If you have ever been to a Japanese steakhouse, you may be familiar with the sauce that they serve with multiple dishes. It is often called Yum Yum sauce but goes by a number of names, including Japanese white sauce and sakura sauce. It is extremely versatile and also very easy to make; in fact, you can try out our version of homemade Yum Yum sauce. For evidence of its versatility, see some of the many Yum Yum sauce uses that’ll have you coming back for more.
This Yum Yum sauce set features both the original recipe as well as a spicier version, for those that want things just a little hotter. Yum Yum sauce is surprisingly versatile, so you'll find many uses in your cooking.
Table of Contents
- As a dipping sauce for vegetables
- As an accompaniment for shrimp
- As an accompaniment for Japanese fried rice
- As a dipping sauce for fries
- As a side sauce for sushi
- As a salad dressing
- Must-read related posts
As a dipping sauce for vegetables
Instead of a ranch dressing, try the tangy and complex set of flavors that Yum Yum sauce brings to a vegetable platter. This sauce goes well with broccoli, carrots, and celery as well as with every other vegetable that you would eat raw. It is tasty with grilled vegetables as well.
As an accompaniment for shrimp
As noted above, Yum Yum sauce has many different names. Many people know it as shrimp sauce because of how well it goes with shrimp. You can use it in place of cocktail sauce.
As an accompaniment for Japanese fried rice
Yum Yum sauce also pairs well with hibachi-style fried rice. The fried rice that you get at a Japanese steakhouse has a lot that sets it apart from Chinese fried rice. Among the differences are the use of butter instead of oil as well as the use of short grain Jasmine rice. Yum Yum sauce is an excellent complement to this style of fried rice.
As a dipping sauce for fries
You may be familiar with fry sauce, which is sometimes called fancy sauce. It was invented by a Don Carlos Edwards, a chef from Salt Lake City and was served in his barbecue restaurant. Fry sauce is the ultra-simple mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise that you can use as a dipping sauce for French fries.
Yum Yum sauce could be viewed as the upgraded version of fry sauce. The fact that it has a few more flavoring ingredients (including paprika and garlic powder) enables it to add even more flavor to fries. It is an effective complement for both regular fries and sweet potato fries.
As a side sauce for sushi
While a sauce that consists largely of mayonnaise may not seem like it would be a good complement for certain uniquely Asian flavors, that is not the case when it comes to Yum Yum sauce.
Yum Yum sauce is popular in sushi restaurants just like it is in hibachi steakhouses. The sauce’s creaminess and slight sweetness actually make it a perfect complement to the clean flavors of sushi.
As a salad dressing
Both the texture and flavor of Yum Yum sauce make it perfect to use as a condiment for salads. Yum Yum sauce actually has a lot in common with a famous salad dressing: Thousand Island dressing. Both get their color and texture mainly from the combination of tomato paste and mayonnaise and have some of the same flavorings.
You can even use Yum Yum sauce in coleslaw as its slight sweetness and mild acidity make it the perfect stand-in for a traditional coleslaw dressing.
Must-read related posts
- Maple Sriracha Sauce: Want another delicious (and easy to make) dipper? You’ll want to check out this recipe.
- How To Make Sauce Less Spicy: We cover your options to maintain flavor as much as possible.
- Our Hot Sauce Rankings: We review and rank over 100 hot sauces to help you find your next new favorite.
The dollop packed too much of a wallop and that was a foul up, kathy
I just mixed a dollop of Yum Yum sauce in with the mayo in my classic chicken salad recipe. Finally – the perfect chicken salad!