Andreae's* Ginger Miso Sauce

1/4 c white or red miso*
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey or other sweetener
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/8-1/4 tsp chili flakes
juice of 1/2 lime
2 tbsp water

Whisk ingredients together. Some varieties of miso are quite salty, so do a taste-test and adjust honey and lime juice accordingly. Makes about 3/4 cup. You can store the sauce in the fridge for a week or so.

This sauce is very strongly flavoured, and might freak you out if you just lick it off the spoon. It wants some kind of starchy, vegetable-y foil. You can use it cold as a dressing for noodle salads (say, some rice noodles, julienned carrots, cucumber, radishes, etc.), or warmed over rice, or noodles, with vegetables (and maybe some cashews... yum...).

For a warm dish, heat the sauce in a small pot on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Don't let the sauce boil. High temperatures can kill the healthful bacteria in the miso.

You can buy miso in Asian food shops, health food stores, and in the health food sections of the big supermarkets. It's in the refrigerators, either in plastic tubs or squishy bags. Pungency and saltiness will vary by colour and brand; generally lighter miso is milder in flavour. Miso will keep in a sealed container in your fridge for months and months.

*From Andreae's de-lovely food column in the Scope newspaper of St. John's, NewFoundland: The Food Nerd.