Citrus Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

Finely zest the navel orange using a microplane to collect 3g of zest, taking care to grate only the fragrant orange exterior while avoiding the bitter white pith.

Cut the zested orange in half with a chef knife on a cutting board, then squeeze the halves using a citrus juicer to yield 100ml of fresh juice.

Place the garlic cloves on the cutting board and mince them into fine, uniform bits using a chef knife.

Peel the fresh ginger root with the edge of a spoon, then grate it into a fine, juicy pulp using the microplane.

Trim the roots from the scallion and slice it thinly on the cutting board using a chef knife, separating the white and pale green base from the dark green tops.

Combine the cornstarch and cold water in a small ramekin, whisking briskly with a whisk until the starch dissolves into an opaque, lump-free slurry.

Add the freshly squeezed orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, light brown sugar, orange zest, minced garlic, grated ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes into the small saucepan.

Set the small saucepan over medium heat at 100C (212F) and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the sugar granules dissolve completely.

Give the cornstarch slurry a quick re-stir, then pour it steadily into the boiling saucepan while whisking vigorously with a whisk to distribute the starch evenly.

Lower the burner heat to medium-low at 85C (185F) and simmer gently for 2 minutes, stirring steadily with a wooden spoon until the raw starch taste is gone and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Remove the small saucepan from the heat source and stir in the toasted sesame oil, sliced scallion whites, and half of the dark green scallion slices using a wooden spoon.

Let the sauce rest and cool in the saucepan at room temperature for 15 minutes, then garnish with the remaining green scallion slices and transfer into an airtight glass container or serve immediately.