Alright, let’s talk about dim sum soy sauce. For years, I just used whatever bottle was in the fridge, or the little packets that came with takeout. And you know what? Most of the time, it was just… fine. Nothing special. Sometimes too salty, sometimes just bland. It kinda bugged me, especially when I’d made some decent dumplings myself.
So, one Saturday, I decided, enough is enough. I’m going to figure out a good, simple dipping sauce. I wasn’t looking for some fancy, chef-level concoction. Just something that tasted right, you know? Something that wouldn’t overpower the actual dim sum.
My Little Kitchen Experiment
I started by grabbing a few things I thought would work. It wasn’t rocket science, just common sense stuff, really.
- First, light soy sauce. That’s the base, obviously. Not the dark, thick kind, that’s too much.
- Then, a bit of sugar. Dim sum sauce needs that hint of sweetness, I reckon.
- Some water. Straight soy sauce can be a bit of a punch in the face. Water mellows it out.
- I also had some sesame oil handy. Just a drop, though. Too much and it’s all you taste.
- And maybe, just maybe, a tiny bit of rice vinegar if I felt like it needed a little tang. But I decided to start simple.
So, I got out a small bowl. Didn’t even bother with a saucepan at first, thought I could just mix it cold. I poured in maybe, let’s say, a quarter cup of the light soy sauce. Then I added about a teaspoon of sugar. Stirred it around with a spoon until the sugar looked like it dissolved. Gave it a taste. Hmm. Still a bit too sharp, too salty.
Okay, next step. I added about two tablespoons of water. Stirred again. Tasted again. Better! Definitely getting closer. The saltiness was toned down. But it still felt like it was missing… something. It was a bit flat.
Then I remembered the sesame oil. I’m always cautious with this stuff. It’s powerful. I literally put one single drop into the bowl. Stirred it well. Another taste. Bingo! That was it. That little bit of nutty aroma just lifted the whole thing. It wasn’t “sesame sauce,” it was soy sauce with a nice background note.
I thought about adding a tiny slice of ginger, or a bit of spring onion, like some restaurants do. And sometimes I do, if I’m feeling fancy and have them on hand. I just crush a tiny piece of ginger with the side of my knife and drop it in, or snip a few bits of green onion. Let it sit for ten minutes, then fish out the ginger. But for my basic, everyday, quick dim sum sauce? The soy, sugar, water, and tiny drop of sesame oil is the ticket.
The key really is tasting and adjusting. My measurements here are just what I ended up with that day. Sometimes I might want it a tiny bit sweeter, so I’ll add a pinch more sugar. Sometimes a little less intense, so a splash more water. You just gotta go with what your taste buds tell you.
And that’s pretty much it. Took all of what, five minutes? And now I’ve got a dim sum soy sauce that I actually like. No more disappointment from those generic sauces. It’s simple, it’s quick, and it makes my homemade (or even store-bought frozen) dim sum taste a whole lot better. Give it a try. You probably have all the stuff in your kitchen already.