Avocado Salsa Verde

Date Published: March 2nd, 2025 | Last Updated: March 2nd, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: dips, vegetarian, easy, healthy, snacks
Serves: 3 cups | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 15 mins

Jump to recipe |

Since moving to the US 2 years ago, Toby and I have had a lot more exposure to Mexican/Latin cuisine. There’s a severe lack of good Mexican food in Melbourne and Toby’s mind has been blown away by all the amazing choices within arms reach. Our South Slope neighbourhood is full of so many authentic Mexican restaurants that sometimes we need a Spanish translator app just to order our food (seriously, once we asked one of our Spanish-speaking co-workers to order our food for us 😅). We joke that every new shop is either going to be a cannabis dispensary, bodega, or Mexican restaurant.

We have had more than our share of amazing burritos, tacos, and empanadas in this neighbourhood and it often comes with a red, green, and sometimes orange sauce. These sauces tend to be a house-made chilli salsa in varying degrees of spiciness and no two sauces are the same between restaurants. I usually gravitate towards the green sauce which is made with a green chilli but on one occasion the green sauce had hints of avocado flavour and took me by surprise. It was so good that I went right back and ordered a large container of it just to keep in the fridge. This avocado salsa verde recipe is a result of that sauce. Although I haven’t been able to recreate it to exactly the same sauce, this end result came out so good that I’ve decided to share it anyway. I hope you enjoy!

What are Tomatillos?

A tomatillo is also known as a Mexican husk tomato. To me it looks exactly like a green tomato, but with a papery shell/husk on the outside. You must remove the shell/husk before using them and the underlying skin can have a slightly sticky residue that comes off with a quick rinse. Tomatillos can be used raw or cooked. The flavour of a tomatillo is a bit unique in that in can have a tartness to it when eaten raw, but it mellows out when cooked.

Avoiding a bitter salsa verde

A common complaint when making salsa verde is that it can turn out a bit bitter. I came across this in my first few batches and it took a bit of research to figure out why – the tomatillos! Before this recipe, tomatillos were foreign to me and I had to learn how to use them. They are the most common cause for a bitter salsa verde due to a number of reasons:

Unripe tomatillos – a ripe tomatillo should be:
- Bright green under the husk
- Have a tight husk (the fruit fills up the husk rather than a small and shrunken fruit within which can indicate that it was harvested too early)
- Have some firmness but not too hard (under-ripe) nor mushy (over-ripe)
Overcooked tomatillos – tomatillos should be cooked until they just turn colour from a bright green to a more pale/army green colour. Overcooking your tomatillo is one of the most common causes for bitterness.
Remove the ribs and stem base – The stem base can be a cause of bitterness so I like to remove it before blending it in my salsa. Some people also claim that the seeds and ribs can also cause the bitter flavour and will scoop it out as well.
Taste! The best way to avoid a bitter salsa verde is to taste your tomatillos and its components after its cooked before blending it with the rest of your ingredients so you know if you need to make any corrections.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

2-3 (200g) tomatillos
1 medium (100g) avocado, deseeded and peeled (weight is after deseeding and peeling)
1 large (90g) red shallot (or a quarter of a red onion)
7g cilantro, leaves and stem
1/2 (10g) fresh jalapeño, deseeded, for mildly spicy. Add more to your liking, you can also use serrano chili
2 large (7g) garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt, or more to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C.

Remove the outer husks of the tomatillos, rinse off the sticky residue, remove the rib/stem base, then place it on a baking tray. Add a drizzle of oil over the tomatillos and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until soft with a light golden brown on top (the colour will turn from a bright green to a lighter/army green).

Not pictured: remember to remove the rib/stem base before using in your sauce

While the tomatillos are roasting, prepare and add the rest of the ingredients to a blender: avocado, red shallots, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, and salt.

Once the tomatillos are done roasting, add them to the blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend on HIGH until smooth. Taste and adjust salt, lime juice, and jalapeños to your liking. Done!

Tip: If it’s too spicy, add more avocado.

