Category: Condiments and Sauces

Flavor Bombs that Every Kitchen Should Have

  • Soy Sauce
  • Hot Sauce
  • Mustard
  • Chili Crisp
  • Pomegranate Syrup (Pomegranate Molasses)
  • Tamarind
  • Fish Sauce
  • Toasted Sesame Oil
  • Sambal Oelek or Chile Garlic Sauce
  • Good Vinegar (apple cider, balsamic, wine, sherry, rice)
  • Citrus Juice and Zest
  • Spice and Herb Blends (garam masala, harissa, za’atar, khmeli suneli)
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • Homemade Condiments (make-your-own, no specific recipe given — just points to the cookbook This Will Make It Taste Good by Vivian Howard)

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Crisp Cucumber Salsa

Ingredients

* 2 cups finely chopped cucumber, peeled and seeded
     Armenian (Serpent) Cucumbers are supposed to be “burpless”
* 1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
* 1/4 cup chopped red onion (I prefer Vadallia)
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
* 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I prefer Anaheim)
* 4-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
* 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
* 1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

* Baked tortilla chip scoops

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips.

Nutrition Facts

1/4 cup: 16 calories, 1g fat (0 saturated fat), 2mg cholesterol, 44mg sodium, 2g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein

Sources: specialtyproduce.com, gardnersmagazine.com, and tasteofhome.com

Grandpa’s Asian Chicken Salad Dressing

SEE THIS PAGE FOR ENTIRE HISTORY OF THIS POST

This is a recipe tweaked by Robert.

  • 1/4  C rice wine vinegar
  • 2 TBL soy sauce
  • 2 TBL hoisin sauce
  • 2 TBL honey or Karo
  • 2 TBL stevia
  • 1 TBL sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp citric acid
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
    –
    Step 3
  • 1/4  C sesame oil
  • Do not mix in sesame oil yet
    –
    Step 4-6
  • 1/2 C orange or peach juice
  • 1 TBL corn starch
    Mix first set of ingredients:
  1. Whisk together in a saucepan
  2. Simmer: Heat over medium, stirring constantly,
  3. While heating, whisk in 1/4 C sesame oil – whisking continually to emulsify
  4. Meanwhile:  Make slurry – Dissolve 1 TBL cornstarch in 1/2 C orange juice
    Whisk into the mixture
  5. Continue heating until thickened to your liking.
  6. If needed, drizzle in slurry until thickened
  7. Cool before putting in a 16 ounce bottle

Diane’s Asian Chicken Salad Dressing

SEE THIS PAGE FOR ENTIRE HISTORY OF THIS POST

The search goes on. Here is a follow-up contribution from Diane Mathison. She sent a letter a couple of years ago. Here is her take on making a small amount of the dressing. Tweak it based on your preferences.

I have been working on recreating this dressing. It only makes enough for one salad, so it’s not too expensive to experiment. I think I have it 99% there. Waiting for this last batch to cool .

  • 2 TBL Hoisin Sauce
  • ½ TBL oil
  • ¼ TBL vinegar
  • ¼ TBL sesame oil
  • ½ tsp Corn Syrup
  • ¼ tsp Garlic
  • ½ tsp Paprika
  • Sesame seeds
  • Bring to a boil or cover and microwave for 20 seconds
  • Let cool before putting on your salad.

Coco’s Conversations and Feedback

This has turned out to be a really hot topic.  This is kind of a summary page.  With the advent of AI, I’ve taken 20 printed pages of comments and decanted them down to what follows.  Also, at the end of the comments, is AI’s version of the dressing.

Here are contenders and other recipes based on comments and feedback:

Coco’s Asian Sesame Dressing — Chat Summary from Claude.AI

The Product

  • Coco’s Asian Chicken Salad and its bottled sesame dressing were hugely popular, generating more fan interest than virtually any other recipe on Robert’s site
  • The dressing was manufactured by a third party and came in gallon containers labeled with the Coco’s name; some supply came from Ken’s Steakhouse brand
  • A key distinguishing ingredient (vs. similar dressings) was paprika

The On-Again, Off-Again History

  • Coco’s periodically pulled the bottled dressing from sale, frustrating loyal customers each time
  • The chain went through ownership changes: originally a Japanese company (Zensho), then Catalina Restaurant Group, then San Antonio-based Food Management Partners (FMP) as of April 2015
  • FMP closed ~70 locations and the Irvine corporate office by May 2016
  • The original dressing manufacturer eventually went out of business; Coco’s found a replacement supplier but the new version was considered inferior and had emulsification problems

Current Status (as of the page’s last updates)

