Who does not like them? Nowadays it is probably exceedingly difficult to find a person, who does not like some ketchup on a hamburger, or mustard and relish on a hot dogs. Whatever you like or not, the condiments are here, in our daily life, and they are here to stay. Maybe you are a mayo lover, or prefer ranch on everything, or only Dijon mustard is only good enough for you. Can you imagine eating sushi without wasabi and soy sauce?? I do not think so… to tell you the truth, I cannot either… I need to have my veggie sushi (I know, I know…), with lots of soy sauce…
So, that is my plan for today for us. Let us look through the most popular condiments and learn something new.
Soy sauce – Used in China for more than 2,500 years, is one of the world’s oldest condiments. The sauce is created by fermenting a combination of salt, enzymes, and mashed soybeans. Use all over the world, as a must condiment for sushi.
Fish sauce – Thailand’s it is made from briny ocean fish (so it uses less salt than Vietnam’s traditional fish sauce), but most recipes still call for three parts fish to one-part salt. During production, its fermenting for months, until it breaks down into a liquid is released from the solid mass of fish. Other countries and regions have their own varieties.
Mirin – Japanese rice wine is like sake, but sweeter and with a lower alcohol content. Fermented with rice yeast, and a differing percentage of alcohol. Initially, it was invented as a drink, but nowadays is mainly used as a condiment in Japanese dishes. Its color ranges from light to dark gold, and its consistency varies from liquid to the thicker.
Ponzu sauce – Often called Japanese vinaigrette, ponzu is a Japanese condiment that uses rice vinegar and citrus juice (lemon, lime, or yuzu) as its base. Additional ingredients may include sugar or mirin (rice wine), dry seaweed, and dashi stock. This tangy combination is usually served as a dipping sauce, but it can also work well in marinades, or as a salad dressing.
Sweet chili sauce – Sometimes also described to as Thai Sweet Chili Sauce or Asian Sweet Chili Sauce. All together sweet, savory, tangy and spicy sauce incorporating red chilies, garlic, ginger, sugar, and vinegar.
Steak sauce – American sauce so characteristic by its dark brown or orange color. It is usually made with tomatoes, vinegar, raisins, and various spices. The sauce has a slightly sweet, tart, and spicy flavor. It is the best condiment for succulent beef steaks.
Duck sauce – (or orange sauce) is a condiment with a sweet and sour flavor and a translucent orange appearance like a thin jelly. Offered at American Chinese restaurants, it is used as a dip for deep-fried dishes such as fried wontons, spring rolls, egg rolls, duck, chicken, fish, or with rice or noodles.
Eel sauce – called sweet eel sauce is a sweet, umami, and savory brown sauce that is traditionally used for grilled eel dishes. It is a simple mixture made with soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake (no eel is used in the sauce. The sauce is mainly use as a thick glaze.
Teriyaki sauce – rich, thick, and filled with umami flavors. Teriyaki sauce ingredients include: Soy sauce and water, garlic and ginger, and brown sugar. Sometimes with additional orange juice for added flavor. Used as a marinade or dish topping or dipping sweet sauce.
Tabasco sauce – Tabasco is a hot sauce that is, at its basic, made from tabasco peppers, salt, and vinegar. The original sauce was invented in the 1860s by Edmund McIlhenny. There are many versions of the sauce such as Green Tabasco, Chipotle, Buffalo, Habanero, Garlic Pepper, and Sweet & Spicy. It has numerous uses, depending on your personal taste.
Wasabi – Wasabia Japonica, better known as wasabi, is a plant native to Japan that is harvested for its bumpy root, which is predominately used as a popular sushi condiment. Unfortunately, due to its price, probably only 5% or less, sushi serving establishments using the real wasabi root. The other 95 % will buy powdered, dry substitute.
Plum sauce – Plum sauce is a flavorful condiment consisting of sweet plums, vinegar, ginger, chili, garlic, sugar, and salt. The sauce can be used as a dip for a variety of dishes such as roast duck, spring rolls, and noodles, or it can be brushed on poultry or ribs before grilling.
Worcestershire sauce – created in 1837 in Worcester by John Wheeled Lea and William Perrins, two chemists. Worcestershire sauce is a pungent, savory sauce made from anchovies that have been fermented in vinegar, with the addition of flavorings such as garlic, chili, salt, sugar, and onions.
