Easy and essential Korean Dumpling Sauce: Yangnyeom Jang! Flecked with sesame seeds, Gochukaru, and green onions — use this bright and vinegary condiment with EVERYTHING. Fantastic with dumplings, savory pancakes, deep fried food, and pan-fried jeon. Or drizzle over rice, noodles, and on top of everything else!
What is Korean Dumpling Sauce (Yangnyeom Jang)?
Korean Dumpling Sauce or Yangnyeom Jang is a popular sauce or condiment that’s served with dumplings.
Sometimes it’s called Pajeon Sauce because it’s also served with fried savory Korean pancakes like Pajeon, Buchimgae, and Bindaetteok.
A truly multi-functional sauce, it tastes good with so many things. Bright and tangy vinegar is combined with umami-rich soy sauce and lots of aromatics. A souped-up, ultra-flavorful soy sauce, you could say.
Yangnyeom Jang is such a ubiquitous sauce in the Korean pantry that it’s eaten with a wide variety of Korean food items: dumplings, pancakes, pan-fried jeon, deep fried food, rice, and plain chicken or beef.
Not surprisingly, people sometimes refer to this basic Korean sauce as “Everything Sauce.” It truly goes with everything. EVERYTHING! I always have some in the fridge.
Whenever you need a boost of flavor — dip, drizzle, or spoon some of this flavorful sauce on top. YUM!
Ingredients:
- Soy Sauce. The flavor base. Lots of umami flavor and depth. Don’t use low-sodium soy sauce — it will taste flat.
- Water. To prevent the sauce from becoming overly salty.
- Vinegar. I like rice vinegar for that sharp tang. But Korean Apple Vinegar (not Apple Cider vinegar) adds a soft floral element. In a pinch, regular white distilled vinegar also works.
- Sugar. Adds sweetness. Balances the salty-acidic tang of the soy sauce and vinegar.
- Gochukaru. Korean dried chili flakes. Adds smoky, floral heat.
- Garlic + Green Onion. Adds lots of flavor and texture.
- Chili Pepper. Fresno, jalapeno, or finger hot chilies all work well. They are not overly spicy but add subtle heat. To make it less spicy, remove the seeds.
- Sesame Seeds. Adds nice texture and nuttiness. Make sure the sesame seeds are toasted for best flavor.
- Sesame Oil. Nutty flavor and aroma.
Instructions:
- Mix ingredients together.
- Serve and enjoy.
Serve with:
- Dumplings. Any kind of dumpling, mandu, pot sticker, etc. will taste good with Korean Dipping Sauce. Fried, steamed, boiled, deep fried — it doesn’t matter. The ultimate Korean dumpling sauce!
- Savory Pancakes. Any kind of Korean savory pancake will taste good with this sauce, too. Pajeon (scallion pancake), Yachaejeon (vegetable pancake), Buchim (fried pancake), Kimchi Pancake, Bindaetteok (mung bean pancake), etc.
- Fried Food. Tastes good with any kind of fried food in general. Use as a dip for tempura battered shrimp or vegetables, deep fried tofu (like Air Fryer Panko Tofu), and
- Tofu. A commonly added sauce to braised tofu (like Dubu Jorim) or silken soft tofu (like Cold Silken Tofu).
- Acorn Jelly. Commonly added to Dotorimuk, right before serving.
- Salad. Use as a salad dressing and add to crisp romaine lettuce for a Korean-style salad.
- Korean BBQ. Serve alongside Ssamjang and Gochujang Sauce as a Korean BBQ dipping sauce. Dip grilled meat and vegetables into this tangy and tasty sauce. Scoop on top of rice and lettuce wraps. YUM!
- Rice. Classic Korean rice dishes enjoyed with this savory-tangy sauce are Soybean Sprout Rice (Kongnamul Bap) and Mushroom Bibimbap. Also tastes good with Korean Egg Rice (Gyeran Bap). Or even drizzled on top of plain white rice. Any rice dish will taste better with a dollop of Yangnyeom Jang. Add a spoon and mix it up like Bibimbap.
- Chicken or Beef. My Korean grandpa liked to dip plain chicken and beef into Yangnyeom Jang. Good with steamed or boiled chicken or beef. Or shredded rotisserie chicken.
