To me, there is nothing more enjoyable than going to the farmers’ market and picking up fresh produce to cook right away. Throw those fresh vegetables on the grill with a flavorful sauce like Toyomansi to enhance a simple seasonal vegetable and you’ve officially reached peak summer cooking — one of life’s greatest pleasures.
What is Toyomansi?
Toyomansi is a 2-ingredient Filipino sauce that comes from the word toyo (soy sauce) and calamansi (Philippine lime) combined. It’s savory and citrusy, and perfect either as a marinade or dipping sauce that you can easily drizzle over grilled vegetables like eggplant and zucchini. It’s also great on barbecued meats and seafood, a quick tomato and cucumber salad, or even drizzled onto soups and stews.
What Makes Toyomansi So Great
Toyomansi takes almost no time to prepare and adds a punch to any savory dish you serve it with, and it’s very customizable. I like to make mine with chopped red onions, Thai red chilies, crushed garlic, and a little bit of brown sugar to make a mouth-puckering sauce. However, whenever I’m in a pinch, the classic soy sauce and calamansi combination is just as good. It’s versatile, full of umami, and really easy to make.
How to Make Toyomansi
1. Stir together. Combine 1/4 cup soy sauce with the juice of 2 calamansi. Stir to combine. You can double the amount if you’re serving over 4 people.
2. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You can add more soy sauce to make it saltier or an extra squeeze of calamansi juice to make it more sour. That’s it
If You’re Making Toyomansi, A Few Tips
- Can’t find calamansi? Use lime juice or vinegar (white distilled, rice, malt, or cane vinegars all work well).
- No soy sauce? You can use tamari, fish sauce, or Maggi Liquid Seasoning as a substitute.
- Have fun with it! If you’ve got extra garlic, onions, or herbs that need to be used up, add them in. Use toyomansi as the base, but don’t let it hold you back from making a complex sauce that incorporates your favorite flavors.