Concentrated Dashi Tsuyu Sauce from Scratch（つゆ）

Hey guys, Yuto here (@sudachi.recipes) and today I’m going to show you how to make “tsuyu”.

Tsuyu is a versatile sauce used in many Japanese dishes. I’ve always had trouble finding this sauce in the U.K. so today I want to share with you how to make this sauce from scratch, it’s pretty simple and gives dishes a deep Japanese flavour.

What is Tsuyu?

Tsuyu has a perfect balance of savory and sweet. It is made using:

• Dashi base
• Soy sauce
• Mirin
• Sugar

It is often used in the following dishes:

• Donburi (Like Gyuudon and Oyakodon)
• Tempura
• As a dipping sauce for noodles

I use this tsuyu sauce in many of our recipes, you can click here to see all the recipes that use it. It’s definitely a useful recipe to know!

Dashi

Tsuyu uses one of the following dashi (a broth used to create depth of flavour)

• Konbu (dried kelp / seaweed)
• Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
• Shiitake mushroom

These ingredients are commonly used in Japanese cooking and should be available in Japanese food stores or possibly Asian supermarkets.

Dashi is usually made by boiling or steeping these ingredients in water, but for this tsuyu recipe we’re going to skip the water and make a concentrated sauce using soy sauce and mirin.

Tsuyu is made in a concentrated form for easy storage. You can mix it with water when you’re using it, I’ve written the ratios of tsuyu to water for each usage below.

In this recipe, we’ll be using dried shiitake mushrooms as they are the most easily accessible in other countries. If you can’t find them then you can try with other kinds of dried mushrooms (but I can’t guarantee the taste!)

This recipe only uses 4 ingredients and they are all suitable for vegetarians and vegans, so enjoy!

How to use Tsuyu (water ratio)

As tsuyu is a concentrated sauce, there are different ways to use it.

• Pour a small amount directly onto rice (common in donburi rice bowl dishes)
• Pouring onto noodles (1 part tsuyu, 1 part water)
• Dipping noodles (1 part tsuyu, 2 part water)
• For boiling (1 part tsuyu, 3-4 parts water)
• For hot pots or “oden” (1 part tsuyu, 4-6 parts water)

Storage

Once you’ve made this sauce, you don’t need to use it all at once. You can keep it in a bottle in the fridge for about one month. If you use it often then you can double or triple the recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tsuyu Sauce

What is Tsuyu?

Tsuyu, also known as Mentsuyu is a sauce that is often used for dipping sauce or soup for Soba dishes or Udon dishes. But it’s also used for various stewing type of dishes in Japan such as “nikujaga“.

What does Tsuyu taste like?

It’s similar to soy sauce (as it contains soy sauce) but it’s sweeter and has more depth of flavour.

Is Tsuyu sauce vegan?

Generally speaking, it depends on what the broth is taken from. If the broth is made from kombu or shiitake mushrooms, then yes. But the one made with bonito flakes is also common, so in that case, it’s not always vegan friendly. My recipe is suitable for vegans.

Tsuyu Sauce from Scratch

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• Author: Yuto Omura
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 200ml 1x

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Description

How to make 200ml of Japanese Tsuyu Sauce from scratch

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 100ml soy sauce
• 100ml mirin
• 2 whole dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1tsp sugar

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Instructions

1. Pour the mirin into the saucepan and heat on medium/high.
2. Bring it to the boil and continue to heat for 30 seconds.
3. Add the soy sauce and sugar and boil for a further 30 seconds.
4. Leave to cool.
5. Once cooled, pour into a jar or sealable container and add the mushrooms.
6. Keep in the refrigerator over night before using.
7. The next day, take out the mushroom and store once again in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Notes

This recipe is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

This sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to one month.

See the post above on how to use tsuyu and how much water to mix for different dishes.

If you want to try making tsuyu with bonito flakes or konbu, the method is a little different. You add them to the pan when boiling the soy sauce and mirin, whereas the mushrooms should NOT be boiled. Once cooled you simply strain the sauce and store in the refrigerator over night.

The prep time in the recipe is the cooling down time.

• Category: Sauce
• Method: Boiling
• Cuisine: Japanese

Keywords: tsuyu,japanese tsuyu sauce,mentsuyu,vegan tsuyu,vegetarian tsuyu,tsuyu sauce from scratch,noodle dipping sauce,udon sauce,soba sauce,donburi sauce