Summarized Recipe:

Avocado Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

2-3 (200g) tomatillos
1 medium (100g) avocado, deseeded and peeled (weight is after deseeding and peeling)
1 large (90g) red shallot (or a quarter of a red onion)
7g cilantro, leaves and stem
1/2 (10g) fresh jalapeño, deseeded, for mildly spicy. Add more to your liking, you can also use serrano chili
2 large (7g) garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt, or more to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C.
Remove the outer husks of the tomatillos, give it a rinse, then place it on a baking tray. Add a drizzle of oil over the tomatillos and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until soft with a light golden brown on top (the colour will turn from a bright green to a lighter/army green).
While the tomatillos are roasting, prepare and add the rest of the ingredients to a blender: avocado, red shallots, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, and salt.
Once the tomatillos are done roasting, add them to the blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend on HIGH until smooth. Taste and adjust salt, lime juice, and jalapeños to your liking. Done!
- Tip: If it’s too spicy, add more avocado.

March 2, 2025December 24, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

Instant Pot Svíčková – a Shortcut to Babička’s Classic Beef with Vegetable Cream Sauce

Date Published: Dec 23rd, 2024 | Last Updated: Dec 23rd, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: mains, Czech
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 40 mins | Cook time: 1 hour

Jump to recipe |

This recipe is a shortcut version from the OG svíčková recipe that cuts down the cooking time from 3.5 hours cook time to 1 hour. You’ll need an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker for this recipe. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can still find the original svíčková recipe below as Toby’s grandmother (babička) makes it:

Babička’s Svíčková (Beef with Vegetable Cream Sauce)

This is Toby’s babička’s (grandmother’s) version of a svíčkova. It’s his all time favourite Czech dish – and I can see why! In its simplest terms, svíčkova is a steak dish served with knedlíky (Czech bread dumplings) and…

by Abby March 29, 2021December 23, 2024

What is Svíčkova?

Svíčkova is one of Czech’s most popular dishes. In its simplest terms, svíčkova is a steak dish served with knedlíky (Czech bread dumplings) and smothered in the most addicting creamy vegetable sauce made of parsnip, celeriac, carrots and onion. There’s a slight lemon-y tang to the sauce that balances out the heaviness of the cream.

The sauce is the star of the show and is meant to be on the runny side, rather than a thick gravy. I’m always so tempted to serve this as a soup in itself if it wasn’t so rich 😅.

Here are two recipes for knedliky – one is a flour/bread base (houskové knedlíky) and the other is a denser potato base (bramborové knedlíky). Svíčkova is usually served with the flour based dumplings.

Czech Bread Dumplings – Houskové Knedlíky

Czech Potato Dumplings – Bramborové Knedlíky

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

600g good quality beef/steak (ie scotch fillet, eye fillet, rump steak, chuck steak – pick one with less tendon and more fat)
2 Tbsps (50g) + 1 Tbsp (25g) + 25g lard
2 medium onions (~3 cups), diced
1 whole celeriac (~3 cups), peeled and grated
- Celeriac can come in a wide variety of sizes. The one we got was roughly bigger than a baseball: 370g before peeling and 300g after peeling which came up to about 3 cups once grated. When grating, shave away at the skin until the celeriac is completely white.
2 medium sized parsnips (~3 cups), peeled and grated
3 large carrots (~3 cups), peeled and grated
4 cups (1 litre) beef stock
10 whole black peppercorns
10 whole dried allspice berries
4 dried bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
200ml thickened/heavy cream
2 Tbsps lemon juice (or more to taste)
Serve with:
- Knedlíky (Czech bread dumplings)
- Wedges of lemon
- Cranberry sauce
- Whipped cream

Directions:

A quick note about preparing the vegetables:

The exact amount and size of vegetables aren’t important, as long as you roughly have equal amounts of the celeriac, parsnip, and carrots.
Celeriac is a root vegetable and comes in a variety of sizes and is essentially a starchy celery. It’s got a green and white rough and wrinkly exterior that you want to remove by trimming it off with a knife until you get to the softer inside and the entire celeriac is white.

