From the full-bodied richness of soya sauce to the gentle tartness of rice vinegar, the taste of each Clearspring Japanese seasoning is both distinctive and delightful.
Clearspring Japanese seasonings flavour superbly when used alone, and when combined they can create the most delicious dips, dressings and sauces for a wide range of Asian, Western and fusion dishes.
Over the years, Clearspring has developed close trading partnerships with some of the finest, but little known, craft producers of traditional Japanese seasonings.
These skilled craftsmen, still following original recipes and using organic [1] ingredients wherever possible, produce seasonings with a fullness of flavour and complexity of character that sets them apart from run-of-the-mill Japanese seasonings.
Mirin [2] is a naturally sweet seasoning, used in many dishes to create a good balance of savoury and sweet tastes throughout the meal, which is satisfying to the palate. Soya sauces are used to enhance the flavour of the ingredients, rather than just salt. Also, the use of umami*, naturally found in kombu [3] (kelp) and shiitake [4] mushroom stock, gives more substance and depth to many dishes.
Fermentation using koji [5] culture increases the bioavailability of the nutrients in foods. Certain vegetable condiments and garnishes such as grated daikon [6] radish, wasabi [7] or ginger [8] are used to aid digestion and also avoid parasitical development. Pickles made from seasonal vegetables, rice bran and sea salt [9] are often eaten during and/or at the end of the meal, to promote digestion.
* Umami: the fifth taste after sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
