A while back I visited our local version of the Teppanyaki steak house (a store called Japanese Village). I’ve been there several times over the many years it’s been around and on this visit I remembered that I always wanted to know the recipe for the “Steak Sauce” they served.
After some asking around I located a fellow who knows someone who worked there and knew the recipe. Even better they’d call me and read it from the actual recipe sheet at the store. It was fun to be texting back and forth while this person was in the kitchen at the restaurant getting one or two ingredients at a time while they tried to hide what they were doing. Very cool spy stuff. The recipe produced a very large quantity that they made for the restaurant but I’ve been able to convert it to a smaller and more manageable size for home use. This is the only alteration made.
While the brand names of the ingredients used were not given, you should be able to get the right taste if you use high quality stuff.
I’ve had many..MANY requests to find this recipe and so here it is in all it’s glory. This is the original and not one of the guesses I’ve seen online. It’s simple and has that taste that keeps visitors to the restaurant pouring it on everything they eat there.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup Soy Sauce (Japanese Shoyu type)
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- ½ cup Toasted Sesame Seeds
- 1 Egg yolk
- ½ tablespoon Dry Mustard
- 1 Clove Garlic, large (Minced)
- ½ cup Chopped Onion (One small Onion)
- ½ cup Whipping Cream
Method:
- Place soy sauce, sesame seeds, onion and garlic in a blender and mix on high for 30 seconds.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend until fine.
ravishing
RuneRider
ChowTown 
I know this is an old post but I just wanted to say I gave this a shot tonight and it was PERFECT. Exactly what I came looking for. Thanks so much for posting it.
I LOVE Japanese Village Steak Sauce! I’m gonna try this recipe tonight. Hope it tastes similar. Can the remaining sauce be froze for later use?
Chris it’s not just similar. This is the actual recipe from the Japanese Village kitchen. It never lasts long enough for any to be frozen for later use. 🙂
Tried it but must have done something wrong. I used Crisco vegetable oil and Kikkoman low sodium soy sauce. The sesame seeds I used claimed to be roasted, but I put them on a cookie sheet to toast them a bit. I didn’t toast them very long because I was worried to burn them. The end product was mega salty so I diluted by adding up to another 1 1/2 cups whipping cream (2cups total). Sauce is still poor taste.
Any suggestions on brand name of ingredients? Or preparation tips?
I’m not sure but low sodium soy sauce is not high on my list of substitute items due to some of them tasting awful. Also if the sesame seeds were stale they can be bitter. Hmmm, salty. I’ll double check I never made an error in the conversion.
All the other ones online are NOT CORRECT , If you buy it at J.V. It has a Best before date that expires in a week. Why? Because of the Egg and the Cream.
I just made this sauce. This is not good. No one should have the power to create this sauce whenever they want. Its perfect.
@Anonymous:
I used Yamasa brand Japanese soy sauce. Its less salty and a little sweeter than Chineese soy sauce. For the oil I used sesame, I may try something like grapeseed next time and see how that turns out. Is there such a thing as it tasting to sesame’e?
Thank you for this! Today of all days I was remembering that wonderful sauce from the Japanese Village Steak House in Calgary, and sure enough, when I did a search, I found many recipes close, but I’m glad you said this was IT!
The only bad thing is I feel like I could dump it on everything imaginable, it was so good at the restaurant! ;o)
Looking forward to trying it this summer after grilling steak. (That is if we get a summer!)
Thanks again!
Oh my god !!! Is this really the recipe !!! 😀
You have no idea what I went through to try and get it and still unsuccessful,,,till now!!!! I used to go to the one in Victoria BC once a week for months and asking everytime I went in…”please I will pay for it!” lol
Just in hopes they may eventually say yes and give it to me or sell the sause to me lol ….still a no lol
All I can say is thank you thank you thank you 🙂
Light soy is often more salty than it’s darker counterpart, unless it’s “lite” as in “low sodium”. If instead, you use TAMARI, this recipe is EXACTLY RIGHT. Also, I still ate it all when it was salty….I just had to!