After you’ve peeled the vegetables, you can either dice them into small cubes, or the quickest way is to grate them in a food processor.

Rinse and pat dry the beef and rub salt and pepper on all sides and let it sit at room temperature for 20 mins.

(If you haven’t already, you can make the knedlíky dough in this time and while it proofs for an hour you can continue making the svíčková.)

In your instant pot on the SAUTÉ setting, set the heat to HIGH and melt 2 Tbsps of lard. When the pot is hot, add in the beef and sear on all 4 sides until browned (roughly 90 seconds on each side). Remove the beef and set it aside on a plate.

Turn the heat down to MED-HIGH and add in the diced onions. Sauté the onions until lightly browned and translucent (3-4 mins), making sure to scrape any brown bits that may be stuck on the bottom of the pot from the beef.

Next, add in the grated celeriac, parsnip, carrots, and another 1 Tbsp of lard into the vegetables and mix it around (the extra lard prevents them from burning). Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften (4-5 mins).

Once the vegetables begin to soften, add in the 4 cups of beef stock, 10 black peppercorns, 10 allspice berries, 4 bay leaves, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Make sure you COUNT the number of peppercorns and allspice berries you add in because you’ll have to take them out later. Let the mixture come to a simmer then cancel the SAUTÉ setting and put the Instant Pot lid on. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes.

Once the timer is up, carefully release the pressure valve and when safe, remove the lid, stir the vegetables around, then add in the seared beef (from step 2) into the middle of the pot, submerging it in the liquid. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on HIGH for 35 minutes.

(You can take this time to cook the knedlíky if you haven’t already.)

Once the timer is up, carefully release the pressure valve and when safe, remove the lid. Take out the beef and put it into a bowl and cover to keep warm until ready to slice.

Remove and discard all the bay leaves, allspice berries and black peppercorns (this part is tedious). Once all the spices are removed, use an immersion/stick blender and blend the remaining vegetables in the broth until you get a smooth creamy texture. You can also blend this in a blender for an even smoother sauce.

Add the thickened cream and lemon juice and mix. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. When ready to serve, slice the beef. If your beef has gone a little cold, place it back into the sauce to warm it up and then slice.

To plate traditionally when serving: Place a ladle of the sauce on a dinner plate, ensuring the sauce covers the entirety of the bottom of the plate, then top with a few slices of the beef in the centre and fan out a few slices of knedlíky (Czech bread dumplings) on one side. You can top it with a spoonful of cranberry sauce, a dollop of whipped cream, and a wedge of lemon. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Instant Pot Svíčková – a Shortcut to Babička’s Classic Beef with Vegetable Cream Sauce

Date Published: Dec 23rd, 2024 | Last Updated: Dec 23rd, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: mains, Czech
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 40 mins | Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

600g good quality beef/steak (ie scotch fillet, eye fillet, rump steak, chuck steak – pick one with less tendon and more fat)
2 Tbsps (50g) + 1 Tbsp (25g) + 25g lard
2 medium onions (~3 cups), diced
1 whole celeriac (~3 cups), peeled and grated
- Celeriac can come in a wide variety of sizes. The one we got was roughly bigger than a baseball: 370g before peeling and 300g after peeling which came up to about 3 cups once grated. When grating, shave away at the skin until the celeriac is completely white.
2 medium sized parsnips (~3 cups), peeled and grated
3 large carrots (~3 cups), peeled and grated
4 cups (1 litre) beef stock
10 whole black peppercorns
10 whole dried allspice berries
4 dried bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
200ml thickened/heavy cream
2 Tbsps lemon juice (or more to taste)
Serve with:
- Knedlíky (Czech bread dumplings)
- Wedges of lemon
- Cranberry sauce
- Whipped cream

Directions:

