Place all the ingredients together in a glass jar and allow the spices to impart their flavor for at least 24 hours before using. Store the jar in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
Basic Dipping Sauces Sawsawan
A Filipino table is incomplete without the littering of small dishes filled with sawsawan, dipping sauces, to add the piquant heat of chiles, the puckery tang of citrus, or the heady zest of shrimp paste to the food as each person prefers. All-purpose dipping combinations such as vinegar and soy sauce, garlic and fish sauce, or calamansi and chilies are served to enliven simply prepared foods such as grilled fish or broiled chicken. More elaborate sawsawan such as the liver sauce served with spit-roasted suckling pig (lechon) or the garlicky sweet and sour sauce served with fresh spring rolls (lumpia sariwa) are reserved for specific dishes. I’ve included here just a few easy and basic dipping sauces that intensify the flavors of grilled or roasted meats, poultry, fish, and vegetables. Experiment with different herbs to add an extra layer of high impact flavor to your dipping sauces.
Toyomansi: makes 1⅔ tablespoons
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons calamansi juice
Spicy Garlic: makes 3 tablespoons
2 tablespoons coconut or palm vinegar
1 small Thai chile, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Green Ginger: makes 2⅔ tablespoons
2 tablespoons calamansi juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 teaspoon minced ginger
Shrimp Paste: makes 2⅓ tablespoons
2 tablespoons coconut or palm vinegar
1 teaspoon shrimp paste (bagoong hipon)
Sweet and Sour: Makes 2⅔ tablespoons
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
2 teaspoons calamansi juice
Sweet Chili Sauce: makes
½ cup (125 ml)
½ cup (125 ml) corn syrup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon coconut or palm vinegar
2 teaspoons chili flakes or sambal ulek
½ teaspoon minced ginger
Combine in a saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes to marry the flavors. Cool to room temperature before serving.
Lumpia Sariwa Dipping Sauce
Makes ½ cup (125 ml)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
½ cup (125 ml) water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons vinegar
¼ cup (25 g) finely chopped roasted peanuts or cashews
Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the pan is hot add the garlic. Cook and stir the garlic for 30 seconds until golden brown. Stir in the flour and mix with the garlic and oil to form a paste. Add the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar. Use a whisk to dissolve the liquids with the flour paste. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until thick, constantly whisking until smooth. Cool the sauce and pour into a serving dish. Sprinkle the sauce with the chopped nuts and serve with lumpia sariwa (page 40).
Mushroom Soy Dipping Sauce
Makes 3 tablespoons
2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce
1½ teaspoons palm or coconut vinegar
1 clove roasted garlic, mashed
1 teaspoon mirin
¼ teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, mashed garlic, and mirin in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a dipping sauce bowl and serve alongside Suman Nga Baboy, or Steamed Rice Cakes (page 28).
Eggplant-Prune Compote
Makes approximately 4 cups (600 g) Serves 4 as a side dish
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup (50 ml) coconut or palm vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup (250 ml) Chicken Stock (see page 15)
1 small eggplant, cut into 1-in (2½-cm) cubes
1 cup (150 g) chopped prunes
¼ cup (25 g) toasted and chopped pili nuts (substitute pine nuts)
Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until browned and caramelized, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, scraping any browned bits of onion off the bottom of the pan. Add the soy sauce, pepper, chicken stock, eggplant, and prunes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the eggplant is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the pili nuts and spoon alongside the grilled grouper (page 129).
This naturally sweet compote also pairs well with Whole Roasted Red Snapper (page 125), Bistek (page 112), Oven Roasted Pork (page 107), and Stuffed Quail (page 103).
Tomato, Onion, and Garlic Paste
Basic Sofrito
Sofrito is originally a Spanish paste of cooked tomato, onion, bell pepper, and garlic used as a flavor base for any number of soups, stews, and sautés. Naturally, the different Spanish colonies have long since individualized their sofrito so that in Puerto Rico it is different from the sofrito of Cuba or Mexico. In the Philippines, we start many of our dishes with a basic trio of onion, garlic, and tomato sautéed in olive oil. Depending on the dish being made, atsuete (annatto) seeds may be added to impart a burnt russet color and earthy flavor to the