This is very similar to a recipe I developed to recreate this sauce a few years ago (the only differences are the ratios of some ingredients), I’ll try this one and see how it goes, I’m sure it will be delicious. Something that works very well for me with this sauce and gives it a bit better consistency is treating it as an emulsion. Once step 1 of this recipe is complete, add everything except 3/4 cups of the oil. Pulse for one second three or four times until everything is mixed, and then put your blender on low or medium. Remove the lid from your blender and pour the remaining oil into the blender in a thin steady stream. Near the end it will get quite thick, so you may need to turn up your blender. Happy saucing!
Sadly, I myself have succumb to the painful addiction of this amazing sauce, but at another sushi/grill restaraunt a friend of mine said was a successor to Japanese Village. I’m looking forward more than you know to whipping up a batch of this as soon as I’m able to! You’re amazing for posting the true recipe! Surely this will save me a LOT of money in the long run from going to the restaraunt every time I need my fix. 😀
Don’t listen to the negative reviews. This is absolutely it. We just made it and it’s FABULOUS! The only thing I changed after tasting it was to add another 1/2 cup of sesame seeds. It’s sooooooo good and just like JV!
Thanks to all who’ve actually made this recipe and commented on it. There have been several who have tried to post extremely negative remarks which I refuse to allow. To these folks I simply restate that this IS the actual recipe. It was read to me by someone at Japanese Village. The only change I’ve made was to reduce the quantity in order to produce a reasonable amount rather than the huge one made daily in the JV kitchen.
RuneRider – Thanks so much for posting this recipe! Will definitely try it. Any suggestions as to which brand of soy sauce you like, and do you use regular dry mustard? Some other web recipes have suggested English dry mustard. Do you let it blend until the sesame seeds are pulverized? It’s been quite awhile since I lived in Canada, but don’t remember the sauce having whole seeds in it. Thanks! Anne USA
The original has Tahiti instead of Roasted Sesame Seeds!
Thanks for dropping in. I’m sure you can use Tahini if you wish, but as I stated this is a scaled down version of what is made in the restaurant. The ones in Alberta at least.
Congrats on an excellent recipe conversion. Mega delicious.
I’ve been a vegetarian (lacto ovo) for forty years and have enjoyed this sauce on my Agedashi Tofu every time I order.
I reside in Victoria and entertain often, so If you have the opportunity to post your original recipe that makes the large quantity of sauce I would love it. Many thanks for your post and sharing with all of us foodies.
Cheers!!
I am going to try this recipe again. Does anyone have any reccomendations for brand name of ingredients? I tried the recipe about a year ago and didnt have any luck. Maybe I’ll try the Yamasa brand Japanese soy sauce and sesame oil instead of vegetable oil. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Love the JV steak sauce!
LKK’S premium soy sauce (I get it at superstore) is great for this. Regular canola oil works just fine as the sesame flavor comes from the seeds. I just made this following the recipe exactly and I couldn’t be happier with the results. LKK’s will give you a good flavor tho. It’s a great soy sauce and its so inexpensive.
This is perfect! I double the recipe and shared with the neighbours I was so proud. Next time I’ll put a little less onion I think, but this is without a doubt the authentic recipe!
You need to use kikkoman sashimi sauce!
no you need YASAMA low sodioum MUST BE YASAMA or will be more bitter
I cant stress enough that you have to use YASAMA brand not kikkoman!!!!!! It will not taste as good
Crud… and I just started a diet then I come across THIS! Can’t wait to try it 🙂 Thanks!!!
I followed the recipe exactly and it’s pretty damn close! Next batch I’m going to use 1 TSP of mustard powder instead of 1/2 TBS though. I found that it was noticeable, and even a little dominating, at 1/2 TBS.
I used low sodium Kikkoman soy sauce and sesame oil. The sesame oil worked really well. It was a strong nutty/seedy smell and taste. I’m not sure if that’s what I “should” have used, but it tasted good.
