Hibachi Sauce (Japanese Steakhouse Yum Yum / White Sauce)
This creamy, garlicky hibachi sauce tastes just like the Japanese steakhouse dipping sauce you get with grilled shrimp, steak, veggies, and fried rice—perfectly tangy, slightly sweet, and ready in minutes (with a chill time to develop flavor).
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise traditional or Japanese Kewpie for best flavor
- 2 tablespoons ketchup or tomato paste ketchup is sweeter; tomato paste is richer
- 2 tablespoons water plus 1–2 teaspoons more if needed to thin
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar or use 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika smoked or sweet
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
- 1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, for heat
- salt pinch, to taste
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise to a medium mixing bowl. If the mayo is very cold, let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes so it’s easier to whisk.1 cup mayonnaise
- Add the ketchup or tomato paste and the rice vinegar to the mayo. Whisk until the color is even and there are no streaks of red; it should look like a pale salmon or light peach color.2 tablespoons ketchup or tomato paste, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Pour in the melted, slightly cooled butter and 2 tablespoons of water. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. It should be thick but slowly fall off a spoon.2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Add the sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, white pepper, cayenne (if using), and a pinch of salt. Whisk thoroughly, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl so all the seasonings are evenly incorporated. Taste and adjust sweetness or tang with a bit more sugar or vinegar if desired.1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, 1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, salt
- If you prefer a thinner, drizzleable sauce, whisk in an additional 1–2 teaspoons of water, a little at a time, until the sauce is pourable but still creamy—slightly thinner than ranch dressing.2 tablespoons water
- Transfer the sauce to a glass jar or airtight container. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for best flavor, to let the garlic, onion, and spices mellow and blend.
- Before serving, stir or gently shake the sauce to recombine. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature with hibachi-style steak, shrimp, chicken, fried rice, or roasted vegetables. If the sauce has thickened too much, whisk in a teaspoon of water at a time to loosen it.
Notes
Yield: about 1¼ cups of sauce, enough for roughly 4–6 people depending on how much they use. Rest time is crucial for the flavor to develop; the sauce tastes sharper right after mixing and mellower after chilling. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7–10 days. Do not freeze, as mayo-based sauces can separate. To make it lighter, swap part of the mayo for Greek yogurt; for low-carb, use sugar-free ketchup and a low-calorie sweetener in place of sugar.
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