Vinegar: A basic building block

Vinegar is one of those ingredients that I always have inside my pantry. It has many uses, from making a quick salad dressing to curing or to making a pickle that you can use as a side for all your main courses. Just like wine, vinegar has many different flavors; so, in choosing a vinegar, make sure you use the right one for the application you will be doing. A really quick pickling recipe for me is using light flavored vinegars, such as rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar and cider vinegar. For dressings, I tend to use full-bodied vinegars like red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and sherry vinegar. And as a dipping sauce, I like using our local vinegars, my favorite is sukang Iloko and seasoned spiced vinegar from Iloilo called sinamak. So I’ll give you a really cool vinegar base for pickling, my no-brainer vinaigrette that will work for pretty much any salad on earth and a dipping sauce recipe that you can use when eating your favorite fried pork, grilled fish or any grilled meat.  As always, I’d love to know what you guys think of this recipe; hit me up on Facebook (Chef Bruce Lim) and Instagram (@chef_bruce_lim).

Boss vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS:

200 g    balsamic vinegar

100 g    sherry vinegar

50 g    orange juice (optional)

500 g    canola oil

1 tsp    basil, dried

1 tsp    garlic powder

1/2 tsp    onion powder

2 tbsp    fresh parsley

salt and cracked pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until emulsified (*Vinegar and oil may split, just shake before use)

*If you want your vinaigrette to emulsify, add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. I chose to leave it out because the flavor may be overpowering.

**You can use it on any type of salad. You can use it as a marinade for grilled meats and it will last inside the refrigerator for a week. I prefer using dried herbs and aromatics for this recipe because it is more consistent and will give a longer shelf life.

Dipping sauce

Ingredients:

200 g    coconut vinegar

50 g    sukang Iloko

10 g    garlic

1 g    chili labuyo (*you can add more if you like it spicy)

5 g    green chili

20 g    shallots

2 g    salt

5 g    sugar

10 g    fish sauce

Procedure:

1. Mix everything in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Let sit in the chiller overnight before using. Strain before use (optional).

As you can see vinegar is so versatile, for an ingredient that is relatively affordable and very much local, you can spice up dishes when you’re in a pinch. So play with vinegar, have fun and create your own marinades, dips and sauces.

Vinegar for pickling

Ingredients:

500 g    rice wine vinegar or any light vinegar

50 g    sugar (white)

20 g    salt

20 g    garlic (sliced)

20 g    shallots (sliced)

2 g    black peppercorn (cracked)

**500 g  fruit or vegetable of choice

** Pick one for your preferred pickled fruit or vegetable:

• Cucumbers
• Kamias
• Singkamas
• Ampalaya
• Papaya

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients. Let it sit for at least two hours before using. Keep inside the refrigerator until use.
2. When pickling the vegetables, peel if needed and cut to bite-sized pieces.
3. Sprinkle salt on the vegetables and let it sit for an hour. Water will be drained from the vegetables, rinse under running water for one minute.
4. Drain and squeeze all excess water.
5. Once the vegetables are squeezed, place it inside a nonreactive container (plastic, glass or ceramic) and pour in pickling liquid to cover.
6. Let it stand overnight inside the refrigerator (If you want to make it spicy just add chili).
7. Serve with grilled meats or fried food or any dish you like.