Rinse and pat dry the beef and rub salt and pepper on all sides and let it sit at room temperature for 20 mins.
- (If you haven’t already, you can make the knedlíky dough in this time and while it proofs for an hour you can continue making the svíčková.)
In your instant pot on the SAUTÉ setting, set the heat to HIGH and melt 2 Tbsps of lard. When the pot is hot, add in the beef and sear on all 4 sides until browned (roughly 90 seconds on each side). Remove the beef and set it aside on a plate.
Turn the heat down to MED-HIGH and add in the diced onions. Sauté the onions until lightly browned and translucent (3-4 mins), making sure to scrape any brown bits that may be stuck on the bottom of the pot from the beef.
Next, add in the grated celeriac, parsnip, carrots, and another 1 Tbsp of lard into the vegetables and mix it around (the extra lard prevents them from burning). Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften (4-5 mins).
Once the vegetables begin to soften, add in the 4 cups of beef stock, 10 black peppercorns, 10 allspice berries, 4 bay leaves, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Make sure you COUNT the number of peppercorns and allspice berries you add in because you’ll have to take them out later. Let the mixture come to a simmer then cancel the SAUTÉ setting and put the Instant Pot lid on. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes.
Once the timer is up, carefully release the pressure valve and when safe, remove the lid, stir the vegetables around, then add in the seared beef (from step 2) into the middle of the pot, submerging it in the liquid. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on HIGH for 35 minutes.
- (You can take this time to cook the knedlíky if you haven’t already.)
Once the timer is up, carefully release the pressure valve and when safe, remove the lid. Take out the beef and put it into a bowl and cover to keep warm until ready to slice.
Remove and discard all the bay leaves, allspice berries and black peppercorns (this part is tedious). Once all the spices are removed, use an immersion/stick blender and blend the remaining vegetables in the broth until you get a smooth creamy texture. You can also blend this in a blender for an even smoother sauce.
Add the thickened cream and lemon juice and mix. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. When ready to serve, slice the beef. If your beef has gone a little cold, place it back into the sauce to warm it up and then slice.
To plate traditionally when serving: Place a ladle of the sauce on a dinner plate, ensuring the sauce covers the entirety of the bottom of the plate, then top with a few slices of the beef in the centre and fan out a few slices of knedlíky (Czech bread dumplings) on one side. You can top it with a spoonful of cranberry sauce, a dollop of whipped cream, and a wedge of lemon. Enjoy!

December 23, 2024December 24, 2024

Abby1 Comment

Czech Tomato Gravy (over Sliced Beef) – Rajská Omáčka

Date Published: May 28th, 2024 | Last Updated: May 28th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: mains, Czech, easy
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

Jump to recipe |

I’m told that “Rajská Omáčka” (pronounced: rays-ka oma-ch-ka) directly translates to “tomato sauce”. This is one of Toby’s childhood dishes that his grandmother used to make him. Every time he says it, all I hear is “racecar” 😅. To me, this sauce pretty much tastes like a tomato soup without the herbs, but it’s served over slices of beef or pork and some knedliky (Czech dumplings – potato or bread). There are other versions of this sauce that vary in tartness and sweetness (like my original attempts), but I’ve written this recipe to be as similar to babička’s as possible.

You have no idea how hard it is to get a picture of babička standing still and smiling 😅

To be honest, this is not my favourite dish, but its got nostalgic value for Toby so I set out to try and make it for him. After a couple of attempts from online and cookbook recipes, he said it “just wasn’t like babička’s” but he couldn’t tell me what was wrong with it 😒. So I put it on the back burner up until our recent trip to Czech a couple weeks ago and we asked babička to show us how she makes it. Her version was a little less tomato-y than the versions I made and although it’s still not my favourite dish, seeing Toby’s happy face slurping down his second helping of the tomato sauce was enough reason for me to add this recipe to the collection.

This recipe is easy and cooks up quickly. You can pair the sauce with whatever meat you wish including a vepro, but for a quick lunch or dinner with minimal effort, I’ve included the instructions to cook a rump roast in a pressure cooker in 30 minutes and it’ll be ready around the same time as the sauce.

Happy cooking!

