Sushi Dipping Shoyu
Updated February 23, 2016 
At a sushi bar, you will always find small pots every 3 feet or so along the counter. You will want to pour some liquid from one of these pots into a small individual saucer for dipping your sashimi or sushi. The sauce looks like pure shoyu, soy sauce, but it is a blend of shoyu, mirin (sweet cooking wine), and bonito fish flakes. The quality of tsukejoyu (sushi dipping sauce) can vary widely from one restaurant to another. Indeed, it is true that the flavor of tsukejoyu at a sushi restaurant can tell you a lot about the overall quality of the place. Tsuke-joyu is quite handy. You can use it as a base for a dressing, a dipping sauce for noodles, or to season a broth.
CostModerate
Total Timeunder 15 minutes
Make Ahead RecipeYes
Dietary Considerationegg-free, lactose-free, low calorie, low carb, low cholesterol, low saturated fat, low-fat, peanut free, tree nut free
Five Ingredients or LessYes
Taste and Texturesalty, savory, sharp, sweet, umami
Type of DishCondiments, sauces
Ingredients
- 1 cup mirin (sweet cooking wine)
- 2 cups shoyu (soy sauce)
- 4 ounces katsuobushi (dried bonito fish flakes) (about 4 cups)
Instructions
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Pour the mirin into a medium pot, set it over medium heat, and bring it to a simmer. Add the shoyu and bring it to a gentle boil, then add the fish flakes and quickly turn off the heat. Let stand until the fish flakes all sink to the bottom of the pot. Strain the liquid through a strainer lined with a fukin, finely woven cotton cloth, or a doubled paper towel and discard the fish flakes. Transfer the liquid to a sterilized bottle and store, capped, in the refrigerator. The sauce will keep for half a year. The longer it is stored, the milder and better the flavor becomes.
2006 Hiroko Shimbo
