The Story of Three Dipping Sauces

At a recent Lunar New Year party with friends, we had dumplings. I made three dipping sauces to use on the dumplings and they were really well received. I had made the peanut butter sauce before and my friend Courtney had found the green onion sauce online. The third sauce was my creation to have a spicy dipping sauce. My friend Diane liked it so much she said it was magic, so I named it Diane’s Magic Sauce. Here are the recipes. Enjoy!!! These sauces can be used to dip all sorts of foods, not just dumplings. We also used them on turnip cakes and ribs that night.

Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce

1/3 c. peanut butter

1/3 c. coconut milk

1/2 t. crushed red pepper

1-2 cloves garlic

1 t. fresh grated ginger

1 t. soy sauce

Dash hot red pepper sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Note: If you want to use this sauce on pasta, thin it with 1/3 cup of chicken or vegetable stock.

Diane’s Magic Sauce

½ c. rice vinegar

½ c. apple cider vinegar

½ c. sugar

2 T. spicy chili crisp sauce – found at Asian grocery stores

1 T. minced garlic or 1 t. dried minced garlic

1 T. orange zest

2T. light soy sauce

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar melts. Use with dumplings.

Green Onion Dipping Sauce

5-6 green onions, trimmed and chopped into 2 inch pieces

2 T. oil

5 T. light soy sauce

1 T. Dark soy sauce

1 T. oyster sauce

1 T. sugar

Heat oil in skillet and cook onions until they are browned. Combine with remaining ingredients and stir to combine well. Keeps in fridge for about a month. Can be used as a pasta sauce, too.