Recipes that pair well together with this sauce:

Vepřová Pečeně – Czech-style Pork Roast

Czech Potato Dumplings – Bramborové Knedlíky

Czech Bread Dumplings – Houskové Knedlíky

Ingredients you’ll need:

Beef:
- 900g (2 lbs) rump roast/chuck steak
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
- Enough water to cover the beef
Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp pork lard
- 2 medium (~800g) onions, diced
- 1 large can (793g/28oz) diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups (1L) beef broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 Tbsps granulated sugar
- 5 black peppercorns
- 3 allspice berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-4 Tbsps heavy cream (to taste)
To serve: with slices of knedliky/Czech dumplings (potato or bread)

Directions:

A. Cook the beef: in a pressure cooker/instant pot: *This step is optional. You can serve this tomato sauce with whatever type of meat you like, but if you’re looking for a quick cooked beef, the instant pot will be the fastest.

Add the beef, salt and enough water to cover the meat. Put the lid on and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 30 minutes, then quick release. Remove the beef from the liquid and let it rest for 10 mins before slicing.

Alternatively if you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can boil the beef in water over the stove until the beef is tender. This will take about 2 hours.

B. Make the sauce while the beef is cooking:

In a small pot on MED-HIGH heat, melt the pork lard and sauté the onions for 5-8 minutes until softened.
Add the salt, sugar, black peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves. Stir for 2 mins until the sugar has fully dissolved.

Next, add in the flour and stir for 2 minutes until well incorporated and the flour cooks a little. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks.

Pour in the beef broth and stir everything together. Bring the heat up to HIGH to let it come to a boil then back down to MED heat and let it boil for 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens into a gravy-like consistency.

Once it has thickened, pour in the can of diced tomatoes including all of the liquid. Bring the sauce to a boil again, then simmer on MED heat for 20 minutes.

Note: Make sure to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot every few minutes so nothing sticks to the bottom.

After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and discard the bay leaves and all spice berries.

Next, use a stick blender (or transfer the sauce to a blender) and blend the sauce until you get a smooth texture. If you want an extra smooth sauce, strain it through a fine sieve.

Add 2 Tbsps of heavy cream then taste and adjust salt, sugar, or more heavy cream as needed. (Babička will sometimes add in some ketchup if she wants it more tart and tomato-y 🤫.)

Serve the sauce ladled over the cooked sliced beef and a few knedliky. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Czech Tomato Gravy (over Sliced Beef) – Rajská Omáčka

Date Published: May 28th, 2024 | Last Updated: May 28th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: mains, Czech, easy
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Beef:
- 900g (2 lbs) rump roast/chuck steak
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
- Enough water to cover the beef
Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp pork lard
- 2 medium (~800g) onions, diced
- 1 large can (793g/28oz) diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups (1L) beef broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 Tbsps granulated sugar
- 5 black peppercorns
- 3 allspice berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-4 Tbsps heavy cream (to taste)
To serve: with slices of knedliky/Czech dumplings (potato or bread)

Directions:

A. Cook the beef: in a pressure cooker/instant pot: Add the beef, salt and enough water to cover the meat. Put the lid on and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 30 minutes, then quick release. Remove the beef from the liquid and let it rest for 10 mins before slicing.

Alternatively if you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can boil the beef in water over the stove until the beef is tender. This will take about 2 hours.
*This step is optional. You can serve this tomato sauce with whatever type of meat you like, but if you’re looking for a quick cooked beef, the instant pot will be the fastest.

