Filipino Vinegar Soy Dipping Sauce
If you need a dipping sauce but don’t love the strong flavor of Vietnamese fish sauce dipping sauce (Nước Mắm Chấm), you might enjoy sawsawan instead.
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (Datu Puti brand preferred)
- 3 tablespoons cane vinegar (Datu Puti brand preferred)
- 2 tablespoons granulated cane sugar
- 1/2 cup finely diced cucumber
- 1/4 cup finely diced shallots
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- 3 red chili peppers (thinly sliced)
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce (2 tablespoons), vinegar (3 tablespoons), and sugar (2 tablespoons) until the sugar dissolves.
- Toss in the cucumbers (1/2 cup), shallot (1/4 cup), garlic (1 tablespoon), and red chili peppers (3).
- Stir to combine and enjoy with your favorite protein dishes.
What is a Sawsawan?
Sawsawan is a Filipino dipping sauce, and one of the most popular is a soy sauce and vinegar-based mix.
I absolutely love this sauce. It’s also a great option for anyone looking for vegetarian and vegan alternative.
The umami soy sauce base is nicely balanced with vinegar and sugar, while fresh cucumber, shallots, garlic, and red chili peppers add crunch, aroma, and heat.
Enjoy it with fried or grilled foods like roasted crispy pork belly, fried fish, and fried tofu.
It’s a refreshing sauce that cuts through fatty dishes. It’s dangerously good with pork belly, the kind of combination so tasty you won’t notice how much fatty pork you’re eating. So consider yourself warned.
