I keep a jar of umami homemade mentsuyu in my refrigerator at all times. That’s because I never know when a soba or udon noodle craving will arise. Having this all purpose Japanese soup base on hand means I can be ready to slurp udon in the time it takes me to boil the noodles. 4 ingredients. Traditional Japanese flavor.
I’ve been slurping cold udon since I was a kid, going to Japan for my summer holidays to visit my grandmother. But one thing I noticed early on – whether I was eating cold udon, zaru soba or icy somen noodles floating down a bamboo chute – was that the flavor of the mentsuyu dipping broth seemed fairly similar no matter which type of noodles I was eating. I loved the strong umami taste with sweetness around the edges. I’d add some chopped green onions to the dipping bowl, and enter noodle heaven.
Decades later, I’ve stopped using bottles of store-bought tsuyu altogether – and nailed down the flavors of this iconic Japanese noodle soup base.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This
- To me, mentsuyu is the flavor of summer in Japan. My mom and grandmother taught me that slurping cold noodles can be a great antidote to brutal heat and humidity. This is the umami, smoky and sweet soup base I grew up on.
- Versatility. Great with somen, udon and soba. Works cold and hot.
- Easy to dial in just the right amount of flavor. Since this is a concentrated soup base, I can cut mine with just the right amount of water. And my husband can use less water to indulge what he calls his salt-tooth.
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe steps and measurements.
- Kombu: Kombu is an edible kelp mainly harvested in Japan and Korea – and sold dry. I use a 2″x4″ piece primarily for umami. Incidentally, this is also what I use when making homemade dashi. If there’s a white powder coating on the kombu, just wipe it off with a damp cloth immediately prior to using.
- Dashi Powder: Dashi is a delicate, briny sea stock. Think of dashi powder as powdered soup bouillon – aggressively flavored. It’s perfect for this concentrated noodle soup base.
- Soy Sauce: I prefer Japanese soy sauce when making mentsuyu, but feel free to use what’s handy in the pantry.
- Mirin: Mirin is a sweet rice wine that tempers some of the overtly salty flavors in this soup stock concentrate – while simultaneously enhancing the umami. Even though using aji-mirin is ok, I prefer using natural hon-mirin made with glutinous rice, rice koji and salt.
- Water
How To Make It
- Soak the kombu. Place the kombu in a pot with 1 cup of water and allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Slowly heat the water. Turn the stovetop heat to medium and gradually warm the water over a 10 minute period.
- Discard the kombu, then boil. As soon as the water begins to simmer, remove the kombu and bring the water to a full boil.
- Add remaining ingredients. Stir in the dashi powder, soy sauce and mirin. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cool and store. Turn the heat off and allow the mentsuyu to cool down to almost room temp. Place in a glass jar and refrigerate.
Expert Tip
Don’t boil the kombu. Kombu turns bitter when it’s boiled. I’ve also noticed that boiled kombu can cause liquids to take on a slimy viscosity as they cool to room temperature. As soon as my water begins to simmer, I remove the kombu from the pot.
Discard the used kombu – or slice it and eat it. My mom dips simmered and sliced kombu in a little soy sauce. It’s delicious!
Mentsuyu Uses
While I personally associate tsuyu most with cold noodle dishes, it works hot as well. Here are a few of my favorite preparations:
Dilute mentsuyu with water to taste if needed. I personally think this mentsuyu recipe needs little to no water when I use it as a dipping sauce for cold noodles. When serving it as a hot broth over noodles, I cut mine with a bit of water (approximately 2 parts water to 1 part mentsuyu).
Everyone’s taste is different. If it’s too strong, slowly add a bit of water and taste as you go.
Storage
Refrigerate mentsuyu in a glass jar with a lid for up to 2 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
During the summer, I add a couple small ice cubes to the dipping bowl. As the ice melts, it dilutes the concentrated broth while keeping it icy and cold. If the ice dilutes it too much, I just add a bit more mentsuyu from the jar in the fridge to even things out. Not very scientific, but highly doable.
Only as salty as you want it to be. My husband adds very little water to his mentsuyu, especially when dipping cold noodles. But he has a salty palate. What I love about this concentrated soup base is that everyone can add as much or as little water as they want to suit their personal tastes.
If it’s bitter, it’s probably because the kombu was boiled. Kombu is a fantastic source of umami, but I pull it out of the water as soon as the pot starts boiling.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Mentsuyu
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
4 ingredients. Traditional Japanese flavor. Having this all purpose Japanese soup base in the fridge means I can be ready to slurp udon in the time it takes me to boil the noodles.
Ingredients
- 2 inches by 4 inches piece of kombu
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon dashi powder
- 2 tablespoons regular Japanese soy sauce such as Kikkoman or Yamasa
- 2 tablespoons mirin
Instructions
- Soak the kombu: Place the kombu and water in a small pot and leave for 30 minutes.
- Bring the water to a boil: Turn the heat to medium and warm up the water for 10 minutes – it should not be boiling at this point.
- Boil the water: Turn up the heat and bring the water to a boil. Discard the kombu as soon as the water boils.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Stir in the dashi powder, soy sauce, and mirin. Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Let the tsuyu cool down: Turn the heat off and let the mentsuyu cool to room temperature.
- Store it: Transfer to a glass jar or other storage container and refrigerate. Use it as a dipping sauce for noodles or as a broth for noodle soups (added with water).
Notes
Refrigerate mentsuyu in a glass jar with a lid for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 13
- Sugar: 1.8g
- Sodium: 132mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 2.6g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0.4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
