Mentsuyu

Name: Mentsuyu
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: about 1¼ cups (300 ml)
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (120 ml) Soy Sauce; 1/2 cup (120 ml) Mirin; 1/4 cup (60 ml) Sake; 2 Tbsp (24 g) Sugar; 1 piece optional (5 g) Kombu; 1/2 cup flakes optional (5 g) Bonito

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

CONDIMENT · SOBA, TEMPURA & SIMMERED DISHES

A condiment for soba, tempura & simmered dishes.

Hajime Sato's classic Japanese mentsuyu.

On the jar

MENTSUYU

Method: stove
Yield: about 1¼ cups
Ingredients: 6

Stove sauce. Cook from the recipe

Ratio

Soy Sauce 120 mlMirin 120 mlSake 60 ml

Ingredients

Soy Sauce1/2 cup (120 ml)
Mirin1/2 cup (120 ml)
Sake1/4 cup (60 ml)
Sugar2 Tbsp (24 g)
Kombu1 piece optional (5 g)
Bonito1/2 cup flakes optional (5 g)

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.

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Companion jar

Mentsuyu wants a whisk and a stove. Make it from this page.

The jar carries pour-and-shake sauces. These are its closest cousins from kitchens like this one:

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Provenance

Japanese chef awarded James Beard Best Chef: Great Lakes 2024. Associated with Chicago Japanese fine dining.

Adapted from a recipe published by Hajime Sato in Hajime Sato Japanese noodle sauce base.

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. Its companion jar is below.

What do the quantities mean?

This page lists the published recipe in household units (with metric in parentheses). On a jar, the printed lines, counts, and QR guide carry the jar-batch amounts. Follow the jar or this page, not a mix of both. Amounts in the jar’s ADD row are rounded to the nearest common spoon measure (T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon) so they can be read off the glass.

Where did this recipe come from?

Adapted from Hajime Sato Japanese noodle sauce base (published as “Mentsuyu”). Full citation lives in Provenance.

Companion jar