This simple recipe was inspired by a meal I had in Japan. We went to a yakitori restaurant (skewered chicken grilled over a charcoal fire) and were served a few appetizers of which my favorite was these raw seasonal veggies served with a delicious sweet and salty dipping sauce. You can enjoy this as a refreshing snack or a veggie side perfect for summer grilling.
The dipping sauce can also double down as a delicious sauce for bowls (see notes for ideas).
Ingredient highlight
Miso paste! Miso means “fermented beans” in Japanese and is typically made using fermented soy beans and/or grains. It packs in lots of umami-rich flavor, making it great for dressings, sauces, soups, and marinades. It’s also rich in probiotics, B vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin K, and folate.
You can find mellow white miso paste at most grocery stores in the refrigerated section near other fermented foods (kimchi, sauerkraut, etc…).
The inspo behind the recipe – part of our meal from an amazing yakitori restaurant called Kushikura in Kyoto, Japan!
Servings 4
Prep Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- 2 tbsp mellow white miso paste
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp tahini
- Water, to thin
- Raw crunchy veggies, trimmed, sliced*
- 1 bunch scallions, dark green parts separated from white/light green**
- *Radish, carrot, cucumber, snap peas, fennel, etc…
- **Save the light green/white parts for this week's Yakitori recipe.
- Note: ~ Turn this recipe into a rice bowl – thin the dipping sauce out with water and use as a sauce/dressing! The Yakitori Chicken and Scallions pair really well with it.
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the miso, vinegar, sesame oil, and maple syrup.
- Use a fork to mix and mash the miso paste until smooth. Stir in the tahini until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out with a splash of water and/or rice vinegar. I like this to be on the thicker side, but you don’t want it pasty. Use your judgment!
- Use just the dark green parts of the scallions to dip with your veggies. I like to cut the veggies and scallions into stick shapes that are about the same size.
- Serve the dipping sauce with crudité/scallions for a refreshing side or snack
- Note that the sauce has a lot of flavor/salt so you only need a little bit on each veggie that you dip in.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make the dipping sauce
- Prep the veggies and scallions (store the veggies in water in the fridge to keep them extra crisp).
Substitutions:
- You could try to substitute the tahini with almond butter.
Storage:
- Store leftover dipping sauce and veggies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Leftover sauce will thicken in the fridge, so just thin it out with some water.
- This dipping sauce could easily be thinned out with some water and rice vinegar and used as a sauce for bowls (make a rice bowl with the Yakitori Chicken, veggies, and this sauce).
- I spread leftover dipping sauce on my avocado toast in place of salt and it was so good! I also just fluffed some of it into some rice to season it up.
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