  • Bottled dressing is no longer sold retail, but restaurants will sell a 16 oz. to-go container on request
  • The Asian Chicken Salad remained on the menu at surviving locations
  • Robert confirmed at least one Phoenix location (7th St. & Palm Lane / 2026 N. 7th St.) was still serving it

The Copycat Recipe Effort

  • Robert (“Grandpa”) Andrews developed and posted a copycat recipe, rating it a “fair” substitute — close but not exact
  • Contributor Diane Mathison shared a simpler single-serving version centered on hoisin sauce and paprika
  • Commenter Sherry Leger suggested Togo’s Asian Chicken Salad Dressing as a close commercial substitute

Ken’s Asian Chicken Salad Dressing

SEE THIS PAGE FOR ENTIRE HISTORY OF THIS POST

Buy it on Amazon.

BE CAREFUL.  SOME OF THE RESULTS USED HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP.

So in the emails with Coco’s Corporate, I told them “there is no contender.”
I have, however, found a contender!
The Asian Chicken Salad here at Beatitudes has an incredible dressing. I was sure that it was made from scratch, so I had tried to re-create it.
CLICK HERE FOR MY COPY-CAT RECIPE.
I finally asked them for the recipe, and they told me it was Ken’s Asian Dressing.
Click here for a link. I think you will like it.

I have discovered that it is actually less expensive if I buy it at my local Fry’s, Safeway, or Albertsons.

Applebee’s Asian Chicken Salad Dressing

SEE THIS PAGE FOR ENTIRE HISTORY OF THIS POST

Very simple.  A few user comments below recipe.

  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 1⁄2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1⁄8 teaspoon sesame oil

Mix together and you are good to go.

    1. To get the consistency of the Applebee’s dressing, add a little more sesame oil and take out the honey and sub 3 tablespoons of sugar diluted in a tiny bit of water.
    2. Loved this recipe! I am on a no carb, no sugar diet at the moment so I substitued the honey for 3 tbls Splenda diluted in a bit of water and light Mayo.
    3. Next time I make it, I will use only sugar, as the flavor of honey is too strong and doesn’t really taste like the dressing should.
    4. For those of you who don’t have rice wine vinegar, you can use regular white vinegar– after diluting it. For every 2 tbsp of white vinegar, add 1 tsp of water. Since this recipe just calls for 1 1/2 tbsp of rice wine vinegar, just discard the extra.

Two Spring Roll Peanut Dipping Sauce

Easy Spring Roll Peanut Dipping Sauce

    1. Sesame Oil in small soup pan – 1 TBL
      • Heat
    2. Granulated garlic (or garlic powder) 1 tsp
      • Stir
    3. Peanut butter – 2 TBL
    4. Hoisin sauce – 2 TBL OR
    5. Corn starch  and sugar (1 TBL each) suspended in
      Apple Cider vinegar and Soy Sauce mixture – 1 TBL each

      • Stir
    6. Water – 3/4 C
      • Bring to near boil
      • Stir till it thickens
    7. Crushed peanuts – 1/2 C
      Optional 1 tsp Sriracha

      • Stir in, and serve

Easier Spring Roll Peanut Dipping Sauce

    • 2 TBL Peanut Butter
    • 2 TBL Hoisin Sauce
    • 1/4 C Milk

Tips for Spring Rolls

    1. Spring roll wrappers should be dipped in water for no more than 5 seconds
    2. When wrapping, place wrapper rough side down or it will stick to the surface
    3. Don’t over-stuff your spring rolls.  Cut pieces to no more than 4 inches
    4. Common stuffings are
      • mint
      • cilantro
      • shredded carrots
      • bean sprouts
      • shrimp
      • shredded cabbage
      • vermicelli noodles
      • rice noodles
      • cucumber strips
      • shredded radish
      • asparagus spears

Healthy Ketchup

In a medium sized stock pan add

    • 2 TBL peanut oil
    • 2 TBL butter
    • 1 whole onion
      • Caramelize onion low and slow (about 45 minutes)
    • 2 cloves garlic added @ the 40 minute point
    • 8 – 10 tomatoes – blanched and peeled
    • 1 C white vinegar
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • Simmer for 90 minutes – chop and stir along the way
    • Put into blender and puree
    • Pour into small clean canning jars
      • Keep in fridge for a few months
      • Freeze the rest

 

Green Tomato Ketchup

For food safety, it’s very important that you add citric acid to this Green Tomato Ketchup recipe to give it enough acidity to avoid any issues with Colostrum botulinum bacteria, which is a deadly neurotoxin.

Canned, this will last until next season.

