starch, and 1 tbsp oil. Set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Prep veggies: Soak dried shrimp and mushrooms. Dice tofu, bamboo shoots, and chilies.

3. Stir-fry: Heat oil in a wok. Sauté marinated pork until browned. Remove and set aside. Stir-fry dried shrimp, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots until fragrant.

4. Combine: Return pork to the wok. Add tofu, chilies, and peanuts. Season with soy sauce, sugar, and a splash of water. Simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.

5. Finish: Drizzle with sesame oil, garnish with scallions, and serve warm with rice or noodles.

This versatile sauce enhances stir-fries, noodles, or as a dipping sauce. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week!