Easy Sweet and Sour Asian Dipping Sauce

We have the perfect asian sauce for you! With bursts of fresh ginger, lime, and lemongrass, it's great for serving as a complement for any fried food, as a dressing for asian inspired salads and for dipping veggies. .

We especially love to use for when we make vegetable tempura!

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Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Asian Dipping Sauce

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One of the best skills you can have is the ability to recognize flavors and find balance in food, which can only achieve that balance if they know the metaphoric “weight” of all the ingredients.

Each ingredient brings a different flavor profile to the “party” so it is important to know what each ingredient is going to bring in order to have a successful party. If you add a lot of ingredients that are all acidic, then you will be left with a dish that is only sour.

Cooking is about balance, so we highly suggest playing around with the ingredients in this sauce and adding different amounts to see the differences and what you like best. Here's your grocery list:

• Mae Ploy: For the sauce, we like to use the base of Mae Ploy, which is a Thai chili sauce, similar to a gastrique in french cuisine, that packs just the right amount of heat, while retaining a subtly-sweet finish that keeps you coming back for more.
• Lime zest: Added to cut through the sweetness.
• Lemongrass: We love it for its fragrant, floral note!
• Hoisin: Brings an earthy-sweetness to the sauce.
• Soy sauce: Great for rounding everything out with a funky-salty flavor.

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Tips on making the best asian dipping sauce

Taste, taste and taste! The best asian dipping sauce will be one that caters to your favorite flavors! Additionally, depending on the chili sauce base you use, you may need to adjust the flavor a bit.

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• Saltier: add soy sauce
• Sweeter: add honey
• Spicier: add sriracha
• Earthier: add hoisin
• Acidic: add lime juice

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Let us know in the comments what you paired this sweet and sour asian dipping sauce with!

Cheers and eat well!