Baby Corn Relish

This is an Asian-style relish that doubles as a sauce or dressing, built fast in a hot pan. Despite the name, it’s the bold sauce you’d toss with baby corn or pour over the dish at the table, not a chunky relish in the Western pickle sense. Either way, it punches well above its short ingredient list.

The technique is straight from a Chinese kitchen: heat sesame oil until it just starts to smoke, then drop in fresh ginger, minced shallots, dried red chili flakes, and ground coriander all at once. Thirty seconds of stirring blooms the aromatics in the hot oil, releasing their fragrance and concentrating the flavor.

Rice vinegar, soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free), and oyster sauce go in next, boiling hard over high heat for about a minute to reduce down to a glossy, syrupy cup. Let it cool. Use warm or chilled over baby corn, stir-fried vegetables, dumplings, or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls.

Pro Tips

• Have everything measured and within reach before turning on the heat. The cook is fast and there’s no time to scramble for an ingredient.
• Watch the oil temperature: just-smoking is the cue. Past that, the sesame oil burns and tastes acrid.
• Use real toasted sesame oil, not light Chinese sesame oil. The toasted version carries the flavor.
• For gluten-free, sub tamari directly for soy sauce. Most oyster sauce contains wheat though, so check the label or buy a gluten-free version.

Variations

• Stir in a tablespoon of honey or palm sugar at the end for a sweet-and-sour profile.
• Add a teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds before serving for visual texture.
• Substitute fish sauce for half the oyster sauce for a sharper, Southeast Asian note.