7 Dumpling

Dipping Sauces

Beyond Chilli Oil

A truly delicious dumpling sauce can make all the difference when you are enjoying your usual plate of dumplings. The components of a good dumpling dipping sauce come down to a balance of different flavours: salty, sweet, spicy, and a little bit of tang, or sourness. Chilli oil is great, but there is a whole world of dumpling dipping sauces beyond that single bottle. So read on for seven dumpling sauces that range from creamy and nutty to tangy and fiery.

Homemade chilli oil is essential for any serious dumpling sauce spread. A classic hot Chinese Sichuan-style chilli oil is made by combining dried chillies, garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns in a heat-proof bowl, then pouring hot oil over to sizzle and release the aromatics, before adding soy sauce and rice vinegar. You get a layered and savoury dumpling dipping sauce, which is way better than a store-bought bottle. Dop the dumplings in this sauce or use it as a base to build a more complex sauce.

A great chilli garlic dumpling dipping sauce is full of chillies, garlic, and ginger, with just the right amount of saltiness and a hint of sour to balance. Dried chillies are soaked in boiling water for 20-30 minutes to soften, then minced with garlic and ginger. Hot oil is poured over the aromatics to sizzle, then cooled slightly before soy sauce and rice vinegar are added. Use dried Thai chillies for heat, or swap in dried red chillies for a more familiar punch. This sauce keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks

A simple, quick sriracha mayo takes just 2 minutes and just three ingredients, delivering a refreshing, garlicky, hot, and tangy sauce that pairs with both fried and steamed dumplings. Combine good-quality mayonnaise with sriracha to your preferred heat level, add a squeeze of lime, and it is done. The creaminess of the mayo softens the sriracha's sharpness, making this the easiest sauce on the list, and the one that will guaranteed disappear fastest at a table.

This sauce is made by whisking peanut butter with soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, chilli garlic sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and water. It is a simple no-cook peanut sauce that can be made in under 5 minutes, all in a bowl. Adding grated ginger, chilli oil, and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, elevates it into a proper dumpling dipping sauce that is rich and nutty, with just enough heat and tang to pair perfectly with richer dumplings made with pork, buffalo or shrimp.

A spicy tomato dip for dumplings is made by pureeing fresh tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chilli, and coriander into a chunky, fiery sauce. This is essentially a close cousin of the momo achaar, the tomato-based chutney that Himalayan-style dumplings are usually served with. The acidity of fresh tomato cuts through fat from rich fillings, and the ginger-garlic base keeps it firmly in Asian dumpling territory. Works equally well as a dip or spooned directly over a bowl of jhol momo.

The base of a great ginger-soy dumpling sauce starts with dissolving a teaspoon of sugar in a tablespoon of water, then adding soy sauce, rice vinegar, chilli oil, minced garlic, toasted sesame seeds, and sesame oil. This sauce is the classic dipping sauce for many East Asian dumplings, especially the Chinese xiao long bao. This dumpling dipping sauce uses julienned ginger infused in Chinese black rice vinegar with a bit of honey to balance the sourness, with fresh dill for another layer of flavour. 

This Chinese dumpling sauce is sweet and sour, made with brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and ginger, mixed into something that works as both a dipping sauce and a flavour boost, drizzled over the top of the dumplings. The balance of sweet and sharp makes this the most universally liked option, especially alongside crispy fried or ‘kurkure’ dumplings. Adjust the sugar and vinegar ratio to taste, whether you want it more sour, syrupy, or just sweet.

One might grow weary of dumplings, but never dipping sauces, as you can use a wide range of condiments from the northeastern special churpi cheese, tamarind extract, schezwan sauce, vinegar, soy sauce and more dumpling sauce staples to make your dumpling feasts unforgettable. Turn it into a potluck or a gathering where each family member, friend or guest pitches into the idea to make their favourite sauces of the dumplings, whether saucy, sweet, tangy, umami-rich or salty.