B. Make the sauce while the beef is cooking:

In a small pot on MED-HIGH heat, melt the pork lard and sauté the onions for 5-8 minutes until softened.
Add the salt, sugar, black peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves. Stir for 2 mins until the sugar has fully dissolved.
Next, add in the flour and stir for 2 minutes until well incorporated and the flour cooks a little. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks.
Pour in the beef broth and stir everything together. Bring the heat up to HIGH to let it come to a boil then back down to MED heat and let it boil for 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens into a gravy-like consistency.
Once it has thickened, pour in the can of diced tomatoes including all of the liquid. Bring the sauce to a boil again, then simmer on MED heat for 20 minutes.
- Note: Make sure to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot every few minutes so nothing sticks to the bottom.
After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and discard the bay leaves and all spice berries. Next, use a stick blender (or transfer the sauce to a blender) and blend the sauce until you get a smooth texture. If you want an extra smooth sauce, strain it through a fine sieve.
Add 2 Tbsps of heavy cream then taste and adjust salt, sugar, or more heavy cream as needed. (Babička will sometimes add in some ketchup if she wants it more tart and tomato-y 🤫.)
Serve the sauce ladled over the cooked sliced beef and a few knedliky. Enjoy!

May 28, 2024May 28, 2024

Abby1 Comment

Garlic Soy Sauce Paste/Dressing

Date Published: April 16th, 2024 | Last Updated: April 16th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: easy, Asian, quick, Taiwanese, <15 mins, sauces
Serves: 1.5 cups of sauce | Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 5 mins

Jump to recipe

Soy sauce paste is one of the most popular sauces you’ll find in Taiwanese street food, often drizzled over a wide variety of dishes including fried fish cake tempura, century egg with silken tofu, dan bing, sautéed vegetables…the list goes on! It’s so versatile, yet so difficult to find outside of Taiwan.

Soy sauce paste is more than just thickened soy sauce – it’s lightly sweetened but still maintains the umami profile. It’s a little similar to oyster sauce – in fact, some people use it interchangeably with vegetarian/mushroom oyster sauce if soy sauce paste is not readily available.

This recipe is a garlic version of the classic soy sauce paste which in my opinion makes it even better! It’s quick and easy, and the sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week – just give it a shake each time you’re about to use it!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

Garlic puree:
- 4 cloves (25g) garlic, peeled with fibrous ends cut off
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
Soy sauce paste:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce (ie. kikkoman)
- 1/4 cup (60ml water)
- 2 Tbsps (25g) granulated sugar
- 1.5 Tbsps cornstarch
- 2 Tbsps water
2 Tbsps (25g) granulated sugar

Directions:

Make the garlic purée: Add the garlic with 1/2 cup of water into a high speed blender. Blend until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.

Add the soy sauce paste ingredients to a saucepan

Make the soy sauce paste: In a small saucepan on MED heat, add in the soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Let the sauce come to a light simmer. While you’re waiting, in a separate bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 2 Tbsps of water. When the sauce has come to a simmer, add in the cornstarch/water mixture and continuously whisk for about 1 minute or until the mixture comes to a gloopy paste. Turn off the heat and set aside to let cool.

Once the soy sauce paste has slightly cooled, add in the garlic purée (from step 1) and 2 Tbsps of sugar. Mix it all together and taste to adjust salt or sugar. Done! Keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Summarized Recipe:

Garlic Soy Sauce Paste/Dressing

Ingredients:

Garlic puree:
- 4 cloves (25g) garlic, peeled with fibrous ends cut off
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
Soy sauce paste:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce (ie. kikkoman)
- 1/4 cup (60ml water)
- 2 Tbsps (25g) granulated sugar
- 1.5 Tbsps cornstarch
- 2 Tbsps water
2 Tbsps (25g) granulated sugar

Directions:

Make the garlic purée: Add the garlic with 1/2 cup of water into a high speed blender. Blend until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.
Make the soy sauce paste: In a small saucepan on MED heat, add in the soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Let the sauce come to a light simmer. While you’re waiting, in a separate bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 2 Tbsps of water. When the sauce has come to a simmer, add in the cornstarch/water mixture and continuously whisk for about 1 minute or until the mixture comes to a gloopy paste. Turn off the heat and set aside to let cool.
Once the soy sauce paste has slightly cooled, add in the garlic purée (from step 1) and 2 Tbsps of sugar. Mix it all together and taste to adjust salt or sugar. Done! Keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week.

April 16, 2024April 16, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment