Sweet bean sauce (tianmianjiang)

甜面酱 / tiánmiànjiàng

Flavor and role

A dark reddish-brown sweet sauce made from fermented wheat flour, both salty and sweet. Used for stir-fry sauces and as a dipping sauce.

Typical dishes and uses

Mapo tofu, Peking duck sauce, zhajiangmian, jing jiang rou si (shredded pork in sweet bean sauce)

Substitutes

1 tbsp tianmianjiang = 1 tbsp chunjang + 1/2 tsp sugar, or 1 tbsp hoisin sauce.

Storage

Refrigerate after opening; use within 6 months.

Main countries

China

Used in this book

Mapo TofuDan Dan NoodlesTwice-Cooked Pork (Hui Guo Rou)Crêpe JianbingDan Dan Noodles with Aromatic Red Oil and Fresh Sesame PasteCrispy Dan Dan Rice-Paper DumplingsGreen Garlic Twice-Cooked Pork, Sichuan Restaurant StyleTwice-Cooked Pork Cheese Toastie

Updated 2026-10-10