Korean Dipping Sauce

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A versatile Korean Dipping Sauce that’s perfect with anything and everything – steamed dumplings, savory pancakes, pan-fried mandu, air-fried tofu, noodles, rice, and more! This is my take on the delicious sipping sauces they’d serve at Korean restaurants to pair with certain dishes.

This recipe is of course easy to customize depending on your preference. Feel free to add more or less of everything to achieve the perfect balance for your taste.

Korean Dipping Sauce with dumplings and air-fried tofu

THIS DIPPING SAUCE IS GREAT WITH:

Steamed dumplings or Korean mandu
Pajeon or Korean green onion pancakes
Yachaejeon or Korean vegetable pancakes (recipe here)
Air-fried tofu (great to soak the tofu in the sauce!)
Noodles, rice, and more!

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THIS KOREAN DIPPING SAUCE

SAUCE

1/4 cup soy sauce (not low sodium)
1/8 to 1/4 cup water (adjust depending on how watered down you want the sauce to be)
2 tbsp rice vinegar (adjust to desired acidity)
2 tbsp sugar (adjust to desired sweetness)
1-1.5 tbsp gochugaru or Korean chili powder
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
1.5 tbsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 to to 1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/2 small diced white onion

TO MAKE THE SAUCE

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Make sure the sugar is dissolved.

STORAGE

You can prepare this beforehand and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks until ready to use. You can also make this in big batches and scoop portions to use, as needed.

TO SERVE OR ENJOY THIS SAUCE

AIR-FRIED TOFU

I simply air-fried extra firm tofu that I sliced into 1-inch (2.5cm) cubes. To air-fry, I set my air fryer at 350F/180C. Spray or brush the tofu with neutral cooking oil. Leave the tofu to cook for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Do not overcook, since the tofu can easily harden.
Place the tofu in a bowl with a generous amount of sauce. The longer the tofu soaks the better it’ll taste. You can enjoy this with rice or noodles.

DUMPLINGS

For dumplings, I used this as a sauce to pour over the steamed ones.

Korean Dipping Sauce with steamed or boiled dumplings

MORE RECIPES YOU’LL ENJOY

Korean Dipping Sauce

5 from 3 votes

A versatile Korean Dipping Sauce that’s perfect with anything and everything – steamed dumplings, savory pancakes, pan-fried mandu, air-fried tofu, noodles, rice, and more! This is my take on the delicious sipping sauces they’d serve at Korean restaurants to pair with certain dishes.This recipe is of course easy to customize depending on your preference. Feel free to add more or less of everything to achieve the perfect balance for your taste.

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Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Course Condiments, Main Course, Sauces, Side Dish, Sides, Snack, Starters

Cuisine Asian, Chinese, East Asian, Korean

Servings servings

Calories 131 kcal