Even with low sodium soy sauce it was was a comfortably salty taste, but it was maybe a little off… I’m going to try tamari, or maybe sashimi sauce next time.
The colour and texture are spot on. Aside from my guesswork with the oil and soy sauce I think this is the real deal! Everything else seems perfect.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!
Oh my goodness wow!!! This really is the exact replica!! I LoOoOoooove this sauce and this recipe is EXACTLY it! I followed the recipe using LKK’s Premium Soy Sauce (found at superstore) as it was breathtaking!!! A little suggestion to make sure it turns out nice and thick is: after the seeds, soy sauce and onions are blended, turn the blender or mixer on low and add the egg yolk, slooooooowly add oil in a fine, thin stream and it will thicken like a ceaser dressing. I didn’t do this the first time and it ended up a bit runny. I thickened it with mayo and it still tastes perfect. Thanks SO much for posting this! I’m giggling like a school girl 🙂
Hi, thanks for your posting! Do you let it blend until the sesame seeds are pulverized? Thanks, Anne
Yes Anne, you should blend until smooth.
Was so excited to find this!!! 😀 my hubby’s in love with the sauce at JV.
On my first try I followed the posted directions, unfortunitly it didn’t thicken, and had a mild/strong soy sauce taste. My second attempt I changed brands of soy sauce and followed Adrian’s suggestion for the emulsion technique.. It still didn’t thicken 😦 it tastes great! Just not thick. Does anyone know what I might be doing wrong or why it might not be thickening?
Thanks in advance!!
Tried this tonight and absolutely loved it! I’ve still got a fair amount left over, which I put in the fridge in a tupperware container. How long will it last for do you think?
Hi Jess, I don’t know how long it will last. Most people never get to find out. You’ll have to let us know… Assuming it wasn’t gone in a few days.
It doesn’t need to be cooked? Is the raw egg safe? This sauce was amazing at JV in Victoria, but I feel like I should cook it….
Hello Heidi. Thanks for dropping by. The sauce is not cooked in the restaurant and I guess you could try egg substitute if you are concerned.
That recipe is the real deal! My family and I have been missing the sesame sauce since we moved away! Thank you!!
I have made this many MANY times now and it is perfect!!!! I know others who have variations of this recipe but in my opinion this is IT!!!! The only thing I will say is that I use black sesame seeds as that is what seems to be in the sauce at J.V. I definitely think that toasting the seeds is an important step.
Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
This is a great sauce made it tonight. Tastes a lot like JV
Awesome Just awesome I have been looking for this for a really long time. Made it and BANG its the real deal. I do have a bit of a different method that gives it the extra zang and a bit of the thickness I like and know from asking around the Japanese food community that there are tons of variations of this steak sauce and the one thing done differently is the sesame seeds used, I use Tahini (ground baked sesame seeds which resembles peanut butter) but as I said its a personal taste preference, cheers and thanks for the reciepe.
If you times this recipe by 100 or so it’s enough to bath in.
It’s that good!
Can you get the recipe for the miso salad dressing at Mikado 😃
This is not the recipe.
Fun back story but most likely untrue.
For Expo86 in Vancouver, a number of Vancouver restaurants were asked to contribute recipes for a commemorative book. It is a coil bound, recipe book sold during the event. JV’s contribution was its steak sauce recipe. I purchased a copy of the book at a garage sales six years ago. Most of the ingredients are correct save for the egg and cream – there is none – and the measures are way different. Get the book and you will have the official – and only published version – of this great recipe.
Sorry Lyle I’m not lying and this recipe was given to me in the way mentioned. You’re referring to “The Japanese Village” in Vancouver and I’m discussing one in Calgary which as far as I can tell is not connected to the Vancouver store.
Maybe checking things before making accusations would be handy.
This is the real deal! Made it yesterday and we finished it after 1 meal.
I used the regular (not low sodium) Kikkoman brand soy sauce. I also changed the amount of soy sauce to 1/2 cup instead of 3/4 cup (use less if you prefer it to be lighter). Also added the oil slowly/separately after mixing the other ingredients thoroughly. Most important part in my opinion is to buy the fresh sesame seeds and toast them yourselfs, otherwise it won’t taste right.
