What is the tangy Thousand Island covered sauce in Japanese restaurants?

Cafe Society
1

I went to a Japanese steakhouse tonight and I LOVE this sauce. The chef didn’t know its name or how to speak English so I’m not sure what it’s called, but I would love to buy or make some. It’s the color of Thousand Island dressing but the consistency of ranch dressing, a little bit tangy and just “Good on vegetables, meat, Cheerios or Metamucil” tasting. Does anybody know what it’s called?

Thanks
J

2

It sounds like wasabi dressing which is based on horseradish paste. (You can find wasabi paste in most Asian food store and, with increasing frquency, at your local supermarket.)

3

This came up recently: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=346452&highlight=orange+dressing+japanese

Some helpful info there…

4

Alternatively, it might be the ginger salad dressing.

(From your description, I do not think that it is the miso dressing, although someone with more hands-on experience of Japanese cuisine might correct me on that.)

5

Thanks. Is wasabi salad dressing spicy/hot? (This wasn’t.)

6

Hmmm…I don’t know, I don’t even know if this is Japanese (it’s got soy sauce in it!) but it fits your discription and if you want a good sauce for beef…

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/232308

Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

7

I know the exact Japanese sauce you’re talking about, and believe it or not, it’s mostly mayonnaise-based. I’m pretty sure they add some chili sauce, but I wish I could tell you exactly what. It’s creamy and cool, right? But not thick like mayo? A friend who was friends with an actual Japanese steakhouse chef told me it’s primarily mayo.

(And it shouldn’t contain any wasabi, not the stuff I’m thinking of. Wasabi is very spicy, to the point where it may make your nose run, and it’s the green condiment you get with your sushi that looks like guacamole.)

8

Rundown of possibilities I’ve seen, some match and some don’t -
wasabi - spicy, often greenish, made with mayonnaise and a Japanese horseradish-like root
aioli - spicy, orange-ish, made with mayonnaise and a hot red pepper sauce
ginger dressing - orange-ish, not spicy, made with ginger, sesame oil, and other stuff
sesame dressing - made with ground up sesame seeds, oil, rice vinegar, some other stuff

It’s hard to guess what you might have had without a better description of the flavor than “tangy”. I find sesame dressing addictive, it’s like crack.

9

Well then, check out my link. I may be on to something.

10

Maybe it’s some kind of miso paste concoction?

Here’s a listing of some Japanese sauce recipes.
The Kobe’s shrimp sauce recipe seems like it might be a contender based on your description.

11

Moved to CS.

-xash
General Questions Moderator

12

We have always (and local restaurants do the same) called it shrimp sauce.