5 soy sauces recommended for bonito flakes
Shokunin Shoyu No.
Do you know the basics of soy sauce?
Soy sauce can be divided into six types: white soy sauce, light soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, dark soy sauce, re-brewed soy sauce, and tamari soy sauce. The color, salt content, and flavor vary depending on the brewing period and fermentation method.
Koikuchi soy sauce accounts for approximately 80% of the soy sauce produced in Japan. With an exquisite balance of umami, sweetness, and aroma, it is a versatile soy sauce that goes well with any dish, including bonito flakes.
◆ White soy sauce/Light soy sauce
It has a light color and a simple taste, and the flavor of the bonito flakes really comes through.
◆ Re-brewed soy sauce and tamari soy sauce
It has a rich, deep color and when combined with bonito flakes it creates a punchy, umami flavor.
Sweet soy sauce : A flavor that has taken root in Kyushu, Hokuriku, and other regions. Pair it with dried bonito flakes for a perfect blend.
Soy sauce and dried bonito flakes
This is a rich tamari soy sauce. It goes really well with bonito flakes. The saltiness and umami are just right, and the rich appearance really whets the appetite. It has a deep, rich umami flavor, and is definitely one you should try.
Tsuresoi / Minamizo Shoten (Aichi Prefecture)
"Tsuresoy" is a gluten-free soy sauce made from 100% whole soybeans from Aichi Prefecture, aged for three years in wooden barrels. It is brewed using a "five-minute brewing" method, which uses only half the amount of water compared to the amount of soybeans. This results in a rich, flavorful finish.
It is not a thick, jet-black tamaro, but has a reddish-brown color with a crisp, fruity aroma. It goes well with bonito flakes on rice balls and lean red meat sashimi.
The taste is reminiscent of convenience store bonito flakes
The biggest surprise was this sweet soy sauce. If you taste the soy sauce on its own, it's very sweet, but when you add the bonito flakes, the sweetness doesn't come out as much, and the flavor blends beautifully with the bonito flakes. It tastes just like the bonito flake rice balls you get at convenience stores.
Kanena Soy Sauce /Nagatomo Miso (Miyazaki Prefecture)
First-timers may be surprised by its sweetness. It is relatively sweet even among Kyushu varieties, but it is not thick, but rather light. The koji is made in-house, making it an essential flavor in the region's food culture.
The mash is made by mixing koji with salt water, and is then left to mature for about a year in the natural four seasons of Miyazaki. After that, the pressed soy sauce is pasteurized (heat sterilized) and sweetened in a way that is unique to Miyazaki, before being carefully bottled.
You can try making it into meat-wrapped rice balls, or use it in fish stews instead of rice balls.
It has a wide range of applications when combined with other ingredients.
Light-colored and salty, this light soy sauce makes rice balls taste like salted rice balls when made with bonito flakes. It also goes well with ingredients like whitebait and edamame, and because it doesn't add color, it looks beautiful.
Tatsuno Honzukuri Usukuchi / Suehiro Soy Sauce (Hyogo Prefecture)
This light soy sauce is perfect for anything. It has a subtle saltiness and flavor, a beautiful pale color, and a clean saltiness. It perfectly complements any dish, fulfilling its role as a light soy sauce, bringing out the flavor of the ingredients.
This "Tatsuno Honzukuri Usukuchi" is perfect for bringing out the flavor of dashi. In addition to rice balls, try using it in rolled omelets. It delicately brings out the flavor of the dashi and eggs, giving them a beautiful yellow color. You can also use it as a sprinkle instead of salt or lemon.
Plum-flavored plum soy sauce
This plum soy sauce has a plum flavor. Its sourness goes perfectly with the bonito flakes. Furthermore, if you add plum ingredients to the plum and bonito flake rice ball, the plums overlap with each other, creating a luxurious plum flavor. Recommended for those who love plums.
Plum soy sauce / Okubo Brewery (Nagano Prefecture)
The only ingredients are red plum vinegar, soy sauce, and mirin. The red plum vinegar used is Ryujin plum from Wakayama Prefecture, a member of the "Association for Creating Reliable Flavors." This dish is characteristic of Okubo, who is particular about the ingredients he uses. It is based on Okubo Brewery's soy sauce (Kodai no Hishio), and is simply seasoned with red plum vinegar and mirin, resulting in a gentle taste that is neither too salty nor too sour, and simply retains the flavor of the ingredients.
Its beautiful, clear red color gives it a subtle plum scent when used to season hot rice balls. It is also recommended as a salad dressing or for chicken cutlets.
The all-purpose dark soy sauce is exceptionally stable
The rich aroma and mellow flavor further enhance the deep flavor of the bonito flakes, adding richness and mellowness to the entire rice ball. This versatile product is brewed in a wooden barrel and can be used for a wide range of purposes, including bonito flakes.
Handmade dark soy sauce, aged for two years / Okamoto Soy Sauce (Hiroshima Prefecture)
The brewery is surrounded by the sea and mountains, and the natural breeze blows through. Even in the middle of summer, the soy sauce is stirred by hand. "There are as many flavors as there are households. That's why it's good to have soy sauce that anyone can enjoy," says Okamoto, whose soy sauce is a flavor that supports home cooking on the island.
This mellow flavor is made from domestically grown soybeans and wheat, aged for two years. The soy sauce has just the right color and aroma, and a strong umami flavor that's not too rich, creating a perfect balance with the other ingredients. It's delicious mixed with any ingredients, including shimeji mushrooms, canned chicken, and canned mackerel! In addition to rice balls, it's also great with tofu and boiled greens.
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