If you have never heard of Yum Yum sauce, your life is about to change! This sauce is also known as White sauce (even though it has a pale pink color) or Sakura sauce and is found in Japanese steakhouses. There it is referred to as a Japanese Hibachi sauce.
It is a seven ingredient dipping sauce that is often served with shrimp or fried rice. It is incredibly versatile and you can experiment and use it in other dishes such as casseroles and stir-fries or as a topping with burgers or dumplings – there is an endless amount of possibilities.
What is even better is that you can make this sauce at a fraction of the cost.
As with any recipe, there are a few variations out there and you can easily experiment with the ingredients in this sauce as well.
This sauce has to sit for a while to allow all the flavors to marinate and merge with each other. It is worth the wait and definitely not a step I would skip.
Prepare to have your mind blown and have a new favorite sauce recipe that takes a few minutes to make and can be used in a ton of ways.
How To Make Yum Yum Sauce
This recipe is incredibly easy to make. You can make it in three different ways, each being incredibly easy and quicker than the last.
Simply combine all of the ingredients, except for the water, in a mixing bowl and whisk until it is well mixed.
If you are making a large batch, you can blend the ingredients together in a food processor, blender or stick blender.
If you want to make a thinner sauce, for a salad dressing perhaps, simply add the water until you have reached the desired consistency.
Allow the sauce to rest in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.
Serve with a wide variety of dishes as a dipping sauce, dressing or incorporated into a bigger recipe.
Yum Yum Sauce Recipe
Course: AppetizersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy16
servings5
minutes40
minutes210
kcalThis homemade yum yum sauce is quick and easy to make and is very cost-effective compared to buying some at the store. It has a lot of potential and can be used in many different ways with many different dishes. Be ready to be the new talk of the town with this perfect all-rounder sauce!
Ingredients
16 ounces 16 mayonnaise
2 tablespoons 2 tomato paste
2 tablespoons 2 butter, melted
1 tablespoon 1 garlic powder
2 teaspoons 2 onion powder
1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons 3 granulated sugar
Directions
- There are a few ways you can make this Yum Yum sauce, all of them very quick and very easy.
- The first way is to combine all of the ingredients, except for the water, in a mixing bowl and whisking it until everything is fully and evenly incorporated.
- The second method, especially if you have a thick, gelatinous mayonnaise, is to place all of the ingredients in a food processor. You can blend until all the ingredients until they are evenly incorporated, about 10-15 seconds.
- If you do not have a food processor, a blender or stick blender will also work just as well.
- Using a food processor or blender will save you a lot of effort, not that it requires much effort to begin with, if you need to make large batches of the sauce.
- Add the water to the blended sauce if you want to adjust the consistency to use the sauce as a salad dressing.
- Decant the sauce into a glass jar and marinate the sauce in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours. This improves the flavor considerably and brings out all the spices.
- The sauce will last for 2-3 weeks if stored properly.
Notes
- I always recommend Hellman’s or Duke’s mayonnaise as they are generally healthier than others and has a great taste and consistency – perfect for making mayo-based sauces.
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What To Serve This With
Use your Benihana Yum Yum sauce as a dipping sauce for vegetables or any other type of finger food.
It also goes great with shrimp and can even replace the traditional shrimp cocktail sauce.
Sushi is also another great way to show off your new sauce. You can either use it instead of plain mayonnaise or you can add it on the side to use as a dipping sauce.
You can also easily create an amazing salad dressing using this Yum Yum sauce as a base – or even as is!
As we have briefly mentioned, you can also use this recipe in many casseroles and stir-fries – all you have to do is experiment a bit to find the right flavor combinations. Here’s a simple guideline; Asian flavors go great with this sauce.
Tips & Tricks
- If you do not have any tomato paste, or simply do not like the concentrated flavor of it, you can use ketchup or a thick tomato juice instead.
- You can reduce the amount of granulated sugar in the recipe if you are using a ketchup or tomato juice with a high sugar amount.
- If you want to add some spice to your authentic Yum Yum sauce, you can use any hot sauce of your choice or a chili paste. If you do not have any sauce or paste, a dried form, like cayenne or red pepper flakes, can also work.
- You can adjust the consistency of the sauce by reducing the amount of water or adding more water. If you decide to add ketchup or tomato juice, be sure to take the consistency into account before adding the water.
- If you need to store the Yum Yum sauce in a plastic container, make sure it does not have any stains or flavors that have been imparted in it. This residual color and flavor will be imparted into your Yum Yum sauce and affect the flavor.
Conclusion
As you can see, this sauce is perfect for those who love meal prep. You can make it ahead and use it in many dishes or simply to spice up the less exciting ones.
A very tasty sauce that takes minutes to make, why would you want to look any further?