Many thanks to RuneRider! You da man!
I use Azami Soya Sauce which has less sodium but still flavor. To Lyle, y brother is a chef and worked at a rather famous steak house in Edmonton that also has a sesame steak sauce very close to JVs. He informed me the sauce is an emulsion which needs both oil and an egg. I have done the recipe above many times successfully. It beats the heck out of paying $8 Bottle at JV or Bonzai like we used to always do. Now if someone can come up with the green butter and the JV hollandaise like shrimp sauce……..
Without saying WHY I might know Don’s (in)famous steak sauce recipe, I can confirm that the egg and cream is in the original recipe for the Alberta stores, hence why the expiration date.
If I recall right (it’s been a long while), you should boil the garlic in vinegar until soft (more or less when all the vinegar has boiled away), then that goes in. It mutes the garlic flavour a bit, you see. Granted, boiling a small amount of garlic may be too much work (and it WILL stink up your kitchen), but it certainly adds something to the sauce. That said, I might be mixing this part up with the prep for one of the other two sauces/dressings.
As for oil, canola works fine as it’s what’s used in the kitchen.
It still cracks me up recalling the large number of people with “allergies to onion” but wanted extra steak sauce because it was “just so good!” All the sauces at JV are onion-based, for heaven’s sake. The cooks were always accommodating for veggie subs, and if you asked for no onion, you got more zucc and sprouts anyways.
Absolutely Fantastic! For my personal taste I have added 1/2 cup of mirin, I like it a little sweeter… It’s so great to be able to find such recipe “treasures”. Thanks for posting!!!
Well hot damn. There is a Japanese Village here in Victoria too, though I doubt they are connected. Other Japanese restaurants use this same type of sesame sauce and I love it! Got the urge to make it with our dinner tonight and the recipe as above is pretty much spot on. The whipping cream seems like a strange addition but it works! I used Tamari instead of my regular kikkoman soy sauce to avoid it being too salty but don’t think I needed to.
If you are looking for the sesame sauce you know and love look no further! Made this in our Magic Bullet blender and it was perfect. 🙂
I just made this and it was amazing. I have tried many variations over the years and it was always missing something.mimnow know it was the egg, cream and onion. Sooooooooo good! Thanks!
Thank you for the recipe 🙂
So once its blended, is it good to eat, or do you cook it at all, seeing as there is a raw egg in there? lol I’m new to this.
Thanks for visiting. This is not a cooked recipe. You can use egg substitute as well.
This is just fantastic! I’m sure every time we have steak my husband is going to ask if I’m making Steak Sauce. I used the LKK’S premium soy sauce from Super Store, and followed everything in the recipe as written! Delicious – thanks for sharing this.
This is not the correct recipe.
It may taste similar, but it is incorrect.
I purchased a book at a garage sale years ago. It was a fundraiser for a special event in the mid-80s and a number of restaurants donated recipes. The Victoria outlet of Japanese Village donated their steak sauce recipe.
Unless they changed the recipe over the last 30 years (which I have been told by a former Japanese Village chef that they have not) the recipe posted here is fairly close, but incorrect.
Thank you for dropping by. I need to state once again that the Japanese Village in BC (or New York/LA/London) is not the same one as in Alberta. I appreciate those who feel the need to constantly tell me I’m wrong as much as the next person, but while the joy so many feel at pointing out something they think is wrong may be difficult to resist, feeling you’re right is not the same as being so.
Hey buddy I’m not sure if this recipe is correct or not I haven’t tried it yet. But to all those that say this is not right because of the cream. Go into any JV, Victoria or Alberta. Tell them you are severely allergic to lactose. They will tell you not to eat or touch the STEAK SAUCE.
Well Victoria foodie, stop prattling along with its not correct and post the correct one you got from the 80’s garage sale cook book.
I tried this recipe, it turned out quite salty which may not be a problem if I knew how it is meant to be used. Is it a dipping sauce? A marinating sauce? A Cooking sauce for a stir-fry meat and vegetables dish?
