What is Mentsuyu?
Mentsuyu, as its name suggests (men-tsuyu meaning noodle-soup), is a versatile Japanese seasoning created by blending soy sauce, mirin, sugar, salt, dashi broth, and other ingredients. Its primary use is in noodle dishes like soba, udon, hiyamugi, and somen, but its utility extends far beyond just noodles.
In recent years, Mentsuyu has gained popularity as a multi-purpose seasoning. It’s frequently used as a substitute as a dipping sauce for tempura. Its rich, umami-packed flavor profile makes it an excellent alternative to soy sauce in a variety of other dishes too.
This surge in popularity since the 2000s can be attributed to its convenience and the depth of flavor it adds to any dish. If you haven’t tried cooking with Mentsuyu yet, I highly recommend experimenting with it!
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Dried Kelp (Kombu): Essential for Mentsuyu. For detailed information about kelp, including recommended types, check out my Kelp Guide.
- Bonito Flakes (Katsuobushi): Indispensable for authentic flavor. For more insights, please see my Katsuobushi Complete Guide.
- Soy Sauce: For an in-depth understanding of selecting soy sauce, refer to my comprehensive soy sauce guide.
- Mirin: Choose “hon mirin” (本みりん) for genuine taste. For more about mirin and its substitutes, see my Mirin 101 article.
- Sugar: Regular white caster sugar is fine since it dissolves easily, but you can customize the recipe by using granulated sugar or even light brown cane sugar for a more subtle sweetness with depth.
- Water: Regular still water is used to dilute the sauce making it ready to use.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Mantsuyu Sauce at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
First, let’s soak the kelp in water for 30 minutes. It’s simple: just let it sit, and the kelp will rehydrate and release umami into the water creating a kombu dashi base.
Once 30 minutes are up, transfer the kelp and water into a saucepan. Heat it on a low to medium setting.
Take out the kelp right before the water starts boiling. The discarded kelp can be used to make kombu rice balls to avoid waste.
When the water begins to boil, turn down the heat to low. Add the dried bonito flakes, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.
Let it simmer on low for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, turn off the heat. Let it cool down for a bit.
Once it’s not too hot, strain it through a colander. If you want to use it hot, you can use it as is. But for cold Mentsuyu, chill it in the fridge. It’s as simple as that!
How to Store
Once the mentsuyu sauce has cooled, it can be stored in a sterilized container and kept in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.
For longer storage, opt for freezing. You can freeze it in an ice cube tray for easy and convenient portions, or store in zippable freezer bags to save space. When frozen, homemade mentsuyu can be kept for about one month.
Storage summary
Room temperature – Not recommended.
Refrigerated – 2 weeks.
Frozen – Up to 1 month.
I hope you enjoy this Homemade Mentsuyu recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Condiment Recipes
Homemade Mentsuyu (Japanese Noodle Dipping Sauce)
Ingredients
- 5 g dried kelp (kombu) (kombu)
- 500 ml water
- 10 g bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
- 3 tbsp mirin
- 6 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Soak 5 g dried kelp (kombu) in 500 ml water for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the kelp and water to a saucepan and heat on medium-low.
- When the water is almost (but not quite) boiling and remove the kombu. Reduce the heat to low and add 10 g bonito flakes, 3 tbsp mirin, 6 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Strain the bonito flakes.
- Serve immediately while it's hot, or leave to cool and chill in the refrigerator for cold dishes. Enjoy!
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