Chinese Sesame-Soy Dumpling Sauce

I had always thought of condiments as a mere accessory to dumplings (just splash some black rice vinegar at the dumplings, amirite?), but my recent dish obsession called 红油抄手 (Sichuan red oil dumplings) have changed my mind.

红油抄手 is a commonly found dish to be honest, and New Shanghai in Melbourne makes a particular terrific version with peanut butter (!) that I'm still thinking about years later. But recent cravings caused me to spend the better part of a month fervently mixing up vinegar, soy sauce and chili in different proportions to get the most flavour out of them. 

I found a good dipping sauce elevates an ordinary dish of dumplings into an outstanding meal. This recipe from The Woks of Life knocks it out of the park. I've tried this sauce in different ways: once to dip for fried dumplings; the other, once as sauce for boiled dumplings (红油抄手). Both are equally excellent.   

Dumpling Sauce

Original Recipe from The Woks of Life
For about a dozen dumplings

I've adjusted to the sauce to my taste, and bumped down the saltiness. I've kept all the ingredients listed in a single unit, which simplifies scaling up/down as required. If you think need a bit more sauce, use a slightly larger spoon, or a tablespoon, a serving spoon, or even a small cup. 

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1-2 cloves) 
1 teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoon hot water
4 teaspoon soy sauce 
1 teaspoon black rice vinegar
1 teaspoon chili flakes steeped in chili oil, such as 老干妈 Lao Gan Ma
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted 

STEPS

Mince garlic. Set aside. 

In a bowl, combine sugar with hot water until well dissolved. Add garlic and the rest of the ingredients (excluding the sesame seed) and stir to combine. 

In a small saucepan set over low heat, lightly toast sesame seeds, about half a minute. Just before serving, stir the sesame seeds into the soy mixture. Serve alongside the dumplings.