Three iconic sauces from the YummAsia shelf and the stories behind them
Walk into any Asian grocery sauce aisle and you’ll spot three very different bottles, each holding a story of how a region turned a handful of ingredients into a daily staple. From a Japanese workhorse born of Western influence to an Indonesian chilli staple and a Ghanaian-style smoky shrimp blend, the sauces shelf is a map of shared food traditions.
The story
Japan’s tonkatsu sauce traces its roots to the late 19th century, when Western-style “sauce” was adapted to local tastes using fruit and vegetable purees. It became inseparable from the breaded, fried pork cutlet dish tonkatsu, but quickly spread to every corner of home cooking — drizzled on croquettes, stirred into stir-fries or slathered on okonomiyaki. Bull-Dog, one of the best-known names in the category, has been making its fruit-and-vegetable blend for over a century.
Indonesia’s sambal is less a single sauce than a whole category of chilli pastes, with regional variations from Java to Sumatra. ABC’s extra-hot version is a modern, widely loved take on the sambal oelek style: bright, fiery and ready to squeeze straight from the bottle. It turns up at every nasi goreng stall, every bakso bowl and every family dinner table, where a dollop is non-negotiable.
Shito, meanwhile, is Ghana’s beloved black pepper sauce, slow-cooked with smoked shrimp, tomatoes and spices until deep, rich and intensely savoury. It’s traditionally served with kenkey, banku or rice, but has found a home in UK pantries too — Africa's Finest Shito (Mild) - 160g is made here in Britain for local fans of the flavour.
The flavours
Tonkatsu sauce sits in the sweet-savoury-sour family: think a deeper, fruitier take on brown sauce, with apple puree and tomato paste rounding out the tang of vinegar. Bull-Dog Vegetable & Fruit Sauce Tonkatsu Sauce - 1.8L has that signature balance of carrot, onion and spice, making it versatile enough to pair with everything from fried tofu to sausage sandwiches.
ABC’s sambal is all about bright, upfront chilli heat backed by garlic and a hit of sugar to round it out. The 39% chilli content gives it a proper kick, but it’s never harsh — the kind of sauce you add a teaspoon of to noodles, then keep reaching for more.
Shito is the smoky, umami outlier of the three. The smoked shrimp powder gives it a deep, savoury depth that’s almost meaty, with warm notes of ginger, coriander and aniseed and a gentle chilli warmth. It’s the sort of sauce that makes plain rice feel like a feast.
Try it at home
For a quick weeknight dinner, toss crispy pan-fried chicken or tofu with a few tablespoons of tonkatsu sauce and serve over rice with shredded cabbage — a deconstructed katsu bowl that comes together in 15 minutes. The 1.8L bottle is £12.95 and will last you months of midweek meals.
Stir a squeeze of ABC Extra Hot Chilli Sauce - Sambal Extra Pedas into fried rice or noodle dishes, or mix it with a little lime juice and soy for an instant dipping sauce for spring rolls. It’s £2.49 for a 335ml bottle.
For a simple Ghanaian-inspired snack, warm a spoonful of mild shito and drizzle it over boiled yam, plantain or even toasted bread. The 160g jar is £3.99.
Always check the individual product pages for full allergen details before cooking.