Dipping Sauce for Tempura Vegetables

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Yield:
Makes 1/2 cup

This dipping sauce hits so many flavor notes—salty, sweet, sour, umami. It's the perfect accompaniment to termpura vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 1 one-ounce piece ginger root

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

  • 2 tablespoons mirin

  • 1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallion

  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar

Directions

  1. Using a ginger grater or the fine side of a box grater, grate ginger root. Fold a 12-inch square of cheesecloth into quarters. Place the grated ginger in corner of cheesecloth. Working over a medium bowl, tightly wring the ginger in order to extract the juice. Discard the cheesecloth and the remaining root.

  2. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, 3 tablespoons water, mirin, scallion, lemon juice, and vinegar to the ginger juice. Whisk to combine. Dipping sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Cook's Notes

Mirin is a sweet rice wine used in many Japanese dishes; look for it in Japanese supermarkets or in the gourmet-food section of your supermarket.

Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, March 1998

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