Maggi sauce – Maggi seasoning is a food flavor enhancer that is available in a thin, concentrated dark brown liquid, granulated powder, and cube form. Invented in Switzerland during the late 1800s and introduced in Germany, it is an ingredient with uses that have transcended cultures, dishes, and cuisines, thanks to its umami-rich, soy sauce-like flavor. Maggi shows up in sauces, stir-fries, soups, and more. Staple in European spice cabinet.
Buffalo sauce – Buffalo Sauce is basically a fancier version of hot sauce, revised with melted butter. It is quite easy, and perfect on just about anything! Goes great on chicken wings, or literally on anything you can only imagine.
Harissa – spicy paste that originated in Tunisia. This spicy paste is made with roasted red peppers as the main ingredient, along with olive oil and spices and herbs such as cumin, coriander, caraway, and garlic. There is no fixed recipe, and every family has their own variation. The condiment is traditionally used in sandwiches or with couscous and meat such as beef, poultry, lamb, and goat.
Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena – Produced since the Middle Ages and famous throughout the world, the traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena is made from a reduction of pressed and cooked white grapes.
Moutarde de Dijon – traditional French mustard characterized by its pale-yellow color and a creamy texture. It is usually made from ground brown or black mustard seeds, salt, and various spices. Although it could only be produced in the Dijon region of France. It comes in smooth and creamy or in grainy consistency and appearance.
Relish – extremely simple condiments, to stand on its own or to be a part of another sauces. Relish is just chopped up pickles! You can also make relish out of fruits, like peaches or mangoes, with a bit of vinegar, to top some grilled meats.
Ketchup – Ketchup is the most basic condiment of them all. It is simply tomato-sugar paste that goes on absolutely everything.
Mayonnaise – unofficially mayo, is a thick cold sauce or dressing commonly used in sandwiches, hamburgers, salads, and on French fries. It also forms the base for many other sauces, such as tartar sauce, remoulade and rouille.
Gravy – sauce often made from the juices of meats that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with wheat flour or corn starch for added texture
Red eye gravy – Red-eye gravy is a thin sauce often seen in the cuisine of the Southern United States and associated with the country ham of that region. Other names for this sauce include poor man’s gravy, bird-eye gravy, bottom sop, cedar gravy, and red ham gravy.
Mushroom gravy – Mushroom gravy is a simple, usually red sauce that can be created from stock, roux, and mushroom base. It can also be enhanced with mace, to add a delicate nutmeg flavor. Always comes with chopped and sauteed pieces of mushroom inside, not just the flavor if them.
Sausage gravy – traditional Southern breakfast dish in the United States. After loose pork sausage is cooked in a pan and removed, a roux is formed by browning flour in the residual fat. Milk and seasonings, such as salt and pepper, are added to create a moderately thick gravy, to which the cooked sausage is added.
Sofrito – is a basic sauce/condiment use in Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese cooking. It typically contains plenty of aromatic ingredients cut into small pieces and sautéed. In modern Spanish cuisine, sofrito consists of garlic, onion, peppers, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil.
Sriracha – flavorful sauce that combines red chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, salt, and sugar was first created by a local woman Thanom Chakkapa in Si Racha, Thailand. The sauce is typically served as a dipping sauce or a condiment with noodles, seafood, fried rice, spring rolls, or pho.
BBQ sauce – Barbecue sauce is used as a marinade, drizzling, condiment, or topping for meat cooked in the barbecue cooking style, including pork or beef ribs and chicken. It is a universal condiment in the Southern United States and is used on many other foods as well.
Aioli – The names mean “garlic and oil” in Catalan/Valencian and Provençal. It is found in the cuisines of the Mediterranean coasts of Spain, France, and Italy.Creamy sauce made of garlic, salt, and olive oil and found in the cuisines of the northwest Mediterranean, from Valencia to Calabria. In America, quite often is based on the mayo, missed with herb or spices.
Gochujang – One of the essential ingredients in South Korean cuisine. Spicy, thick, and concentrated gochujang paste, in its basic form made with a combination of gochugaru (fine chili powder made from a specific type of gochu chili pepper), meju (fermented soybean powder), salt, and glutinous rice. The paste is used either as a condiment or a cooking ingredient in soups, stews, sauces, and marinades.
Chocolate sauce – is a sweet, chocolate-flavored condiment. It is often used as a topping or dessert sauce for various desserts, such as ice cream, or mixed with milk to make chocolate milk or blended with milk and ice cream to make a chocolate milkshake.
Caramel sauce – made by mixing caramelized sugar with cream. Depending on the intended application, additional ingredients such as butter, fruit purees, liquors, or vanilla can be used. Caramel sauce is used in a variety of desserts, especially as a topping for ice cream.