Ingredients

  • 3 LB green tomatoes(200 mg)
  • 2 LB onions
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground dry mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 C apple cider vinegar
  • 1 C granulated sugar
  • 12-16 oz tomato paste
    CHEESECLOTH BAG
  • 6 cloves
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 sprig rosemary
    AT THE VERY END
  • 1 tablespoons bottled lemon juice (do not used fresh juice as it’s not acidic enough) or 1/2 tsp pure powdered citric acid

Step by Step

  1. Slice or chop green tomatoes and onions.
  2. Place in a large crockpot with pepper, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.
  3. Put the removable flavoring spices in a small cheesecloth bag and add to the pot.
  4. Pour cider over mixture.
  5. Cook for 6 to 8 hours over very low heat, stirring occasionally.
  6. Remove cheesecloth bag and discard.
  7. Puree mixture with a wand blender or in a food processor or blender.
  8. Strain tomato mixture through a mesh strainer, or if you have it a food mill using the smallest disk available
  9. Return to pot and bring to boil.
  10. Add 12-16 oz tomato paste and whisk until smooth.
  11. If necessary, let simmer on low until thickened. I usually go about 3-4 hours.
  12. Add citric acid and stir until dissolved. Using a clean spoon, take a taste. If you feel the ketchup is sweet enough, stop. If not, add another 1/4 cup of sugar.
    CANNING
  13. Immediately fill six sterilized half pint jelly jars with green tomato ketchup, leaving 1/4-inch head space.
  14. Wipe the jar tops and threads clean with a clean paper towel. Place hot sealing lids on the jars, as you fill each one, and apply the screw on rings loosely.
  15. Process in boiling water bath in a deep canning pot for 10 minutes.
  16. Remove the jars and cool completely. Tighten the jar screw rings to complete the sealing process.
  17. After the jars of green tomato ketchup cool (don’t do this while they are still hot) check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back, your green tomato ketchup didn’t seal and must be refrigerated and used within the month.
  18. Let jars of green tomato ketchup stand at room temperature 24 hours.
  19. Store unopened product in a cool dry place up to one year. Refrigerate green tomato ketchup after opening and keep for up to a month.

Grandpa’s Ketchup

The Whitehouse Recipe is a fun part of history, and makes pretty good ketchup (or should I say catsup) but this variation has a few twists added by Grandpa.

  • 1 8 oz can tomato paste
  • 3-5 tomatoes – cut into pieces
  • 1 small onion (minced)
  • ½ tsp EACH dry hot mustard, nutmeg, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ground clove, salt, garlic powder, paprika
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 TBL lime juice
  • 1 TBL soft brown sugar (packed) HOLD FOR LATER
  • 2 TBL apple cider vinegar – HOLD FOR LATER

Step by Step

  1. Combine all ingredients (except sugar and vinegar) in a large heavy pan
  2. Rinse can/jar of tomato paste into pan with 2 TBL water, TWICE
  3. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.
  4. Cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes stirring often and carefully.
  5. Add brown sugar and vinegar and cook until it starts to thicken (10-40 minutes) stirring frequently
  6. Leave to cool a full half hour
  7. Run through a food mill’s finest settings for the ketchup
  8. Run through the next larger food mill screen for a nice spread for crostini
  9. Pour the ketchup mixture through a funnel into suitable bottles
  10. Use it as you would any commercial tomato ketchup
  11. Stored in the fridge this ketchup will keep for a month.

Note: Before Step 6 if you put it (while hot) into sterilized canning jars (and sterilized canning lids) you can store it for up to a year.

Whitehouse Tomato Catsup #1

This recipe was adapted from “The Whitehouse Cookbook” published in 1887 by Fanny Lemira Gillette & Hugo Ziemann.  Grover Cleveland was President of the United States at the time.

  • 16 oz tomato pieces (drained)
  • 1/4 onion (minced) and collected juices
  • 2 tsp TBL salt
  • 2 TBL brown sugar
  • 2 tsp mustard
  • 1 tsp alspice
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground clove
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 C white balsamic vinegar

Step by Step

  1. Blend tomato pieces, then run through a food mill or sieve to remove seeds.
  2. Mince onion, salt and brown sugar.
  3. Boil until quite thick
  4. Mix together mustard, allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, ground cloves, cayenne pepper, and grated nutmeg
  5. Blend with balsamic vinegar
  6. Mix vinegar mixture with tomato mixture.
  7. Bring to a boil, then simmer for five minutes, stirring continually.
  8. Pour into sterilized canning jars with sterilized lids.
  9. I should keep for about a year

