Japanese steakhouse favorite yum yum sauce is insanely delicious and ridiculously easy to make. Tangy, creamy, savory, sweet sauce served in hibachi restaurants pairs perfectly with seafood, chicken, tempura, and fried rice.
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What is yum yum sauce
Yum yum, the sauce is a pale pink ranch-like mayonnaise base sauce. Depending on the restaurant this sauce has different names – yum yum sauce, shrimp sauce, white sauce, sakura sauce, Japanese sauce, and seafood sauce.
There is nothing Japanese about this sauce. It was first created in the US in hibachi restaurants. As the popularity of the hibachi grill grew in the US, the popularity of this creamy-mayonnaise-based sauce grew.
This Japanese steakhouse sauce makes a great dipping sauce for seafood, tempuras, chicken, onion rings, and veggies; it can also be served with hibachi fried rice too like in hibachi restaurants.
What makes the meal enjoyable in hibachi restaurants is the condiments and sauce that come in a small bowl on the sides of the meal. This pale pink ranch-like dressing can be topped over salads, and fried rice, used as a dip for seafood, sushi, tempura veggies or seafood, or onion rings.
No matter what you choose to dip, the flavors are perfect! It is slightly tangy, creamy, savory, sweet, and spicy.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need-
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste, or 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 1 ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon white granular sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon water
Mayonnaise: Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise is the best for yum yum sauce recipe. I used regular mayonnaise. Feel free to use any type of mayonnaise that is available.
Kewpie mayonnaise is tangier and has an umami flavor than regular American mayonnaise as Japanese mayo uses egg yolks alone and rice vinegar instead of distilled vinegar.
Butter: use unsalted butter. Keep in mind that as the sauce chills, the butter will harden and so will the consistency of the sauce turn slightly thicker after resting.
Tomato paste: tomato paste adds pale pink color to the sauce giving it a hint of sweet and tangy flavor. You can substitute tomato paste with ketchup too. If using ketchup use double quantity.
Hot sauce(optional): a hint of hot sauce adds a slight kick to the sauce which is much needed to balance the sweet and tang flavors. Asian hot sauce or any type of hot sauce will work. I highly recommend you don’t skip it.
Sugar: use white granular sugar.
Aromats: the flavor of this sauce comes from aromats added to the sauce. Onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne add all wonderful flavor to the sauce.
Season: seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Never miss seasoning.
Water: water is used to thin down the sauce for the right consistency.
How to make yum yum sauce
It only takes 5 minutes to make this delicious creamy sauce. If you know to whisk, anybody can make this sauce, it’s that simple!
To make the sauce simply add all ingredients – mayonnaise, melted butter, tomato paste (or ketchup), hot sauce, paprika, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, and water into a medium mixing bowl.
Whisk until smooth. If the sauce is too thick add some more water (start with 1 teaspoon at a time) to get the right consistency.
Cover sauce and refrigerate it for at least one hour. This sauce tastes best after resting. With time it develops flavor.
Serve with your favorite food, and enjoy! It can be served as a dip or drizzle over fried rice.
How to serve
This Japanese steakhouse favorite makes a great dipping sauce for seafood, tempuras, chicken, onion rings, veggies; it can also be served with hibachi fried rice too like in hibachi restaurants.
Recipe tips
- For best taste use kewpie mayonnaise. Japanese mayo has a rich, umami taste. Kewpie mayonnaise is tangier and has an umami flavor than regular American mayonnaise as Japanese mayo uses egg yolks alone and rice vinegar instead of distilled vinegar.
- For Asian flavor add a tiny splash of mirin or sherry.
- For the thinner sauce add more water so the sauce is pourable consistency.
- For an extra kick, add more cayenne pepper or hot sauce. If making for kids, skip cayenne pepper and hot sauce.
Yum yum sauce recipe variations
You can change flavor and taste of this sauce by adding these-
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons sriracha
- Use gochujang for Asian flavor
- Make it spicy by adding more cayenne
- Add smoked paprika for a smoky flavor
FAQS
There is nothing Japanese about yum yum sauce. The yum yum sauce recipe was first created in the US in hibachi restaurants. As the popularity of the hibachi grill grew in the US, the popularity of this creamy-mayonnaise-based sauce grew.
Absolutely! You can make this sauce a few days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator in air tight container.
You can keep this sauce in airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
No, I wouldn’t recommend freezing. One of the main components of the sauce is mayonnaise which when frozen can turn grainy and change its texture and taste.
Since it only takes 5 minutes to make the sauce I highly recommend making a batch of just enough so you can use it up in a week.
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📋Japanese Yum Yum Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste or 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 1 ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon white granular sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon water
Instructions
- To make the sauce simply add all ingredients – mayonnaise, melted butter, tomato paste (or ketchup), hot sauce, paprika, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, and water into a medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk well until smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick add some more water (start with 1 teaspoon at a time) to get the right consistency.
- Cover sauce and refrigerate it for at least one hour. This sauce tastes best after resting. With time it develops flavor.
- Serve with your favorite food, and enjoy! It can be served as a dip or drizzle over fried rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- For best taste use kewpie mayonnaise. Japanese mayo has a rich, umami taste. Kewpie mayonnaise is tangier and has an umami flavor than regular American mayonnaise as Japanese mayo uses egg yolks alone and rice vinegar instead of distilled vinegar.
- For Asian flavor add a tiny splash of mirin or sherry.
- For the thinner sauce add more water so the sauce is pourable consistency.
- For an extra kick, add more cayenne pepper or hot sauce. If making for kids, skip cayenne pepper and hot sauce.
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
Jyothi Rajesh is the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail. She lives in Bangalore, India and is the mom of two beautiful kids. Her passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. She’s been blogging since 2007 and many of her recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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