The homemade hoisin sauce has a strong umami flavor and subtle sweetness, making it the perfect glaze for tender flank steak stir fry dish.
This homemade paleo hoisin sauce is finger-looking good without any of the additives and artificial flavors from the off-the-shelf variety. It's nutty, tangy, and slightly sweet - a perfect coating sauce for the flank steak.
Making the hoisin sauce is as simple as throwing everything into a food processor or blender until a smooth paste forms. All in all, this recipe doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to come together from start to finish. You can use this hoisin sauce over udon noodles or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls.
This hoisin sauce is inspired by Alan Li, who had the ingenious idea of using dried fruit to replicate the tart and complex sweetness of traditional hoisin sauce without adding refined sugar. The pumpkin puree and almond butter and intended to mimic the umami flavor hoisin sauce gets from fermented soy black bean paste, while the molasses add a barbecue flavor to its profile.
You can play around with this recipe - I’ve altered the amounts of prunes, molasses, red pepper flakes, salt, coconut aminos, and sesame oil in the many times I’ve made it. I wouldn’t sway too far from the original quantities, but you don’t need to follow the recipe to the T if there’s a particular flavor you’d like to enhance. Feel free to throw in your own vegetables - I love shredded cabbage and snow peas for color and texture.
Tag @cleaneatsfactory on Instagram if you make this recipe!
Hoisin Steak Stir Fry (Paleo)
Ingredients
- 3/8 cup almond butter
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 7-8 dried plums
- 1/2 tsp molasses
- 1/4 tsp coconut vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 lb shaved flank steak
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
- 3/4 cup slaw mix or shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup snow peas
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 3 scallions, sliced thinly on an angle with whites & greens seperated
- 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 cups cauliflower rice (optional, for serving, cooked according to package instructions)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the hoisin sauce by combining all the ingredients in a food processor until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil to skillet and add the slaw mix (or shredded cabbage), scallions whites and snow peas. Cook until softened and slightly wilted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and wipe plan clean.
- Season the flank steak with salt and pepper (to taste) and cook over medium-high heat until browned and almost cooked through. Then, add 3 tbsp water, rice vinegar and soy sauce, and cook until the beef is done and the liquid has thickened.
- Once the beef is done, toss it with the hoisin sauce over low heat and stir occasionally until thickened and coated.
- Serve over cauliflower rice and garnish with red pepper flakes and scallion greens.