Easy Ketchup

  • Large can of ripe tomatoes OR 10 tomatoes – halved, salted and broiled until edges just start to blacken
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 large onion – minced
  • 1/2 red pepper – minced (seeds and vein removed)
  • 4 cloves garlic – minced
  • 1/2 C red wine vinegar (alt: cider vinegar)
  • 2 TBL brown sugar
  • 1/4 C EVOO
  • 1/2 tsp each:  Mustard, paprika
  • scant: Nutmeg, allspice, ground clove, mace, cinnamon, chili powder, salt and pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Simmer until reduced and thickened
  • Run through a food mill
  • Store in the fridge for up to two months

Famous Dave’s Spicy Pickle Chips

This Copycat recipe was compiled between about a half dozen different copy cat recipes and the ingredients label from the jar, so it is fairly close to the original with a few modifications to make it how I like it.

NOTE:  I AM STILL WORKING ON THE PROPORTIONS, BUT FEEL FREE TO EXPERIMENT USING THIS AS A STARTING POINT.

Grandpa’s Close Enough to Famous Dave’s Pickles

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 English Cucumbers (fewer seeds and softer skin)
    Slice in medallions with a crinkle cutter
  • 1/2 Vidalia or sweet onion (slices)
  • 10 black peppercorns (whole)
  • 2 halved serrano peppers
  • 4 cloves of garlic (peeled and smashed, but otherwise intact)
  • 1/2 C granulated sugar
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
    (This, plus the honey below, seems like an odd assortment, but we are trying to eliminate the need for High Fructose Corn Syrup – which has been proven bad for you)
  • 1 TBL pickling salt
  • 1 TBL dill seed
  • 2 tsp celery salt
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
    Combine the following and heat in a microwave
  • 2 TBL honey
  • 2 C white vinegar
  • 3 C filtered water
    Separate step
  • One bay leaf and 1 slice of lemon for each jar
  1. Combine all of the non-liquid ingredients
  2. Put one bay leaf and one slice of lemon in the bottom of each jar
  3. Toss together, then pack into sterilized canning jars
  4. RESERVE any powdered ingredients remaining in the bottom of the mixing bowl – you will take care of those in a minute
  5. Heat the liquid for 4-5 minutes in the microwave
  6. Dump the remaining powdered ingredients (from Step 3) into the hot liquid and dissolve, then spread the liquid across all of the canning jars.  Top off jars with white vinegar if necessary.

FROM THE BACK OF THE JAR of Famous Dave’s Hot and Spicy Pickle Chips

Ingredients:

Ingredients: FRESH CUCUMBERS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, VINEGAR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, SPICES (CONTAINS MUSTARD AND CELERY SEED), DEHYDRATED ONIONS, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, DEHYDRATED RED BELL PEPPERS, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, POLYSORBATE 80, TURMERIC EXTRACT (COLOR).

#############

 

Sour Orange Glaze

This is great of on top of pork chops, pulled pork, or even chicken

  • Put 2 C of sour orange juice (no seeds or pulp) onto medium heat
  • Bring to a boil, then simmer until it starts to reduce and thicken
  • Add 1/2 C honey and continue to reduce until it is the consistency of thick pancake syrup
  • Serve over your meat while still hot

Mustard from Scratch

Mustard Seed of your Choice

  • White (actually Yellow) small and mild
  • Black – very rare
  • Brown – smaller and more pungent – sinus searing

Soak in liquid of your choice

  • 1/4 C mustard seeds
  • 1/4 C cider or rice vinegar (alt: white balsamic)
  • 1/4 C water
  • 1 TBL sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • – Let rest 24-48 hours
  • Grind into a paste
  • Shelf stable about one months or refrigerate for up to 3 months

Dijon Mustard

  • Verjuice (juice made from unripe grapes)

Yellow Mustard

White mustard, turmeric,

English Mustard

White mustard, little bit of brown mustard

Dried / Powdered Mustard

Good for cooking as you don’t have to adjust the moisture

 

Plum Sauce

This is good for French Toast, Pancakes, Crepes, Shortbread and many other items.  It’s a good alternative to syrup or honey.

  • 1 LB plums (chopped)
    Optional:  Figs or prunes
  • 1/2 LB cherries
  • vanilla, orange juice, cognac and sugar
  1. Put plums into a pot and add 1 C water.
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. While that is heating up, pit and puree your cherries and run through a food mill or strainer.  Discard solids.
  4. Let your plums simmer uncovered (and reduce) for about ten minutes, then put in your cherry liquid and other ingredients (to taste)
  5. Bring back to a simmer, then reduce until it starts to thicken.

Add on top of French Toast.  Top with granola if desired.

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