Body:
Mirin [1], the secret ingredient in Japanese cuisine, has the ability to accentuate the natural flavour of many foods.
It may be used to add depth and balance to stir-fries, sauces and gravies, marinades, dips and noodle broths.
Whilst most mirin nowadays contains sugar and preservatives, Clearspring Rice Mirin is naturally koji [2] fermented from just rice with some salt being added at the end of the process.
Whilst it is not quite in the same league as Clearspring's top of the range Organic [3] Mikawa Mirin, it is a traditional seasoning and a cut above most of what is labelled as mirin nowadays.
Mirin is, along with soya sauce and miso [4], one of Japan’s most important cooking ingredients. It is made from glutinous rice that is steamed and mixed with koji, the cultured rice that lies at the heart of so many traditional Japanese foods, and shochu [5], a traditional Japanese distilled spirit that can be made from rice or other grains.
A traditional mirin mash is left to ferment for up to 60 days, during which time the enzymes in the koji break down the starches in the rice into sugars and amino acids, creating a sweet, syrupy seasoning that has an alcohol content of around 14%.
Mirin was used to sweeten and season Japanese dishes long before white sugar was first introduced from abroad. It adds balance and roundness to dishes, offsetting the saltiness and sourness of other condiments such as soya sauce and brown rice vinegar [6]. It also serves to mask the odour of ingredients such as fish, and its richness imparts glossiness to sauces such as the famed teriyaki sauce.
Although nowadays mirin is used primarily as a cooking ingredient, and indeed much of the mirin produced is intended only for this purpose, mirin was in fact traditionally enjoyed as an alcoholic beverage, the most conspicuous example being the New Year drink known as o-toso, where mirin infused with herbs is left to sit for a period prior to drinking. The best quality mirin can be enjoyed as a drink, either on the rocks or mixed with warm water.
Producer - Aji-no-Ichi, Saitama-ken
It may be used to add depth and balance to stir-fries, sauces and gravies, marinades, dips and noodle broths.
Whilst most mirin nowadays contains sugar and preservatives, Clearspring Rice Mirin is naturally koji [2] fermented from just rice with some salt being added at the end of the process.
Whilst it is not quite in the same league as Clearspring's top of the range Organic [3] Mikawa Mirin, it is a traditional seasoning and a cut above most of what is labelled as mirin nowadays.
Mirin is, along with soya sauce and miso [4], one of Japan’s most important cooking ingredients. It is made from glutinous rice that is steamed and mixed with koji, the cultured rice that lies at the heart of so many traditional Japanese foods, and shochu [5], a traditional Japanese distilled spirit that can be made from rice or other grains.
A traditional mirin mash is left to ferment for up to 60 days, during which time the enzymes in the koji break down the starches in the rice into sugars and amino acids, creating a sweet, syrupy seasoning that has an alcohol content of around 14%.
Mirin was used to sweeten and season Japanese dishes long before white sugar was first introduced from abroad. It adds balance and roundness to dishes, offsetting the saltiness and sourness of other condiments such as soya sauce and brown rice vinegar [6]. It also serves to mask the odour of ingredients such as fish, and its richness imparts glossiness to sauces such as the famed teriyaki sauce.
Although nowadays mirin is used primarily as a cooking ingredient, and indeed much of the mirin produced is intended only for this purpose, mirin was in fact traditionally enjoyed as an alcoholic beverage, the most conspicuous example being the New Year drink known as o-toso, where mirin infused with herbs is left to sit for a period prior to drinking. The best quality mirin can be enjoyed as a drink, either on the rocks or mixed with warm water.
Producer - Aji-no-Ichi, Saitama-ken