Yum Yum Sauce: Silky and Tangy

Start by whisking your 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper into the 1 tbsp of melted, slightly cooled butter. You should smell the spices blooming as the heat from the butter releases their oils. This prevents that raw, grainy spice texture that sometimes ruins a homemade sauce.

Add the 1 cup of mayonnaise to a medium mixing bowl. Slowly fold in the spiced butter mixture. Note: ensure the butter isn't hot, or it might break the emulsion of the mayonnaise, leading to a greasy mess. The mixture will turn a pale orange as the paprika distributes.

Add the 1 tbsp of tomato paste and 1 tbsp of granulated sugar. Whisk vigorously until the red streaks disappear into a uniform pinkish tan hue. You're looking for a color that looks like a sunset over the Pacific.

Stir in the 1/2 tsp of rice vinegar and 1 tbsp of water. Watch for the texture to change from a thick paste to a velvety, pourable cream. If you want it even thinner for drizzling over fried rice, you can add one extra teaspoon of water at a time.

Cover the bowl and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This is the hardest part, but it's vital. The sugar needs time to fully dissolve and the dry spices need to hydrate. When you pull it out, the aroma will be much more cohesive than when you first mixed it.