Yuzu citrus juice and Sriracha chili sauce mixed with mayonnaise both make wonderful sushi sauces and can be used for other foods as well.
Just ask Jordan Rubin, chef at the new Middleton restaurant Maggie's Farm, who loves to make his own sushi. He starts right at the beginning, showing us how to make some basic sauces that you can use in many different varieties of sushi: a citrus sauce using yuzu with mayonnaise and a spicy sauce mixing Sriracha with mayonnaise.
Both sauces are really easy to make. You don't even have to make your own mayonnaise, it is just a case of adding the right amount of yuzu or Sriracha to a store-bought brand. Rubin uses a Japanese mayonnaise, the Kewpie brand, but he says that you can substitute a regular mayonnaise if you can't get that; "Japanese mayonnaise is similar to American-style mayonnaise, the only difference would be there is more egg yolk so it's going to have a richer flavor."
Yuzu is a citrus fruit originating in East Asia. Japanese cuisine uses yuzu in a similar way to how Western cuisines use lemon; the juice is used in dishes that require a sour or tangy edge, for example in sauces, such as ponzu and in preserves, such as marmalade, and the zest is sometimes used for extra flavor. Rubin explains that the flavor is "very similar to lemon but a little bit more floral". The fruit itself is difficult to come by in the United States, but you can buy bottled yuzu juice. If you can't find it, Rubin suggests substituting with lemon.
For the yuzu mayonnaise, Rubin simply adds two tablespoons of yuzu juice to one cup of Japanese mayonnaise. Rubin uses the yuzu mayonnaise in his California roll; as well as binding the fresh crab meat, "it also gives it a nice creamy flavor and a nice bright acidity."
Sriracha sauce is a Thai chilli sauce used a lot in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Sriracha sauce is now produced in other countries, and has become increasingly popular in the US, where the Huy Fong Foods brand dominates the market. David Tran, the founder of Huy Fong Foods, brought the idea over from his native Vietnam, but he has made it his own. His sauce uses the same core ingredients - chilli, sugar, salt, garlic, vinegar - but has a distinct flavor, less tangy and sweet than the traditional Thai version.
For the Sriracha mayonnaise, Rubin adds two tablespoons of Sriracha sauce to two cups of Japanese mayonnaise. He suggests that you do it to taste depending on how hot you like it. Rubin uses this in his spicy tuna roll, but he says it's a "great sauce for all types of sushi." And you don't just have to use it for sushi: "you can put it on a burger, you can put it on your French fries - it's great with everything."
Rubin shows just how easy it is to get started with sushi making and wants you to have the confidence to try it yourself. "These are great sauces. Only takes a few minutes and they're great with sushi. You make them and you're ready to go."
Check out Rubin's previous videos where he shows you how to make sushi itself - he uses the yuzu mayonnaise in a California Roll and the Sriracha mayonnaise in a Spicy Tuna Roll.
Sushi Sauces
Ingredients
Spicy Mayo Sushi Sauce
Siracha chili sauce is a generic name for a Southeast Asian hot sauce, named for the town of Si Racha. It is made from chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt.
Ingredients
1 cup Japanese mayonnaise (substitute would be any typical mayonnaise)
2 tablespoons siracha chili sauce
Yuzu Mayo Sushi Sauce
Yuzu is a Japanese citrus that has a more floral taste than regular lemons. Japanese mayonnaise, such as Kewpie, is richer than regular mayonnaise because it uses more egg yolk.
Ingredients
1 cup Japanese mayonnaise (substitute would be any typical mayonnaise)
2 tablespoons Yuzu lemon juice (substitute would be lemon juice)
Instructions
Spicy Mayo Sushi Sauce
1. Whisk mayonnaise and sauce together.
2. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Yuzu Mayo Sushi Sauce
1. Whisk mayonnaise and juice together.
2. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• • •
Recipes courtesy of Jordan Rubin, Maggie's Farm, 2012.
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