Way too much Soy in this recipe. I used half the Soy in the recipe and it was still too much. Added some honey to balance it.
I posted above before I read the comments. I see now that I used the wrong Soy (I used Tamari) and that is likely why mine was too salty.
Anyway, if you use Tamari or another brand, suggest you start with 1/3 of the amount and taste before adding more.
Thanks for posting this recipe.
I’m quite pleased with how this sauce turned out. Flavour wise, it’s quite close to Victoria’s Japanese Village. I have to tweak the amounts, particularly the soy sauce, because the soy sauce (Kikkomans) I use is quite salty.
Thanks Runerider! You’ve made this family of diehard Japanese Village customers extremely happy!!
Now if I can just find out their ginger sauce recipe…
2017 here and this recipe does not disappoint, unlike some of the other guessipes out there!
I try this with gluten free soy sauce
It’s a bit darker and saltyer but close didn’t toast the seed as long as I should have I might try tamari next time it’s a bit sweeter
Victoria foodie, please enlighten us with the “correct Victoria” recipe?!
THANK YOU! I searched high and low for this recipe and when I made this one, it was damn perfect! Now I may bathe in the sauce at my leisure – ahem – bathe my FOOD I meant. So delish – wonderful with a stir fry!
This is awesome.
Made the sauce for dinner today, it tastes exactly like JV.
I used dark soy (not mushroom based soy, use shoyu based sauce), superstore vegetable oil, got the same taste as JV.
thanks for posting, now I never have to go back to JV.
Tried this sauce and it was delicious. Whenever I’m at Japanese Village in Calgary I pick a bottle up. After I put in fridge, the sauce is very thick – doesn’t pour. You have to use a spoon to get out of container. Is that normal? Also what blender did you use to make it silky smooth? I used a small blender but had to pour into my Vitamix to get it smooth. I need a small personal blender as I only need to make 1/2 of this recipe next time but which one will do the same job. Used a bit less onion but this is the sauce I was graving. Thanks for posting it.
Thanks for visiting Delilah. The sauce does tend to thicken up when refrigerated. I have a fairly high end blender, but if you mix the sauce by hand and then let it sit overnight to let all moisture absorb; it will blend more easily.
I will always be grateful to RuneRider for obtaining and posting this recipe! 🤗 We were regular customers at the Japanese Village when we lived in Ottawa 30 years ago and tried unsuccessfully to get the recipe on a number of occasions. My kids loved it and would dump it like gravy all over their meat and rice. Only found it here cause I would do a google search about once a year to see if anyone had ever posted it. I have frozen any leftover sauce (I always double the recipe) and it tastes fine when thawed.
Thank you very much Anne.
Just made this. It totally is spot on. Thank you so much. We miss JV in these lockdown times. So nice to have it.
Thank you Wally. I miss the many dining spots we’ve enjoyed and are sad that many will not return. The opportunity to discover new ones in our travels has been a great pleasure of ours. It’s very much my hope that small and local businesses all over can come back from all this and that yourself and others will help make this happen when things return to normal. A larger shift to chain based stores is not a good trend.
TO DIE FOR!!! So good I could drink it!!!!
My family and I love this recipe and make it all the time!! Have you ever made a huge batch of it and frozen some of it? I’ve thought about doing that but not sure if it would still taste the same after freezing. How long have you had it last for when its refridgerated?
I’ve never made a large batch and have not frozen it. I would think it can freeze but may develop separation and need to be blended again when thawed. I’ve not had this sauce last long enough to discover how long it will remain fresh. Thank you for your comment.
Hi, yes I have frozen leftover sauce successfully! (Might have had to whisk it before using for proper consistency.) Much too good to let any go to waste! Personally I would not keep it refrigerated more than a few days because of the raw egg yolk. Many years ago we begged
Japanese Village in Ottawa for recipe with no success before we had to move back to USA. RuneRider will always be my hero ♥️ for obtaining and sharing the recipe!