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Store-bought mentsuyu has been such a game changer in my life. I can’t believe I discovered it just two years ago! When I’m low on time, or need something simple and comforting, I can count on the bottle of mentsuyu sitting in my fridge.
What is Mentsuyu?
Mentsuyu, also known as “tsuyu”, is a concentrated Japanese soup base. It is a soy sauce-based broth that is includes mirin, sake, sugar and dashi (kelp and dried bonito stock). Mentsuyu has a variety of uses from soba, udon, tempura and even shabu shabu. The concentrate is usually diluted with water depending on the dish, and can be served hot or cold.
Yamaki Mentsuyu Noodle Soup Base
- Yamaki has 100 years tradition of producing bonito flakes. The company touts itself as the top manufacturer of katsuoboshi, or bonito flakes. (Source: Yamaki USA)
- Yamaki’s Mentsuyu is meant to be diluted with water. Other brands may offer “straight” tsuyu’s, which means no dilution is needed.
- There are tons of uses for this tsuyu, as listed on the bottle! See the picture below for the recommended ratios of different dishes.
- Scroll below for Cooking Instructions and Where to Buy Yamaki Mentsuyu.
Honest Review/Thoughts
I want to preface my review by saying that I, like many others, am a big fan of Kikkoman’s giant bottle of Hon Tsuyu. Wanting to try a different brand, I gravitated towards Yamaki’s Mentsuyu, simply because they seemed quite similar.
To be quite honest, the two tsuyu’s (Yamaki and Kikkoman) were not too far off from each other. I would say that Yamaki’s had a lighter, fishier taste, whereas Kikkoman has more of a seaweed base. I found myself adding more than the suggested ratio when making a hot broth for my soba noodles, maybe due to the fact that it has more water than the Kikkoman brand. If you’ve tried the Kikkoman brand, you won’t be disappointed if you decide to give this a try!
Rating: 7/10
Cooking Instructions
Here’s how to cook with Yamaki Mentsuyu:
Ratios for Yamaki’s Mentsuyu : Water
- Cold Noodles – 1:2
- Hot Noodles – 1:6
- Pasta – Straight
- Tempura Dipping Sauce – 1:2-3
- Donburi – 1:3-4
- Nimono – 1:6-7
- Nabe – 1:8-10
- Hiyayako – Straight
Where to Buy Yamaki Mentsuyu Noodle Soup Base
I found Yamaki Mentsuyu Noodle Soup Base at my local Japanese and Korean supermarkets (Kukje Supermarket Daly City, H-Mart San Francisco, Suruki Supermarket San Mateo, Nijiya Market Japantown)
You may also find Yamaki Mentsuyu online at these links here:
- Directly on Yamaki USA
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/41IixVq
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