Urban Belly Korean-Inspired Sauces

Bill Kim doesn't want his sauces to linger in your fridge.

"This isn't meant to be a vanity sauce," says the chef of UrbanBelly and Belly Shack. So he's designed his Seoul Sauce and brand-new Belly Fire to fly off the shelf and onto just about any dish.

Those who frequent Urban Belly will recognize the two as the restaurant's table sauces. With its chunky blend of Serrano chiles, garlic and carrots, Belly Fire is like sambal mixed with Vietnamese nuoc cham. It hits the tongue with vinegary sourness, then slow-growing heat and the complex savoriness of fish sauce. Kim stirs it into brothy soups like posole, adds honey and marinates chicken, and swaps it for the hot sauce in his Bloody Marys.

Seoul Sauce, a reduction of balsamic, soy and brown sugar, is inspired by a dipping sauce from Kim's Korean upbringing. We first tried it drizzled over dumplings. Future home adventures involved roasted eggplant, marinated seafood and stir-fries.

Buy the sauces ($8), along with the newest BellySmoke and BellyBomb, at UrbanBelly, Belly Shack and BellyQ. 

UrbanBelly, 3053 N California Ave., 773-583-0500 or urbanbelly.com; Belly Shack, 1912 N. Western Ave, 773-252-1414 or bellyshack.com; BellyQ, 1400 W. Randolph St., 312-563-1010 or bellyqchicago.com