Yumm Bowl
February 13, 2007
This is a Yumm bowl. Cafe Yumm is a local restaurant where I used to live, and I screamed with delight when I found out they are franchising and my new town is getting the first one! Yippee!!
Cafe Yumm’s original sauce is excellent. It goes great with everything from rice and beans to salad to eggs. I usually buy the largest jar possible and then make Yumm bowls for dinner (with beans) at least once a week. The kids love them and so does the hubby. Lately I’ve been making them for breakfast everyday around 10am (with eggs) and I am not hungry again until dinner. Here is how to make a traditional Yumm Bowl:
Brown Rice
Eggs (or black beans)
Tomato
Cheddar Cheese
Olives
Sour Cream
Avocado
Salsa
Cilantro
A few weeks ago my MIL sent me the recipe for the sauce. I have not tried this yet, I still have some sauce left in the fridge, but I plan to make it soon. Here it is:
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup almonds
1/3 cup brewers yeast
1/3 cup garbonzo beans – drained
1/4 cup soybeans
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
Blend nuts, beans and oil in food processor. Then blend in yeast and liquids one at a time. Puree until smooth.
vegiegirl 
Do you put in scrambled eggs or a sunny side egg like some Asian dishes have?
Scrambled eggs.
i’ve been craving the yumm like crazy and was so happy to find this recipe. tried it out and…yummmmm! thanks!
In the original bowl recipe, is there any yumm sauce?
Yes, I usually pour it on after the beans and rice and mix, then top with the rest of the stuff.
I started with this recipe 2 years ago and have been tweaking it since. The addition of sesame oil has made all the difference!
YUMM! Sauce Recipe
1/2 cup cold-pressed olive oil
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup brewers yeast
1/2 cup garbanzo beans – drained
1/4 cup soybeans or edemame (sometimes I use 6 oz. tofu)
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder or 1 Tbsp. Toby’s Tofu Seasoning
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seed oil (available in the oriental foods section of grocery stores)
Blend nuts, beans and oil in food processor. Then blend in yeast and liquids one at a time. Puree until smooth. Add more water if you prefer it thinner, it will thicken as it chills.
I’ve tried a few recipes that I’ve found on the internet. For the most part, they are all identical with a few minor differences. Still, I have not been able to get my Yumm sauce to taste exactly like the real thing. And whatever it is that I’m missing, it’s the stuff that makes the Yumm sauce magic. Whatever the secret ingredient is, I must know what it is!!! GAAA! The one thing I haven’t tried yet is the sesame seed oil mentioned above. But I have a bottle of Yumm sauce that I bought which has a list of ingredients on the back and sesame seed oil is not on that list. Furthermore, one of the ingreidents on the bottle is simpled stated as “herbs” which of course can mean anything. So it must be a secret addictive herb of some kind because I swear, my wife and I are gonna need a 12 step program because we are addicted to Yumm sauce!
The herb in question is basil.
I’m from the Kansas City MO area and was introduced to Yumm bowls last week at a family reunion in Oregon, and it had me considering moving my family west, as it is, indeed, addictive!!! I have dreamt about the “special sauce” and came home intending to figure out how to buy it or make it, and I am thrilled to have a start with these recipes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Isn’t the secret sauce hummus? Or closely related to hummus?
“Actually, the secret ingredient is…
… LOVE?!? All right, who’s been screwing with this machine?”
Sorry, that’s from “The Simpsons.”
Anyway, I wrote about the greatness and majesty of Yumm here:
http://cmajor7.wordpress.com/2008/11/14/ballad-of-the-yumm/
Thank you! I miss Eugene and my yumm bowls soooo much!
what measurements do you use for the ingredients? of the yumm bowl, not the sauce. thanks!
Not to besmirch the Yumm name, but it’s entirely possible the ‘secret’ is MSG, which really isn’t as terrible as it has been made out to be. But I don’t know, and don’t want to make a lot of Eugeneans blow their fuses, so who knows! Also, I think what you want for the sauce is NUTRITIONAL yeast, not brewer’s yeast.
Love the Yumm, even though I generally hate curry powder. It is just so tasty!
I’m pretty sure brewer’s yeast and nutritional yeast are the same thing. It’s been “deactivated,” which is important. You don’t want your sauce to grow and foam all over, and you certainly don’t want a lot of that active yeast in your stomach, which could lead to some fairly serious problems over time. You can tell I’m from Milwaukee. I know about brewer’s yeast. So typical…
Brewer’s yeast and nutritional yeast are different kinds of yeast. Brewer’s yeast is a by-product of beer brewing and has a bitter hops flavor. Nutritional yeast is specifically grown for its nutritive value and has a wonderful nutty, cheesy flavor, and is very likely the yeast used in Yumm Sauce.
While it’s possible that the “secret ingredient” is MSG, I doubt it. I usually have a strong reaction to the slightest amount, a strange feeling in my mouth and itchy skin…the only reaction I have to Yumm sauce is “gimme more”!
Brewer’s yeast and nutritional are NOT the same thing – taste completely different.
You can buy their Yumm sauce in jars at the restaurant. It has the ingredients right on the back of the label. The above recipe’s are way off.
Hi, On a trip to Yellowstone NP we had had a couple rough days and needed some uplifting food. Looked in my backcountry buckets and discovered a jar of Trader Joe’s INDIA RELISH (of course, not available now) AND Mayonnaise (4ounces) Mixed the two together and WAAALAAA , Yumm Sauce!!It was the magic ticket and I still have one , maybe the one and only jar of India Relish. Waiting for a very special day to make the magic sauce.
I will try the recipe. Thanks so much
Thanks for the recipe! I have been looking everywhere to try to find how to make this. I live about an hour from Eugene, and have been craving it since a month ago, when I first tried it. Instead of making the drive, I can make it at home now!!!
I was surprised not to see any “tehini” sauce (or paste) listed in it, which to me is what the YUMM sauce tastes like – I wonder – could that be the secret ingredient? It is made out of sesame seeds. It has a very strong flavor, which I though I had detected in the YUMM sauce…
This sauce is fantastic! My wife found it about a year ago & we’ve used it several times. I’ve yet to find a dish it’s not good with. Everything from dipping breads & noodles to sausage, beef, chicken, scrambled eggs & even spaghetti…with the tomato sauce already on it. Great recipe!
Best sauce out there!
Thanks,
Tommy
we first had the yumm bowl @ the blues festival on the portland waterfront. loved it from the beginning & was bummed there wasnt one local. there is now one in our town & we just love going there! it is a little spendy & the biggest jug of it last maybe a week in our house. i made it yesterday x5!!! made 3quarts of it….already a quart down. this recipe is fabulous & i find it taste very similar to the one you buy @ the cafe. thank you for sharing!=)
Can I sub something for brewers yeast? Nutritional yeast? Cashews? Not really sure what brewers yeast is or what it does?
Chris, I believe you should be able to sub nutritional yeast, yes. I do not think Cashews would work, though.
[…] the Yumm sauces are available from the Cafe Yumm website, but thanks to a few different blogs, like vegiegirl, you can make the sauce at home too. Although you can add any type of meat, Yumm bowls are […]
The topic of franchising in portland is pretty involved, with much more to consider than this. I have some options for consideration at my franchising site