Recipe from Secret Sauce: Recipes for crazy-delicious condiments + easy meals to bring them to life by Rosheen Kaul
This fun little dish casts dumplings as the protein in a fresh salad. I love to use in-season baby vegetables to really elevate the eating experience, but feel free to choose whatever crunchy vegetables and herbs you fancy or have in the fridge.
I love to layer this dressing with the cumin buttermilk ranch (see recipe below), as it pairs so beautifully with the warm spicing in the dumpling sauce, but you can also go for a green sauce and more chilli oil, if you prefer.
I’ve fried the dumplings here for even more crunch, but you can certainly use boiled, pan-fried or steamed dumplings. Also, you’re not limited to using Chinese dumplings, either. Try momos, pierogi or even ravioli. You do you.
Dumpling salad with the ultimate dumpling sauce
Serves: 1
Ingredients
6–8 dumplings, cooked to your preference
2 baby cucumbers or 1 small Lebanese cucumber
3–4 baby radishes, split in half and washed
Handful of cherry tomatoes, split in half
Handful of sliced red onion
1 teaspoon sliced chives, plus extra to serve
2 tablespoons Ultimate dumpling sauce (see recipe below), plus extra to serve
½ cup (125 ml) Cumin buttermilk ranch (see recipe below)
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Method
Combine the dumplings, vegetables and chives in a medium bowl with the ultimate dumpling sauce and toss thoroughly to coat. Drizzle the centre of a serving plate with the cumin buttermilk ranch, then arrange the vegetables and dumplings over the top. Sprinkle with more chives if you like, and a little more dumpling sauce.
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Ultimate dumpling sauce
I used this delightful dressing to great effect at Etta on a raw king fish dish paired with white soy cream. There’s a really deep spicing and lovely length of heat in this dressing, with the vegetal top notes of red and green chilli and the warmth of chilli oil, sesame oil and cumin all brought together with the brightness of Chinkiang vinegar and fresh coriander (cilantro). I make a very similar sauce for dipping my ingredients at hotpot restaurants into, and it’s perfect for dressing plainer ingredients.
I love it on dumplings, on fried eggs or simply as a dressing for thicker noodles like udon or hand-cut noodles with shredded cucumber and a little sesame paste.
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Makes ½ cup (125ml)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon neutral oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 green chilli, sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinkiang (black) vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chilli oil
½ teaspoon sliced coriander (cilantro)
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Method
Heat the oil in a medium frying pan or wok, then add the cumin seeds and garlic. Sauté until fragrant, then add the chillies and fry for 1–2 minutes. Add the sesame seeds and fry for another 30 seconds, then add the sesame oil, soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, sugar and salt and stir well. Turn off the heat. Let the dressing cool down and stir the chilli oil and coriander through when you’re ready to serve. This sauce will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for over a week without the fresh coriander
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Cumin buttermilk ranch
This was one of my favourite sauces to layer with red or green sauces at Etta. Ranch is already a widely loved sauce in the US for all manner of delicious fried things, but it’s a wonderful dressing for grilled vegetables too. The cumin and coriander in this recipe bring a warm spicing to the sauce akin to a raita, giving it a little more oomph than regular ranch dressing. Serve this simply with grilled seasonal vegetables, as an accompaniment to oven-crisped chicken thighs and salad, or layered with spicy or herb sauces. This dressing pairs sensationally with sauces that pack a bit of heat or depth of flavour – think tomato-based sauces or a spicy-meaty-oily sauce care of ’nduja or chopped chorizo.
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Makes 1 cup (250ml)
Ingredients
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
⅛ teaspoon black peppercorns
½ cup (120 g) crème fraîche or sour cream
¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk
1½ tablespoons Japanese-style mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
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Method
Toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns in a dry frying pan until fragrant, then crush roughly using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Combine in a small bowl with crème fraîche, buttermilk, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, salt and sugar until smooth. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste. This dressing will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
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More recipes from Secret Sauce
Grilled broccolini with ‘everything bagel’ chilli oil
Prawn and avocado salad with basil and green chilli sambal
Secret Sauce: Recipes for crazy-delicious condiments + easy meals to bring them to life by Rosheen Kaul
Images and text from Salata by Michael Rantissi and Kristy Frawley, photography by Alan Benson. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00.
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