Five unique dishes that go well with meat

One of the joys of soy sauce is enjoying using six different types, but these unique and slightly unusual soy sauces are also perfect for meat dishes. While the soy sauce itself has a strong character, the appeal of this type of soy sauce is that it blends surprisingly well with home cooking. Just one spoonful can add a special touch to your everyday dishes. For example, you can take it outdoors, or when you're thinking, "I splurged on some good meat today, so I want to use the right soy sauce!" We've selected five bottles perfect for such occasions. With these five bottles, you'll be able to enjoy meat dishes in even more ways.

Shokunin Shoyu No.

A lighter, smoother and gentler taste than soy sauce

I used to bring my own lunch to work. However, I'm not a big fan of mornings and can't spend time making my lunch. So, I often made minced meat bento. It was perfect for me, as I like quick lunches with a light flavor. I prepare the minced meat on my days off, and in the morning, I just heat an egg in the microwave and add whatever greens I have on hand. It's so quick and easy to prepare, which is very convenient. I'm the type of person who never gets bored of eating the same thing over and over, so I've tried seasoning my minced meat with various soy sauces. Of these, the best soy sauce for minced meat is miso tamari! It gently brings out the sweetness of the chicken, resulting in a light and refreshing dish. Adding grated ginger creates an exquisite balance of sweetness and spiciness, and the subtle aroma of miso is also excellent.

Miso Tamari / Ishimagoto Honten (Akita Prefecture)

This umami component is found in naturally brewed miso, giving it an amber color. This precious extract is extracted from 1,000 kg of miso, with only about 10 liters being extracted. Made from soybeans and rice from Akita Prefecture, the miso is further fermented with rice koji and Okinawan Shima-masu. Its refined flavor, with a subdued sweetness, umami, richness, and a pleasant saltiness, is appealing. The method of squeezing is also unique; pressure can cause the miso to become cloudy, so the miso is squeezed using a method called "hanging in a bleached bag," allowing only the natural drips to be bottled. This results in a clear amber color.

Garlic soy sauce for whole marinades with no unpleasant aftertaste

The combination of garlic and soy sauce sounds delicious just thinking about it. It goes great with fried rice and vegetables, but the best way to use garlic soy sauce is with fried chicken. No other seasoning is needed. The irresistible garlic aroma and flavor fills your mouth as you chew, making it the perfect side dish for rice, and you'll find yourself reaching for it again and again. It has a mild flavor, so even children can easily eat it.

Garlic soy sauce/Takatori soy sauce (Okayama Prefecture)

This fragrant garlic soy sauce is simply made with soy sauce and raw garlic from Takko Town, Aomori Prefecture. Even without the use of extracts, the aroma and richness are strong, yet not overpowering. That's why it's the kind of flavor you'll want to use again and again. The reason you can really taste the garlic flavor, yet there's no unpleasant lingering odor, is due to the pickling method. Instead of cutting or crushing, the raw garlic is pickled whole in authentic brewed soy sauce for two months.

Easy and convenient to use, just like a sauce!

This popular product boasts a deep, rich flavor that regular soy sauce can't match, with many fans saying, "Jet Black is the only soy sauce I keep buying!" It's a thick, rich dashi soy sauce, so you can use it straight as a dipping sauce for steak or yakiniku, or dilute it with water to make a base for beef bowls or sukiyaki. Personally, I love using it in sukiyaki. Whether you like to simmer or grill, this one bottle will give your beef bowl an authentic flavor. It's also recommended for changing up the flavor of beef bowls. Just add a little of this Jet Black to your regular beef bowl to transform it into a sukiyaki-like dish! Top it off with a raw egg for a truly authentic sukiyaki experience. The combination of jet-black meat and raw egg is so delicious you'll want to eat it again and again.

Jet Black / Yamakawa Brewery (Gifu Prefecture)

This thick, concentrated dashi soy sauce is made with a base of tamari soy sauce, and is made with bonito, sardine, and shiitake mushroom stock, as well as mirin and sugar. Rather than being a soy sauce, it's more of a versatile seasoning that can be used like a sauce. The base tamari soy sauce is made solely from soybeans and aged in wooden barrels for two years. Because tamari soy sauce requires little water, it cannot be stirred, so a process called "kumikake" is repeated for two years. Furthermore, the pressing process takes more than six months due to the hardness of the moromi, making it a time-consuming and laborious process. The resulting tamari soy sauce, packed with umami, gives this dashi soy sauce a deep richness that cannot be achieved with other dashi soy sauces. This is a reliable product that will turn even a bargain meat dish into a satisfying feast.

Soy sauce for creating a blissful dish

If you're thinking, "Today I'll splurge a little..." and buy some meat from a department store basement, this is the soy sauce you should definitely try. It's blended with the umami component of miso, "miso tamari," to add a sweetness, aroma, and umami that soy sauce alone can't provide. It gently enhances the flavor of the meat without overpowering it, making it a truly "great supporting actor." My recommendation is to pair it with Wagyu sirloin, known for its melt-in-your-mouth sweet fat. If you use "Kyotanba Rokuemon Black Soybean Miso Tamari," the mellow soy sauce will further enhance the sweetness of the fat. The unique blend of soy sauce and meat, as if enveloping it, is what makes this soy sauce so delicious. Enjoy a moment of bliss, making luxurious meat taste even more luxurious.

Kyotanba Rokuemon Black Soybean Miso Tamari / Suehiro Soy Sauce (Hyogo Prefecture)

This naturally brewed dark soy sauce is blended with over 30% miso tamari, extracted from Tanba black soybean miso made by Katayama Shoten in Kameoka, Kyoto. The mellow, salty flavor is complemented by the richness and aroma of the miso, creating an exquisite balance of sweetness, aroma, and umami. This product uses a generous amount of the rich umami components of miso, so rich that you'd normally want to enjoy it as is. It's a popular product, with many repeat customers saying they were "captivated by the elegant aroma and richness." It pairs well with the fat of beef, and also enhances the umami of fatty fish sashimi.

A must-have for BBQs

Among the many unique soy sauces, smoked soy sauce is the most popular. Simply drizzling it on cheese or boiled eggs adds a smoky flavor, making it a delicious snack. It's a must-have for home cooking, but it's also guaranteed to be a hit when taking it to a BBQ or other outdoor activities! This soy sauce was actually created in response to a request to create a soy sauce that pairs well with roast beef. Dripping it on roast beef instantly elevates it, adding the deep flavor and luxurious aroma of smoked meat. Furthermore, simply drizzling it on grilled vegetables or seafood will add a unique touch to your BBQ menu. The aroma of charcoal fire and the savory flavor of smoked soy sauce combine to make outdoor cooking even more enjoyable and delicious.

Kun Murasaki / Suehiro Soy Sauce (Hyogo Prefecture)

While there are many different types of smoked soy sauce, the appeal of Kunmurasaki lies in its simplicity. Made with only whole soybeans, wheat, and salt, this dark soy sauce is carefully crafted using traditional natural fermentation methods using locally sourced ingredients from Hyogo Prefecture, then slowly smoked for 8 to 9 hours. This allows the soy sauce's natural flavor to be preserved while retaining its rich aroma. Just one drop releases a smoky aroma, enhancing the flavor of your dish. Since the smoked flavor is sensitive to heat, we recommend drizzling it on or dipping it in food at the end of cooking, rather than during cooking. While it's often chosen as a gift for alcohol lovers, the more you use it, the more addictive it becomes—so much so that it's become a staple for people to buy some for themselves as well.

Text: Mori (Shokunin Soy Sauce)