Recipe Review: Honey-Sesame Dressing from Vegetarian Times

This dressing was a nice change from my pungent Balsamic Vinaigrette, made even the more stronger by my favorite addition, fresh garlic. To see the complete recipe, here is the link. While making this dressing, I knew I should have listened to myself and used half as much honey, maybe a tablespoon or two at the most. Recipes are wonderful tools but we should follow our own tastes. I like my vinaigrettes more acidic and from making my own salad dressings, I know that for me, a touch of sweetness goes a long way.

Rice vinegar is a wonderful staple to have in the pantry. I find rice vinegar has a mild flavor that goes well with many different flavors; rice vinegar is one of the more universal vinegars. When I made this dressing, we did not have rice vinegar so I substituted equal parts white vinegar and lemon juice.

I can admit this: I am a little dense. Frequently... While eating my yummy salad I was thinking how clever this recipe is: a little sweet, a hint of sour, and the savoriness of the soy sauce. Hmmm... Maybe this is such a good recipe that I have made it a hundred times. I did not realize this was basically what I use as a stir-fry sauce until the second day of eating a salad with this dressing. Let us compare ingredients.

Honey-Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
sesame seeds to garnish salad

Starting on the end and moving clockwise: canola oil, honey, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, white vinegar, and sesame oil.

 To make dressing, combine all ingredients. I find a small jar with a tight-fitting lid the most convenient vessel to combine and store the dressing.

Cheap not Frugal Eats Stir-Fry Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes to garnish

I used smaller amounts because I was only cooking dinner for myself but the proportions are basically the same. I remember the moment I realized the two recipes were the same. I was marvelling at how much I liked the dressing with mushrooms and there was something vaguely familiar about the flavors. I started pondering a grilled mushroom salad with my new dressing. As I wiped up the drool, I figured out this was my stir-fry sauce. (I cannot completely claim it was my own. Z. will get grumpy when he reads me calling it mine. He was the person who taught me how to make the sauce.)

Great! I have two different dishes I can make with the same recipe. If I plan on using the sauce dressing on a salad, I will use honey. I like honey for dressings because I know that the honey will dissolve and I will not notice the texture. The brown sugar should be fine but there is always a little graininess in the sauce that goes away when it is cooked. Enjoy!