PRO Tips:
- Adjust the spice to your liking. My recipe is not too spicy so the kids can eat it. But make it spicier if you prefer. Or less spicy. (Adjust the amount of Gochukaru and minced chili peppers.)
- Do not use low-sodium soy sauce. I’m not a fan of low-sodium soy sauce. It tastes flat and lacks depth. If that’s all you have, look for take-out soy sauce packets in your junk drawer. One packet of soy sauce is usually 1 Tbsp/15ml.
- Mince garlic and green onion finely. Mince green onion as finely as possible. For the garlic, I use a microplane.
Variations:
- Add chili oil. A spoonful of spicy Chinese chili oil adds a different flavor dimension that’s spicy with a mouth-tingling kick of Sichuan spice and heat.
- Make it more tangy. Some people like this sauce very tangy. The proportion is key. My vinegar to soy sauce ratio is 1 to 3 (1 part vinegar, 3 parts soy sauce). But a very common proportion is 1:2, or 1 part vinegar, and 2 parts soy sauce.
- Make it sweeter. Double the amount of sugar. The result will be sweeter but not overly so.
- Swap with fish sauce. Swap half the soy sauce with fish sauce for a sharper umami flavor.
FAQ:
How long does Korean dipping sauce stay good?
Yangnyeom Jang stays good for about 1 week in the fridge. Be careful of cross-contamination and use a fresh spoon every time.
How do I store it?
Store in a glass jar, tightly sealed, in the coldest part of your fridge. When serving, bring it out and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Give it a stir and transfer to a small bowl with a small spoon.
How does Yangnyeom Jang translate in Korean?
A rough translation would be “seasoned sauce.” But generally, Yangnyeom Jang refers to soy sauce that’s flavored with vinegar and other aromatics such as gochukaru, green onions, and garlic.
For this blog post, I’ve translated it as Dumpling Sauce. But I’ve also seen it translated as Pajeon Sauce, Korean Dipping Sauce, and Everything Sauce.
Other sauces + condiments you may enjoy :
Korean Dumpling Sauce (Yangnyeom Jang)
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Soy Sauce (not low-sodium soy sauce)
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp Rice or apple vinegar (white distilled vinegar also works)
- 1 Tbsp sugar (can be subbed with maple syrup or honey)
- 1 Tbsp Gochukaru
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (about 1/4 cup) green onions, minced
- 1 chili pepper, minced (fresno, jalapeno, finger peppers all work well)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients. Mix with a spoon, making sure the sugar is dissolved.
- Transfer some of the sauce to a small bowl. Serve with dumplings, savory pancakes, rice, or food of choice.
- Store leftovers, tightly sealed, in the fridge. Preferably in the coldest part of the fridge.
Video
Notes
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- Adjust the spice to your liking. My recipe is not too spicy so the kids can eat it. But make it spicier if you prefer. Or less spicy. (Adjust the amount of Gochukaru and minced chili peppers.)
-
- Do not use low-sodium soy sauce. I’m not a fan of low-sodium soy sauce. It tastes flat and lacks depth and flavor. If that’s all you have, look for take-out soy sauce packets in your junk drawer. One packet of soy sauce is usually 1 Tbsp/15ml.
-
- Mince garlic and green onion finely. Mince green onion as finely as possible. For the garlic, I use a Microplane.
- Add chili oil. A spoonful of spicy Chinese chili oil adds a different flavor dimension that’s spicy with a mouth-tingling kick of Sichuan spice and heat.
- Make it more tangy. Some people like this sauce very tangy! The proportion is key. My vinegar to soy sauce ratio is 1 to 3 (1 part vinegar, 3 parts soy sauce). But a very common proportion is 1:2, or 1 part vinegar, and 2 parts soy sauce.
- Make it sweeter. Double the amount of sugar. The result will be sweeter but not overly so.
- Add fish sauce. Swap half the soy sauce with fish sauce for a sharp umami flavor.
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oops I forgot to rate it. If I could give you a hundred stars i would.
oops I forgot to rate it. If I could give you a hundred stars i would.
Dipping sauce of my dreams, where have you been all my life. Thank you for sharing, i know there is going to be some of this in my fridge on a regular basis. It is indeed an everything sauce, and i have a whole slew of family and friends that are going to want this too.