Dipping Sauce 101: Five Mother Sauces for Asian Cooking

A good dipping sauce transforms ordinary food into something memorable. These five bases can be customized infinitely, but mastering the ratios gives you a foundation for any Asian-inspired meal.

The essential five

• Soy-vinegar (3:1:1 soy:vinegar:sesame oil) - classic for dumplings
• Gochujang-mayo (1:2 gochujang:mayo) - creamy and spicy
• Ponzu (equal parts soy:citrus + dashi) - bright and umami-rich
• Nuoc cham (1:1:1 fish sauce:sugar:lime + garlic) - Vietnamese essential
• Sesame-miso (2:1:1 tahini:miso:rice vinegar) - nutty and complex

"The sauce is where you make the dish your own. Start with the base, then adjust."

Chef Wong