{"id":110384,"title":"Mentsuyu, the Japanese noodle sauce","modified":"2025-10-29T17:08:53+01:00","plain":"Let me say it up front: it's a Japanese pantry essential. Also called \u201ctsuyu,\u201d this foundational condiment brings quintessential Japanese flavor to your dishes. A true ambassador of Japanese tastes! \n\n\n\nWhat is mentsuyu? \n\n\n\nMentsuyu is the base sauce for many soups, broths, and noodle dishes. Traditionally, it's a blend of soy sauce and mirin, enriched with cooking sake, katsuobushi (dried bonito), a little sugar, and seaweed. \n\n\n\n\u201cMentsuyu\u201d literally means \u201cnoodle sauce\u201d in Japanese. You couldn't ask for a clearer name!\n\n\n\nI use mentsuyu in my zaru soba recipe\n\n\n\nThese days, its uses go well beyond that. You can use mentsuyu to season just about any dish. That's what makes it so versatile! \n\n\n\nTypes of mentsuyu\n\n\n\nIn general, it's made the same way: soy sauce, mirin, and sugar are simmered, then dashi is added to deepen the flavor.\n\n\n\nAt this point, note that there are two categories of mentsuyu:\n\n\n\n\nthe ready-to-use (straight) sauce and the concentrated sauce. The ready-to-use version has a mild flavor and can be used without dilution.\n\n\n\nThe concentrated version is much more intense and must be diluted with water!\u00a0\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat does mentsuyu taste like? \n\n\n\nAt heart, mentsuyu is a sweetened soy sauce, milder than plain traditional soy sauce. Simmering tempers the salinity so it doesn't overpower the other flavors. \n\n\n\nSome versions are, of course, saltier than others, though in Japan it's typically enjoyed moderately sweet. Expect subtle smoky notes from the kombu and bonito flakes, and a pronounced umami character. \n\n\n\nHow to use mentsuyu? \n\n\n\nOriginally, mentsuyu was created to season noodle dishes. Rich in umami, it amplifies the flavors of whatever you add it to. \n\n\n\nBest of all, it stands on its own. Use it as a dipping sauce for your tempura or spoon it over rice bowls and noodle dishes\u2014soba, udon, or somen all work! \n\n\n\nIf you're using a concentrated version, be sure to dilute it properly. Most bottles list dilution ratios by use, and you can always adjust to taste. \n\n\n\nWhere to buy mentsuyu? \n\n\n\nYou'll easily find it in Asian grocery stores. It's less common in mainstream supermarkets, but you can make it at home with a few ingredients: kombu seaweed, mirin, soy sauce, cooking sake, and katsuobushi. Simply simmer everything together\u2014below you'll find a recipe with precise quantities.\n\n\n\nAlso try my cold soba dipping sauce; it's a very similar alternative!\n\n\n\nHow to store mentsuyu?\n\n\n\nContrary to what you might expect, mentsuyu doesn't keep very long\u2026 The ready-to-use version is more delicate and lasts only a few days, while the concentrated version will keep for several weeks after opening. \n\n\n\nFor best keeping, store the bottle in a cool place, ideally in the refrigerator.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\tHomemade Mentsuyu (Japanese Noodle Sauce)\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t60 ml sake135 ml mirin120 ml light soy sauce0.5 piece kombu (5 x 5 cm)5 g katsuobushi\t\n\t\n\t\tGather all ingredients.In a saucepan, combine the sake, mirin, and soy sauce.Add the kombu and katsuobushi.Bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat.Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (save the kombu and katsuobushi for another use; see below).\t\n\t\n\t\tHow to Use Mentsuyu\nThis Mentsuyu is concentrated. As a general guide, use a 1:2 mentsuyu-to-water ratio for Zaru Soba\/Udon dipping sauce, and 1:4 for Udon\/Soba noodle soup. Adjust to taste by adding more mentsuyu or water.\nStoring Homemade Mentsuyu\nStore Mentsuyu in a Mason jar in the refrigerator for up to one month.\nWhat to Do with Used Katsuobushi and Kombu?\nPlace the used kombu and katsuobushi in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week, or freeze for up to one month.Reuse the spent katsuobushi and kombu to make homemade furikake.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tCondimentJaponaisesauce pour nouilles, sauce pour tremper, trempette","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110614,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110384\/revisions\/110614"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}