Note unknown sauce (3)
I believe the answer is:
soy
'sauce' is the definition.
(soy sauce)
'note unknown' is the wordplay.
'note' becomes 'so' (musical note).
'unknown' becomes 'y' (algebra).
'so'+'y'='SOY'
(Other definitions for soy that I've seen before include "Piquant eastern sauce" , "Sauce bean" , "Dark salty sauce" , "Oriental sauce" , "Chinese sauce" .)