Nanban-Zu

Name: Nanban-Zu
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 560 ml
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 500 ml Dashi; 35 ml Rice Vinegar; 30 ml Light Soy; 25 ml Sugar; 10 g Kombu; 1 Dried Chile

Independent adaptation of a publicly published Motokazu Nakamura recipe. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Motokazu Nakamura.

Nanban-Zu from a three-star kitchen.

Ratio

Dashi 500 mlRice Vinegar 35 mlLight Soy 30 mlSugar 25 ml

Ingredients

Dashi — 500 ml
Rice Vinegar — 35 ml
Light Soy — 30 ml
Sugar — 25 ml
Kombu — 10 g
Dried Chile — 1 each

Method

This sauce is cooked on the stove — the jar is for storing it, not making it.
Cook ingredients gently according to the published technique, adapted here as pantry quantities only.
Finish off heat; adjust seasoning.

Provenance

Motokazu Nakamura works in Kyoto kaiseki (6th-generation ryotei) at Isshisoden Nakamura; credentials include Michelin 3* (Isshisoden Nakamura, Kyoto, 2011-).

Originally published as Nanban-zu (Dashi-Forward).

Adapted from a Motokazu Nakamura recipe (Motokazu Nakamura / NHK Kyou no Ryouri (aji no nanban-zuke)).

FAQ

Can this go in a shake jar?

No — this one needs a blender or stove, so make it from this page. Jars only carry pour-and-shake sauces.

What do the quantities mean?

Amounts in the ingredient list are from the published source, converted to ml and grams where the ingredient allows. On a jar, every sauce scales to the same fill height.

Where did this recipe come from?

Adapted from Motokazu Nakamura / NHK Kyou no Ryouri (aji no nanban-zuke) (published as “Nanban-zu (Dashi-Forward)”). Full citation lives in Provenance.