Basic Soy Dipping Sauce

On the list of vegetarian dishes, it is indispensable to have a very familiar dipping sauce which is soy sauce. Everyone thinks it's just a cup of soy sauce, a little chili, garlic, lemon and sugar, but in this ready-made soy sauce recipe, it will save lots of time for each meal. This basic soy sauce can be used for many other dishes, such as the Korean dish called Mayak; it is eggs soaked in the soy sauce. This dish is very popular in Korea. It doesn't take much time to make this soy sauce to prepare each meal. In Vietnam, the green papaya can be soaked in this basic dipping sauce to make a wonderful side dish for the Vietnamese Banh tet or banh chung.  For vegetarians, this dish is full of nutrition, so I think this is an indispensable dish in a vegetarian cuisine.

Ingredients:

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool. Pour the soy dipping sauce in a jar with lid.

To make Korean Mayak 

5 eggs

1 shallots, sliced

2 green onions. Sliced

1 tbs roasted sesame seeds

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 fresh red chilis, sliced

2 tbs sake

1 cup ready-made soy dipping sauce

Directions:

In a pot, put 2 cups water and add 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tbs salt and 1 tsp baking soda. Bring to boil. Carefully add eggs into the boiling water and turn to medium heat. Use a spatula to turn the egg around in the pot. This technique will make the yolk remain in the center of the egg.  Let the egg cook for 7 minutes.  Remove and let egg soak in cold water for 15 minutes. Remove the egg shells.

In a container with lid, combine the rest of the  ingredients and submerge the eggs into the soy dipping sauce. The eggs have to be completely covered by the soy dipping sauce. Refrigerate overnight to get the best results for this dish.

To make the Green papaya:

1 green papaya (about 1/2 to 1 lb., peeled and sliced)

Minced garlic, sliced red chilli, and chili flakes

Soak the green papaya in a bowl of water with 1/4 cup of salt for 1 hour. Wash the soaked papaya and squeeze out the water.  Place the green papaya in a jar with lid with the chilli, garlic and chili flakes and pour enough basic soy dipping sauce to cover the papaya. Close the lid. It will ready in one day and the flavor will improve each day.