Duck Sauce: Everything You Need to Know About It
If you are hearing about duck sauce for the first time, don’t worry it is completely vegan and no ducks are harmed in the process. Well, jokes apart, duck sauce is an orange liquid with a jelly-like consistency and is made out of apples, plums, and apricots along with vinegar, ginger, and chili pepper. The sauce has a sweet and sour taste which makes it loved by everyone. People all across the world, especially in Asian restaurants, enjoy it as a dip for spring rolls, egg rolls, and many other snacks.
Apart from being a sider for tasty snacks, there are a lot of health benefits that it has to offer. If we study closely we will understand that duck sauce has some amount of vitamins (precisely vitamin A and vitamin E) and minerals. It also contains some proportion of magnesium and calcium.
Duck sauce was eaten by the Chinese, and also is a part of their traditional cuisine. Initially, the duck sauce was served with a Peking duck dish. The sauce was simply called the plum sauce because its main ingredient is plum. Gradually, due to its use, the sauce has been referred to as duck sauce. And that is the origin of the name “Duck Sauce”. So now you might be convinced that duck sauce is not made out of ducks. It is just a terminology that grew over time. Gradually the recipe for duck sauce spread all over America and since then it has taken different forms, used for different purposes now you can also enjoy duck sauce with street food, you don’t need to eat the duck to try the sauce.
Nutritional Properties of Duck Sauce
As per USDA, 100 grams of duck sauce holds the following nutritional values:
Energy: 245 kCal
Water: 37.4g
Protein: 0.36g
Total lipid (fat): 0.13g
Carbohydrates: 60.7g
Fibre: 0.6g
Calcium: 11mg
Iron: 0.39mg
Magnesium: 5mg
Phosphorus: 9mg
Potassium: 87mg
Sodium: 712mg
Health Benefits
Now that we know something about it, let's go into detail and find out more about the benefits. As we can see the sauce is very high in energy, but it does give an instant high-energy boost to your body. Although we must note that this energy boost is temporary and short-termed.
Since the sauce has some amount of vitamins and minerals, it is good for the condition called Osteoporosis (which causes a loss of bone density). Some of the minerals required to cure the disease are present in the sauce. Some companies also claim to have added some amount of vitamin C into the sauce, but that is completely brand specific. Apart from that, people having blood sugar can also benefit from using this sauce. The amount of potassium can help reduce high blood pressure to a certain level.
The best way to consumption
The Sauce has a limited amount of health benefits. For a few of you, it might not even be considered beneficial enough. But let us walk through the best combinations for the sauce to get the most benefit out of it.
As the duck sauce itself is high in sugar and calories you should always make sure to use it in moderation. Do not overdose as it can harm your health. It is suggested to lightly pour the sauce on top of a protein-based dish. You can enjoy the duck sauce with chicken, red meat, fish, or even street food like an egg roll, spring roll, or noodles.
Traditionally, duck sauce is a well-known Chinese sauce that has been served for hundreds of years with Peking duck. Eventually, it evolved and made its place in American cuisine and a more general market than we know.
When not to consume
Let me make this very clear to you. Yes, this product has health benefits but that doesn’t make it suitable for everyone. Everybody has a different body type and according to that, we have the digestive systems that might prevent us from eating certain kinds of food.
For starters, if you are a diabetic patient, then you should avoid the use of duck sauce. The fact that it is made of sugary materials makes it very high in carbs. This might have a very adverse effect on your body. If you anyhow do consume the sauce, make sure that it is a very limited amount, and you do not overload yourself.
On the other hand, there are a few allergies you need to be sure about. If you are allergic to certain food materials try to read each ingredient before consuming anything. If you have any sort of allergy to any ingredient, try to completely avoid the duck sauce.
Alternative to Duck sauce
Are you among those people who can not eat duck sauce because of any health issue? Don’t worry, I have just the solution. It is okay to not be able to eat something all you need to do is find alternatives to that product. And nowadays you can find an alternative for everything.
Here is the best alternate opinion for you.
Hoisin
Hoisin is a dark color sauce with a thick consistency and sweet and tangy flavors. For a dish dressing or a sider, you can easily replace the use of duck sauce. Hoisin does not contain palms so if you are allergic to that you can easily try this sauce. This sauce contains soya sauce and a lot of different spices and mixtures. It is equally irresistible in taste and is best served as a sider in your normal street food. In China Hoisin is used in the Peking duck dish. In this dish, all the pieces in covered with the hoisin sauce to give it an overall delicious taste.
Nutritional Properties of Hoisin Sauce
100 grams of hoisin sauce has the following nutritional values:
Energy: 220.5 kCal
Protein: 3.3g
Total fat: 3.4g
Carbohydrates: 44.7g
Iron: 5.7mg
Potassium: 119.7mg
Sodium: 1625.4mg
How to make duck sauce at home
Many of us usually do not go for packed products. No matter how healthy it is, if it is packed it generally comes with quite a lot of preservatives. So if you are someone who avoids eating packed food, there is a very simple solution to that, make your own at home.
Yes, it sounds all fancy but doesn’t worry, you can easily make it at home. Follow the given procedure to successfully make your very own handmade, preservative-free duck sauce.
Ingredients
All-natural apricot jam - ¾ cup
Rice vinegar - 4 tbsp
Low sodium soy sauce - ½ tsp
Cloves fresh garlic (minced) - 2 medium
Fresh ginger (minced) - 1 tsp
Chili powder - ½ tsp
Cayenne powder (according to taste)
Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk until smooth.
Before serving, place it in the refrigerator for a few hours. This will help the flavors to blend in properly.
Let the sauce stand at room temperature for almost 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.
Store in an airtight glass container in the back of the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Homemade recipe for hoisin sauce
Now that you know how to make duck sauce, let’s help our friends with an alternative to duck sauce. Here I have for you the procedure to make your Hoisin sauce. All you have to do is put all the ingredients together according to the procedure and you can have your preservative-free hoisin sauce.
Ingredients
Dark brown sugar - ⅓ cup
Water - 2 tbsp
Homemade/ In-store Chinese black bean sauce - 3 tbsp
Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Rice vinegar - 1 tbsp
Prunes - 4
Sesame oil - ½ tsp
Homemade/ In-store Chinese Five Spice Powder - ½ tsp
Red chilies or sriracha (as per your taste)
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients.
Make a smooth puree in a blender.
Store it in the fridge, in a non-reactive airtight container.
Let it cool overnight or preferably 24 hours before using.
Will be good to eat if stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
EndNote
The duck sauce is a jelly-like sauce and is made out of apples, plums, and apricots along with vinegar, ginger, and chili pepper. There are many nutrient benefits to consuming duck sauce. It is high in sugar and carbs, so be sure to take extra care before enjoying it too much. It is helpful for high blood pressure patients and those having bone density loss. It is also a good source of instant energy as it increases the glucose level of the body. Although we should understand very well that the increase in energy is only temporary and short-termed.
There are homemade recipes for duck sauce. Here I have mentioned the recipe as well. So no need to worry about preservatives anymore. We have also come across an alternative to duck sauce, which is Hoisin. Hoisin can be used just like duck sauce, there is a slight change in the taste. Duck sauce is more on the sweeter side, while Hoisin is more on the tangy side. But it does replace the duck sauce perfectly. A homemade recipe for Hoisin has also been mentioned above.