I’m sharing my easy to make Hawaiian Style Sauce recipe, with authentic umami flavor, and the option for extra sweetness and/or spicy-heat. I finally wrote down my simplified classic, because I wanted to share this flavor that my family loves so much to top some of our favorite meals.
This is an incredibly flavorful addition to meals prepared the way you love – whether grilling, baking, or sauteing a vegan, pescatarian, or carnivorous meal. This sauce is a naturally vegan, made with honey and soy.
Hawaiian Style Sauce is one of my family’s favorites for baked or grilled ribs, chicken, or shrimp. It’s good on just about anything.
This is the first post in a recipe series where I share this sauce first, and then how to prepare my best pork ribs , basic grilled chicken, and classic stir fry, all using this sauce. It really is all about this sauce as a must, and can be used so many ways, so this goodness comes first.
Mili’s Hawaiian Style Sauce
Ingredients
Mili's Hawaiian-Style Sauce – classic/base recipe
- 1 cup hoisin sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger – minced or grated
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh garlic – minced or grated
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce If you want less soy for your sauce, substiute for coconut aminos.
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon Siracha sauce optional
for a sweeter style sauce, add this to the base:
- 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon Siracha
for an extra spicy kick, add this to the base:
- 1-2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce Depending on the heat you want in your sauce, and this is in addition to the one in the base. Therefore, you'd have 2-3 tablespoons all together.
- 1 tablespoon Siracha An option, to use in addition to the base. I only like to add Siracha when I'm balancing the sweetness from the sweet chili sauce.
for extra umami, add this to the base:
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste This ingredient is typically not found in the grocery store. I purchase this online and keep it in the fridge. This ingredient can be added to the base for adding more rich, umami-flavor.
Optional toppings to sprinkle on after the sauce is on:
- 1 tablespoon white and/or black sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons cilantro If you are not a fan of cilantro, no worries. This tastes amazing without using any cilantro.
- 3 tablespoons green onion
Instructions
- Here are the labels of all the sauce/packaged ingredients I'm using for this recipe, so that you can see what they look like. Each are very different and some are optional.
- Prepare the fresh garlic and ginger.
- In a bowl, measure the one cup of hoisin sauce. For the base/classic recipe, you will add by mixing in with either a fork or a hand-whisk: garlic, ginger, soy sauce or coconut aminos, mirin, honey and chili garlic sauce.
- If I'm making ribs, I tend to make two sauces – one for each rack. I add a little extra spice/kick to the classic base for one rack (one more tablespoon of chili garlic sauce). And I will make the second sauce a sweeter version (to the base I add three tablespoons of sweet chili sauce, and one tablespoon of Siracha sauce). I will also garnish them differently so that it is easy for serving.
- This is such a great sauce to top just about any meal where you want to add this incredible flavor: ribs, chicken, shrimp, tofu or vegetables. Whether you are grilling, baking, or using the stove to saute After your items have been fully-cooked, and just before serving, I recommend the option of sprinkling on chopped green onion, and/or cilantro, and sesame seeds.
- One batch of Hawaiian Style Sauce is the right amount for one rack of ribs, and there will be some (wanted) extra sauce on the side. Any sauce that you do not use, I recommend labeling and storing in the fridge in a sealed container, for up to seven days.
Video
The rib sauce made by Hawaiian chef Roy Yamaguchi of Roy’s, was my inspiration for coming up with this sauce recipe that I developed, changed, and simplified with my preferred amount of kick, flavors, and richness.
First-thing-first: You need to decide which sauce version you want to make, (classic/base, sweeter, or spicier) and grab your ingredients accordingly. Here are the labels of what I’m using at home. Because I am “Mrs. Takashima,” and have been married and cooking for my Japanese-American husband for more than half of my lifetime, I’m very familiar with Asian cooking and ingredients. These items are staples in our pantry and fridge at home. However, all but one of these items (the miso paste) can be found in your local grocery store. I’m sharing the labels because it is easy and nice to have a visual to know what you are looking for. No worries about the brands as they are not significant. Please note that I am not sponsored in any way, and these are just the ingredients I had on-hand when documenting this recipe.
In the video of me whipping up this Hawaiian Style Sauce, I make the classic/base and then add ingredients to show how to kick up the spice, and/or sweeten it up. Here’s what you need for the classic/base version.
When I’m making ribs, I slather this sauce on, and it literally feels like a special occasion at home. My family goes crazy and gets excited in the best way. I love it when they love the food I make for them! Their joy is always my joy.
I also always tend to make two different sauces, especially when I have two racks of ribs. One sauce is sweeter and one sauce is a tiny bit spicer than the classic/base. Adding the sweet chili sauce completely changes the dynamic of the flavors and it’s fun to have both options on your plate.
I always sprinkle (optional) toppings onto my fully cooked meal that is topped with Hawaiian Style Sauces, including green onion, cilantro and sesame seeds.
To give you an idea of how much sauce each batch will render: you will have enough to fully cover one rack of ribs, with some left as extra to offer and serve on the side, because some of us like extra sauciness, and it is nice to have. Anything else that you have left, that has not touched food, can be kept in a closed container, refrigerated for up to a week.
I used this amount of extra sauce to make Shrimp Stir Fry for dinner tonight. It was my best yet. This sauce is so versatile and easy to work with.
I hope you enjoy this sauce, and I look forward to following up with the other good food I make for my sweethearts at home.
Take care,
