it is always good to have some ready made dips in your fridge, they might accompany some braised vegetables and plain steamed rice to make up for a whole meal in an instant. they can also be some sort of salad dressing or you could even dip some bread as a simple snack.

originally these featured dips are ideal for several types of spring rolls and dim sum.
but as i mentioned above, they are more than that.
there are plenty of other dip versions, but these are my very favourite ones.

hoisin peanut sauce …
the original hoisin sauce from a shop is ok, but … read carefully now … the real gorgeous one is mixing the shop one with the same amounts of peanut butter and apricot jam (yes really!).
then add 2 gloves of garlic – finely cut into diced and deep fried in some canola oil until golden coloured – and ground chili.
this base keeps for a month in the fridge. before serving add some water to make it dipable
and spread some roasted and grossly cut peanuts on top.
hoisin sauce like this in vietnam typically serves as a dip for goi cuon, summer rolls (german recipe).

nuoc mam cham …
this lime fish sauce dip with lots of ginger and some chilies is another very vietnamese one and also one of my very favourites. for this one first press the juice from two limes and strain. add a little water and some sugar, as if you would prepare some nice lemonade, which is quite intense. when this is done, add fish sauce (ideally vietnamese nuoc mam) to balance the sweet with the salty taste.
very finely dice a knub of peeled ginger, one glove of garlic and one fresh deseeded chili and add to the base. it keeps a couple of days in the fridge …
nuoc mam cham is lovely with steamed fish or spinach. it is nice for steamed dim sum and also spring rolls. and it is a central ingredient for com tamh bi. com tamh bi is a vietnamese dish of steamed broken rice with some meat and lots of cilantro inside and nuoc mam cham poured over …

soy sauce with dark chinese vinegar and sesame
this is a classic steamed dim sum dip and also in many variations a typical asian dressing for salads.
add soy sauce and black chinese vinegar and toasted sesame oil to same parts and sprinkle with – ideally  slightly ground – sesame seeds. for a hot twist you could add a little dried chili flakes or freh finely diced vinegar. it keeps about a week in the fridge.

i love these sauces to go along with freshly braised spinach, broccoli or beans … enjoy!