Simple Miso Dipping Sauce

From How to Cook Everything:

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 tablespoons miso paste
• 3/4 cup warm water or sake or a mixture
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon mirin or white wine
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, or more to taste
• Salt

PROCEDURES:

1. Put everything except the salt in a small bowl and whisk together. Taste and add more vinegar and salt if needed.
2. Serve immediately. To use warm, heat gently but do not boil. Or refrigerate for up to a week (and serve warm or cold.)

RESULTS:
I had the ladies over for a sushi night on Tuesday. A wonderful time was had by all, I think we all ate our weight in california rolls. I had thought that it might be good to have something already made to tide us over while we made the sushi, since it does take a while, so I threw together this dip along with some carrots that Tiffany expertly chopped. As a dip it was so-so. The flavor was really nice and simple, but it was just too too runny for a veggie dip. Bittman recommends putting it over food, like as a drizzle over potatoes or meat, but then he shouldn't call it a dip, should he?

Anyway, as dip is was fairly unsuccessful. However, as a salad dressing, mixed with a bit of the tahini I have left in my fridge from a hummus-frenzy this summer, it is fantastic. The earthiness of the tahini really cuts the salt of the miso, and it thickens it up a lot. I had it with a spinach and orange salad with some of the cucumbers and krab leftover from last night.