In Asian cuisine, especially Thai cuisine, there is an array of dipping sauces too numerous to list in just one post, so I decided to begin with two of my favorites and work up from there. The inherent versatility of these fresh, vibrant sauces is that they aren’t just limited to dipping, they can be used as dressings and condiments—similar to the way Indian cuisine uses chutneys— to flavor a multitude of Asian dishes, the variables are endless. Take the spicy peanut sauce as an example. Exploding with texture and flavor, it’s ideally suited for satays and dipping spring rolls, but is also excellent as a dressing for Chinese chicken salad, or to flavor soups. The mint sauce, with its natural cleansing essence, accented with the refreshing tart flavor of lime, provides a slightly sweet/sour and savory profile that works exceptionally well with lettuce wraps.

Ingredients:

Spicy Peanut Sauce

• 2 tbsp dark sesame oil
• 2tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• ¼ cup Peanut Butter
• 2 tbsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
• ¼ cup Honey
• 1/2 cup Fresh Lime juice
• 2 tbsp minced fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 Serrano minced w/seeds
• 4 Chopped chives (green onion tops will work)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Preparation:

1. In mixing bowl, whisk ingredients.
2. Taste-test for desired heat level. If too spicy, add more peanut butter. If too sour, add more honey.
3. Pour into a jar and refrigerate.

 

Mint Sauce

• 1-cup fresh lime juice
• ½ -cup Palm Sugar
• ½ – cup firmly packed mint finely chopped
• 2-Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2-tbsp Fish sauce or soy sauce
• 1-tsp Lime zest
• 1-tsp sambal-Olek
• pinch of sea salt

Preparation

: Dissolve sugar in lime juice, mix in remaining ingredients, cover and refrigerate.