Japanese White Sauce (Yum Yum Sauce)
Is Japanese white sauce really Japanese? Is this sauce even really white? These are some of life's tough questions, and I don't have the answers for you.
But, Is this sauce delicious? A resounding yes.
I went 29 years eating my teriyaki bowls with only teriyaki sauce, like a schmuck! But one day, while making teriyaki bowls for family meal, a fellow friend and cook said he was going to make this mysterious white sauce, and my life has never been the same.
This not-so-Japanese sidekick sauce is in essence just a heavily seasoned mayonnaise, and it's a perfect companion for teriyaki.
It goes great on teriyaki - or really any grilled - meats and/or veggies, but it really shines when everything starts mixing together with the rice or noodles that I hope are the base of your dish.
Recipe Notes:
*This recipe calls for several "pinches" as a measurement. When I say "pinch", I mean a two-finger pinch, thumb, and index finger. It's not a lot, it's just...a pinch.
*I use regular mayonnaise here, but if you happen to have Kewpie Mayo I would recommend using it, and foregoing the MSG, even though let's be honest, you're probably already going to forego the MSG.
*I prefer to use tomato paste in a tube because it annoys me to have to save any amount from the small cans. However, if you don't have any or just don't want to open a can of the stuff, you can use 1 tablespoon of ketchup in place of the tomato paste and sugar.
*It appears that just about every recipe on the WWW for this sauce are all exact copies? and they all use butter. I mean I guess it's not that hard to melt a tiny bit of butter, but it is a little annoying when it's the only thing in the recipe that requires heat. I've tried it both ways and I say skip it, I don't think you'll miss it.
Japanese White Sauce
Yield: 6floz
• 100g (1/2c) Mayo
• 2g (1/4t) Sesame Oil
• 8g (1t) Tomato Paste
• 2g (1/2t) Sugar
• 5g (1t) Rice Vinegar
• 30g (1/8c) Water
• 2x Pinch Garlic Powder
• 1 Pinch Cayenne Pepper Powder
• 1 Pinch White Pepper
• 1 Pinch Paprika
• 1 Pinch MSG
- Combine all and whisk until smooth.