This easy tempura dipping sauce recipe is made without Dashi and is ready in about 5 minutes, plus time to cool down.
Ingredients
Soy Sauce – Low sodium is the way to go. Any good soy sauce will do.
Sweet Rice Cooking Wine – Also known as Mirin, this is a sweet rice wine used in Japanese cooking. You can find sweet rice wine in the supermarket, in the International section. Kikkoman is pretty easy to find and it’s inexpensive.
A squeeze of Lemon Juice and a pinch of Sugar
Fun Food Fact: The Kikkoman iconic bottle was designed in 1961 by Kenji Ekuan
Homemade Tempura Sauce Recipe Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stirring frequently brings the mixture to a boil. Remove from stove and serve warm. My small butter warmer from “Made in” is perfect for cooking up these small-batch sauces.
That’s all there is to it!
How to Store Tempura Sauce?
Store in a covered container in the fridge for 4-5 days. I have a ton of jelly jars with lids that I use to store sauces and dips.
How else to use tempura sauce?
This dipping sauce isn’t just for Tempura; here are a few ideas:
- Drizzle over pan-fried salmon
- Use as a glaze for roasted vegetables
- California Roll or Sushi if you like.
- Sprinkle over steamed rice and vegetables
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Tempura Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Sweet Rice Wine
- Squeeze of Lemon Juice
- Pinch of Sugar
- ⅔ cup water
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stirring frequently bring the mixture to a boil.
- Remove from stove and serve warm.
Notes
- While not traditionally used, I add a small amount of sugar to balance out the salty flavor of the soy sauce. Start with a small amount, taste, and adjust as necessary.
- After combining your ingredients in a saucepan, bring them to a simmer over medium heat. You want the flavors to meld together, but boiling the sauce can result in an overly strong flavor.
- Tempura dipping sauce is typically served at room temperature or slightly warm, not hot. This helps preserve the delicate flavor of the tempura.
Nutrition Disclaimer
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below is an estimate only and provided as a general guide only.
I was looking for a recipe for tempura dipping sauce without dashi, yours was the first hit on Google. The dipping sauce was just perfect, and saved me from the horrendous possibility of dipping my freshly made tempura shrimp in soy sauce! Thanks, and I’ve printed a copy for my future reference.
I was out of dashi so I made this recipe. I think I ended up using close to 1 t of sugar. I know tempura sauce should be thin but I added a small amount of cornstarch slurry to help it stick to the tempura. It is very good.