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Happy New Year!!
I am so thrilled that I am working with Mizkan again this year. 2014 marks the fourth year we have been working together. Do click on the links to check out all my Mizkan recipes and information pages that I had written in the past few years: 2010, 2011, 2012, and Mizkan Shopping Guide.
Mizkan Japanese condiments have become permanent staples in my kitchen pantry in recent years. They are my favorite condiments and I never run out of them in my kitchen. I use Mizkan (Bonito Flavored) Soup Base as my soy sauce replacement, adding it to my Asian stir-fries, making soup base for noodle soup, and my Taiwanese braised pork.
I use Mizkan Honteri Mirin in my Japanese cooking and other Asian recipes, for example: Chinese stews, Korean cooking, and other Asian dishes. It’s my all-purpose sweetener. Whenever I need a hint of sweetness in my dishes, I reach out to my Mizkan Honteri Mirin instead of sugar. It imparts a subtle and much refined sweetness to my dishes. I love it.
Whenever I make something that need a little tartness, I dash in some Mizkan Ponzu, for example: Chinese hot and sour soup. When I make dumplings, I serve them with Mizkan Ponzu, which gives a cleaner taste to my dumpling, be it Korean mandu, Chinese jiaozi, Taiwanese potstickers, or Japanese gyozas. Mizkan Ponzu is the magic condiment that complement the taste of the dumplings. When I make steak, fish, or seafood, I drizzle a wee bit of ponzu to cut the grease on the steak and to freshen up the briny taste of fish and seafood.
Mizkan condiments—while the origins are Japanese—have become my ALL-PURPOSE Asian condiments that I use to make a range of Asian dishes, notably Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean. I don’t have to buy different brands of sauces to make different dishes. Mizkan condiments are versatile, and they add a new dimension and taste structure to many popular Asian dishes that I love. This is a great plus, as I save money and also the “shelf space” in my pantry having only a few bottles of key condiments and sauces I use on a daily basis. I don’t have bottles and bottles of sauces and condiments that I use only a few times sitting in my pantry!
Many readers of Rasa Malaysia are home cooks who love Asian cuisines. They come to Rasa Malaysia to try out new Asian recipes. I receive many emails every day from readers asking me questions about condiments to buy and how to stock up their Asian pantry. Many have left comments on my recipes that they don’t want to buy new sauces or condiments and use them for one time. My advice is to buy quality brand and condiments like Mizkan and use them to try out a range of different cuisines and recipes on Rasa Malaysia. There will be no wastage and your sauces will not sit idle in your pantry as there are so many recipes that you can use the condiments and sauces for.
Here are the ALL-PURPOSE Asian condiments to stock up:
Mizkan Oigatsuo Tsuyu Bonito Flavored Soup Base
Soup Base is a traditional Japanese condiment made from soy sauce and bonito flavoring. Great as a soup for Japanese noodles like Udon, Soba or Soumen. It is a key ingredient for tempura sauce, Donburi (Japanese bowl dish) or Oden. Soup Base is also a wonderful substitute for soy sauce. Mizkan Oigatsuo Tsuyu with green label has no MSG.
Mizkan Sesame Goma Shabu Sauce
This sesame based sauce is used in the traditional Japanese meal “Shabu Shabu” (hotpot) which is a pot dish for thinly sliced beef and vegetables. Sesame Goma Shabu Sauce is also great as a salad dressing or Asian noodle sauce.
Mizkan Creamy Sesame Dressing
A creamy and rich dressing perfect for not only salads but also sauces for cutlets, omelets, yakitori, vegetables, the list is endless. This thick dressing is made from vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds, egg, sugar and spices.
Mizkan Ponzu offers the bright citrus flavors of lemon and orange combined with the savory, brothy (Umami) taste. Use it on dumplings, fresh vegetables, Asian rice, fish and grilled meat dishes.
Mizkan Honteri Mirin (Sweet Seasoning)
HONTERI® Sweet Seasoning is a non alcoholic, non salted mirin that adds a touch of sweetness to your meal. Use it for teriyaki sauces, sukiyaki sauces or marinades, and other Asian sauces.
In the next three months, I will be sharing with you amazing Asian (non-Japanese) recipes that you can make with the versatile Mizkan sauces and condiments. There will also be product bundles and giveaways. Please stay tuned.