Make an easy dipping sauce: Korean Dumpling Sauce, also known as Yangnyeom Jang! Flecked with sesame seeds, Gochukaru, and green onions — use this bright and tangy condiment with EVERYTHING. Fantastic with dumplings, pot stickers, 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?
Korean Dumpling Sauce, also called Yangnyeom Jang, is a popular sauce or condiment that’s served with dumplings. Tastes good with homemade or store-bought dumplings, Japanese gyoza, potstickers, Chinese dumplings, and Korean mandu.
The flavor profile is bright and tangy with a base of vinegar and umami-rich soy sauce. What makes Korean Dumpling Sauce unique are the aromatics. Adding green onion, garlic, and chilii pepper adds freshness and tons of fragrant flavor. A souped-up, ultra-flavorful soy sauce, you could say.
In Korean cuisine, this easy sauce is multi-functional. Some people refer to it as “Everything Sauce.” It truly goes with EVERYTHING! An easy Korean sauce that is enjoyed with many different food items: dumplings, savory pancakes, pan-fried jeon, deep fried food, rice, and even plain chicken or beef.
Yangnyeom Jang goes by many names. Sometimes it’s called Pajeon Sauce. At Korean restaurants, it’s commonly served with Pajeon, Buchimgae, and Bindaetteok. Othertimes, it’s called Dipping Sauce. A multi-purpose name for a flavorful dipping sauce that adds a boost of flavor. YUM!
Easy to make, I always have this dipping sauce recipe in the fridge. So good with dumplings. And everything else!
Ingredients:
- Soy Sauce. Also known as regular soy sauce or Lite soy sauce. Lots of umami flavor and depth. Don’t use low-sodium soy sauce — it will taste flat. Gluten free soy sauce or Tamari also works.
- 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 vinegar or even chinese black vinegar also works.
- Sugar. Adds sweetness. Balances the salty-acidic tang of the soy sauce and vinegar.
- Gochukaru. Korean dried chili flakes or red pepper 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. Toasted sesame oil has a wonderful nutty flavor and aroma.
How to make Yangnyeom Jang:
- Mix. In a small bowl, add all the ingredients. Mix together, making sure the sugar is dissolved.
- Serve. Transfer to a bowl (if desired) and enjoy.
Serve with:
- Dumplings. Any kind of dumpling, mandu, potsticker, gyoza, etc. will taste good with Korean Dipping Sauce. Fried, steamed, boiled, deep fried — it doesn’t matter. The ultimate easy dumpling sauce recipe!
- 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).
- 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, green onion, and chili pepper 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:
Yangnyeom Jang stays good for about 1 week in the fridge. Be careful of cross-contamination and use a fresh spoon every time.
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. Stir and transfer to a serving bowl with a small spoon.
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 :
Easy Korean Dumpling Sauce Recipe (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.