I found a recipe by a chef who bought the sauce, read the label for ingredients, and kept making it until he got it right. He said that the type of mayo used will affect how it tastes...I haven't had a chance to make it yet but the website is justtherecipe.com
This is THE sauce! I've tried making it with other recipes that call for sriracha sauce, but it never came out right. The last time we went to our favorite Japanese restaurant the chef gave us the basic ingredient list -- identical to this. Everyone in our family loves it. Didn't have tomato paste so we substituted with ketchup and it was still great.
You have to let it sit overnight and I'd use Hellmans Mayo. It's the best for this recipe. Don't use any other kind.
I'm confused because I have been cooking for a long time... sure do know how to follow a recipe and I followed this to the letter. I know yum yum sauce and this wasn't it. Not sure why this is rating so well. Sorry. :(
Good starter recipe..
I've made this with tomato paste. It was ok, but it didn't come out quite right. I asked two of my friends and showed them the recipe, and they laughed at me. :( The pale orange color is not due to tomato paste, it should be due to the paprika. Rather than tomato paste, I now use 1.5 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 1.5 tablespoons of takara mirin (cooking wine). Though these can be adjusted to taste. Don't use the fake kikoman mirin found in most general supermarkets either.
Lastly. If available in your area, use Kewpie mayo or any other Japanese brand mayo. It is more yolk based and will give you a more authentic taste if you've eaten at a more authentic hibachi joint.
You can also go the route of making your own mayo from a Japanese recipe. ... I've also seen sakura recipes without paprika and instead use soy sauce, mirin, garlic powder, and pepper. Experiment a little. :)
this recipe tastes nothing like the yum yum sauce at our local steakhouse. it tastes like straight mayo, and only straight mayo.
This sauce is awesome! I did cut the mayo back a little because of the reviews and I increased the cayenne pepper and added a splash of rice vinegar for a little zip. Now if only I can learn to make that little onion volcano, I'll have my own personal Hibachi kitchen.
This was pretty close to what we get at our local Japanese restaurant. I added some pomegranate balsmic vinegar and it added the zip it needed.
I made this for the first time to go with my japanese chicken fried rice and it was awesome! Something easy to whip up and the final touch to an awesome meal.
