Best Mambo (Mumbo) Sauce

[icejew]

Which is the best mambo sauce in the DC Area? Best I've had is from Wings 'n' Things on Georgia avenue, but I was wondering if any of you have had any better.

[monkeyrotica]

I've also seen it called "Mumble Sauce."

Isn't Yums on 14th the originator of the sauce? Never could stand the stuff myself. Like expired cherry cough syrup minus the buzz.

[lakisha441]

I LIKE THE MUMBO SAUCE FROM MERRY'S KITCHEN ON MLK AVE IN SOUTHEAST!!

[MDicecreamguy]

I've heard of this "Mambo sauce" ( I'm in Baltimore.....I think its a Washington thing)Could anyone tell me what's in it??

[Steve]

It's a sweet sauce, not all that far from Duck sauce from those packets in Chinese Restaurants. Mumbo has been around long before Yum's on 14th. There used to be wing shops all over DC.

[sweth]

Every wing place used to have its own mumbo sauce, some of which I actually liked because they weren't so sickly sweet. It seems like Gresham's Law has made the super-sweet one ubiquitous in recent years, though.

Supposedly the original version was a barbecue sauce at Argia B's in Chicago; his daughter is apparently now selling that version online (mumbobbqsauce.com). I've been tempted to buy some for a while, but the smallest amount they sell is a half-gallon for $13 after shipping; if anyone else wants to try it and report back, I'd love to hear what you think.

[anhdeluxe]

Still gotta go with Levi's. It was the first I've had and it must've indelibly imprinted itself on me.

[Renzi]

The best mumbo sauce I've ever had was from:
Wings N' More Wings
1839 Benning Road, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 397- 7062

This is the TRUE mumbo sauce, not that cheap, bright red, watered-down, knock-off stuff.
It is reddish orange color and a thicker consistency like duck sauce.

[monkeyrotica]

Just got back from Wings n More Wings. I can confirm that their mambo sauce is the real deal: bright orange (not cough syrup red), with sweet-and-sour undertones (not the usual sickly sweet corn syrupy vibe). Good, whole, meaty wings, fried hard and crisp. $5.50 with french fries. And judging by all the sauce in half-coffee-cup-with-lid carryout stacks, they do a lot of lunch business. If you're in NE near H Street or near RFK Stadium, give them a try. A cut above the usual red mambo sauce.

[Sean D]

Calm down everyone! Mumbo sauce is something that no one can be credited with inventing. Mainly, because all it is is a hacked-down version of Chinese sweet & sour sauce. Like the real thing, it contains roughly equal parts of sugar and vinegar, with a bit of ordinary ketchup. THAT'S IT! Nothing else. (Boil up a batch and you'll see.)

The origin of the sauce comes from Chinese carry-out restaurants that were located in inner-city (most African-American) communities. The Chinese owners sold typical fried chicken wings with some of this sauce on the side. The flavor caught on. Walk into any Asian-owned carry-out in D.C. and you'll see this.

I've seen it spelled mostly as "mumbo". But, I've also seen "mumba", "mombo", "mambo", and "mummbah". It's always essentially the same thing.

In the mid-1980s, I worked for a company located in a very poor part of D.C. During those 7 years, I learned a lot about inner-city cuisine, including wings with mumbo sauce. It's a real shame that you don't find more of it in the burbs. It's definitely not the healthiest diet in the world. But, it has a lot more character than McDonalds or Wendy's.

[Sean D]

Oh yeah...one more ingredient: Corn starch - to thicken it.

[EnigmaV8]

You forgot the dash of hot sauce and paprika. It's not authentic D.C. Metro mambo sauce without those!

;-)

[T.O. Mac]

Sean D,

I have to disagree with you re: the origin of mumbo sauce. I grew up in DC and knew of mumbo sauce well before many of the Chinese restaurants started popping up. For me, Mr. Goins, of Goins Carry Out (Georgia Ave & Sheppard St. NW; Petworth Area) had the best chicken wing sandwich with mumbo sauce. I lived about four blocks away and would often walk there for some wings. This was in the mid to late 70's.

[monkeyrotica]

joe h. claims the originators of mambo sauce were Wings and Things near U Street, circa 1963. Bill Cosby used to go here back when he went to Howard U. He said he preferred "the things" to the wings.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5893...

[Dennis S]

Hey - I was the one to report that :). Wish I had that audio recorded. It was a great little impromptu conversation. He also spoke of the smell of the stuff stinking up the lobby and elevators of nice hotels downtown - something like the Willard (though I don't remember the exact one he mentioned that day).

[Sean D]

Hey T.O.,

Funny...that neighborhood is exactly where I discovered wings and mumbo sauce in the early 80s. I also discovered Goins on Georgia Avenue back then. Who knows? Maybe Goins was the first to make something called "mumbo sauce". But, whatever the origin...it's still just hacked down sweet and sour sauce made from vinegar, sugar, water, ketchup, and corn starch. This basic recipe is classic sweet/sour Chinese sauce. Much lighter than typical BBQ-inspired sauces that are more common. But...hey! Bless Mr. Goins heart if he can claim credit for the stuff.

BTW - In that same neighborhood, there is an incredibly good fried fish carryout called Cherry's, on Georgia Avenue. (I hope its still there.) Some of the best, fresh, fried fish you'll find anywhere.

In fact, there was an awesome BBQ place - The Rib Pit - on 14th Street, across the street from the Giant Food.

Bottom Line: Petworth is a great place for good carryout food.