Archive for Dipping Sauces

BBQ Sauce

I usually opt for fina’denne’ with my food, but occasionally I love a good BBQ sauce, most especially on smoked brisket, and sometimes on BBQ chicken.

I like my BBQ sauce to be a cross between the tangy, vinegary Carolina sauce and the thick, sweet Kansas BBQ sauce.

This is an easy sauce to whip up.  Chances are you have everything you need in your fridge and pantry already.  If you want your sauce to be spicy, add a tablespoon or more (to taste) of chili flakes, or the hot chili pepper of your choosing.

 

BBQ Sauce Ingredients

 

Mix everything in a small saucepan.  Cook over low heat just until it simmers.  Serve immediately or keep in a sealed container and refrigerate.  This sauce actually tastes better if you make it a day ahead.

 

BBQ Sauce

 

Give my recipe a try the next time you’re grilling or smoking.  I think you’ll like it. 🙂

 

BBQ Sauce on Smoked Brisket

 

 

BBQ Sauce
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A tangy, slightly sweet BBQ sauce
Author:
Cuisine: American
Serves: 1⅔ cups
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup Apple cider vinegar
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan.
  2. Whisk; cook over low heat until it starts to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Serve immediately. Refrigerate any unused sauce in a sealed container.

 

Easy Lemon Garlic Aioli

My super simple aioli is tangy from fresh lemon juice and packed full of flavor from chopped garlic and cajun seasoning.

It takes a few short minutes to make.  It’s perfect with my Salmon Cakes or as a dipping sauce for fish sticks.

Give it a try today. 🙂

Salmon cake

Here’s how to make my super-simple lemon-garlic aioli.  Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside until ready to use.  Refrigerate any unused aioli.

Enjoy!

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Easy Lemon Garlic Aioli
 
Prep time
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.

 

Lumpia Dipping Sauce

Lumpia is delicious all on its own, but occasionally I like serving them Vietnamese style — on a bed of rice noodles atop a lettuce leaf with a side of tangy dipping sauce.

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Here’s my recipe for the dipping sauce.  Don’t let the fish sauce deter you — this is a must-try the next time you make lumpia.

Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

Here’s the link to my Lumpia recipe if you’d like to try it as well. 🙂

 

Lumpia Dipping Sauce
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons white, granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients together. Serve with lumpia and ENJOY!

 

Fina’dene’ ~ Chamorro ‘Special Sauce’

Chamorro Special Sauce — that’s what my non-Chamorro friends call fina’denne’, the literal translation of which means made with pepper or donne’, the Chamorro word for hot chili pepper.

Fina’denne’ is a staple in most Chamorro homes.  It’s served with most meals.  Pour it over your freshly steamed rice or over your meat of choice.  It’s sure to enhance your dining pleasure. 🙂

There are many, many ways to prepare fina’denne’.  Soy sauce is usually the main ingredient; however, depending on the type of dish being served, you may choose to use salt instead.  For instance, I prefer a salt-based fina’denne’ over grilled fish, but I love a soy sauce-based fina’denne’ over fried fish.

The acidic ingredient is all up to you as well.  You can use white vinegar, cider vinegar, coconut vinegar, lemon juice or lime juice…it’s all up to you.  My brother, for example, likes only lemon or lime juice in his fina’denne’.  I, on the other hand, like to vary the acid I use depending on what I’m eating.  I mentioned fish above…I like a soy-lemon fina’denne’ with fried fish, and either a salt-lemon or salt-white vinegar fina’denne’ with grilled fish.

I also like using white vinegar when I add tomatoes to my fina’denne.  Tomatoes and vinegar pair really well, you know, like how a vinaigrette dressing goes great with a tomato salad.

Be sure to taste as you go…you might like your fina’denne’ more on the salty side, or you might prefer it a bit more sour (which is how I like it).

I like a 1:1 ratio of soy sauce to vinegar.  My husband prefers his fina’denne’ on the salty side, so when he makes it, he uses a 2:1 ratio of soy sauce to vinegar.  In other words, if I were to make a cup of fina’denne, I’ll use 1/2 cup soy sauce and 1/2 cup vinegar.  My husband, on the other hand, will make his using 1/2 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup vinegar.

Try making different varieties of fina’denne’ and decide for yourself your personal preference. But by all means, give it a try.  I’m sure you too will love it. 🙂

Fina’denne’

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Ingredients:

  • Soy sauce, to taste (you can substitute the soy sauce with salt)
  • Vinegar, to taste (you can use any type of vinegar, or you can use lemon or lime juice)

Optional ingredients:

  • Green onions, as much as you like
  • White onions, diced, as much as you like
  • Hot chili peppers, as much as you can stand
  • Cherry tomatoes, diced or sliced
For this batch of fina’denne’, I used:
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup vinegar
  • 1 jalapeño pepper
  • 2 Serrano chili peppers
  • 4 stalks green onions
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

Directions: 

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce and vinegar (or lemon juice if you prefer).  

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I like adding hot green chili peppers to my fina’denne’, charring them slightly.  You don’t have to char the peppers, but doing so brings out so much more of the pepper’s flavor.  I grilled these peppers over the flame of my gas stove.  Use a metal skewer to keep the peppers together; it also makes it easier to turn the peppers over to ensure even grilling.

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My mom and one of my sisters loves using the red, super-hot Thai peppers in their fina’denne’.  Those are great too, but beware!  Those suckers are MOUTH-ON-FIRE H-O-T!!!

red chili peppers

Slice the peppers then add them to the bowl.

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Add the onions.  I used green onions here, but you can use white or yellow onions too.

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Add the tomatoes.

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Stir to combine.

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Pour over your rice and meat and dig in! ENJOY! 🙂

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Here’s a great tip:  for fina’denne’ at your fingertips and ready when you want it, buy a plastic squeeze bottle and fill it with fina’denne’, the liquid mixture only.   Squeeze bottles are sold at most grocery stores, but I bought this one at our local Korean store.  Add onions, tomatoes and peppers on the side when you’re ready to serve up your meal.

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