Sawsawan

Name: Sawsawan
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H10M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT0H10M0.000S
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 2 cups cane vinegar; 1/4 cup soy sauce (see Cook’s Note); 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 12 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 small yellow onion, finely diced; 5 Thai bird chiles, sliced; Freshly ground black pepper

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Level: Easy

Total: 10 min
Active: 10 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Sawsawan means dipping sauce in Tagalog, and there’s almost always one of these tangy, zesty condiments on the Filipino table. The sauces are typically vinegar-based and usually use cane vinegar, the most common vinegar in the Philippines. A sawsawan is famously personalized by its maker, and they’re often thrown together just before serving and sometimes tailored to a specific dish. This versatile version of sawsawan takes just a few minutes to prepare and contains some of the essential seasonings of Filipino cuisine: soy sauce, vinegar, chiles, garlic and a bit of sugar for sweetness and balance. Its tang and punch enhance the flavors of fried or grilled foods like Daing-Style Fish and Filipino Pork Barbecue, but it’s also put on rice and just anything that could benefit from a hit of bright flavor.

Level: Easy

Total: 10 min
Active: 10 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

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2 cups cane vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce (see Cook’s Note)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

12 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

5 Thai bird chiles, sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, onion, chiles and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.