106-2/Kimaru Soy Sauce 160ml Small / First Try Size
"Kimaru Shoyu" is a Japanese-style seasoning created to make Japanese home cooking easier and more delicious. It combines the fundamental Japanese ingredients of soy sauce, sake, m irin, and sugar in a balance that makes it easy to use in everyday cooking. In Japan, since ancient times, people have adjusted the taste of dishes by adding a little soy sauce, mirin, or sugar depending on the dish. Teriyaki, ginger pork, nikujaga (meat and potato stew), oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl), gyudon (beef rice bowl), grilled fish, simmered dishes... Japanese people eat these kinds of dishes, where the taste is adjusted little by little, almost every day. However, in reality, creating this delicate balance of flavors is surprisingly difficult even for Japanese people. On busy days, measuring out multiple seasonings can feel troublesome. "Kimaru Shoyu" is designed to make it easier to enjoy that "sense of determining the taste" in Japanese home cooking. It's not just sweet, nor is it just salty. It's finished to allow you to enjoy the deep umami flavor characteristic of Japanese cuisine. In Japanese cuisine, "umami" isn't simply about a strong flavor. It encompasses sweetness, saltiness, acidity, and aroma. Each of these is layered subtly to create a naturally harmonious overall flavor. Japanese chefs create depth in their dishes by layering these small "hidden flavors." "Kimaru Soy Sauce" embodies this philosophy of Japanese cuisine. It's not just soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar; apples, lemons, onions, and ginger are carefully pickled in it. In fact, these ingredients are all in season in Japan from autumn to winter. These ingredients have accumulated plenty of aroma, sweetness, and umami during the cold season. "Kimaru Soy Sauce" is made using these seasonal ingredients. The apples used are "Fuji apples." In Japan, this variety is known for its excellent balance of sweetness, acidity, and aroma. We use ingredients grown with reduced pesticide use and prepare our soy sauce during its peak season when the aroma is at its best. We use reduced-pesticide lemons from Kumamoto and Ehime prefectures. Japanese lemons are slightly different from the strongly acidic lemons of other countries; they have a milder aroma and naturally balance the aftertaste. In "Kimaru Soy Sauce," the subtle acidity and aroma of these lemons tighten the overall flavor, creating a light and deep aftertaste. We use onions grown with reduced pesticide use from Awaji Island. Awaji Island onions are particularly famous throughout Japan. The region has soil and a climate suitable for onion cultivation, and is known for growing onions with strong sweetness, aroma, and umami. When heated, the natural sweetness spreads, giving the entire seasoning a gentle richness. We use pesticide-free ginger grown in the Shimanto River basin of Kochi Prefecture. The Shimanto River is known as one of the most beautiful rivers in Japan. It has a rich aroma and a refreshing spiciness that enhances the overall flavor of dishes. In Japan, there is a food culture that values seasonal ingredients. Therefore, "Kimaru Soy Sauce" is not mass-produced year-round, but rather brewed while considering the aroma and condition of the ingredients. Typical "noodle soup bases" are often made primarily from seafood broth such as bonito flakes, and are used in Japanese households not only for noodle dishes but also for various other Japanese dishes. However, seasonings made with seafood broth tend to change in flavor easily after opening. Therefore, even Japanese people sometimes find it difficult to use it all up while maintaining its deliciousness. "Kimaru Soy Sauce" is made primarily from plant-derived ingredients, without using any animal-derived ingredients. As a result, the balance of flavor is relatively stable, and it is made to allow you to enjoy a deep umami flavor down to the last drop. Overseas, even if you stock up on individual ingredients like soy sauce, mirin, and sake, it's not easy to recreate the balanced flavors of Japanese cuisine. Many people struggle with the delicate seasoning unique to Japanese food, finding it too sweet, too salty, or lacking in umami. "Kimaru Soy Sauce" is designed to make it easier to enjoy the flavors of Japanese home cooking. You can easily make everyday Japanese dishes like teriyaki, yakitori, sukiyaki, ginger pork, yakiniku, stir-fries, simmered dishes, nikujaga, oyakodon, gyudon, nikudofu, and kinpira. Furthermore, in Japan, marinating ingredients in seasonings before grilling is a long-standing and popular cooking method for meat and fish dishes. For example, by adding grated garlic and sesame oil to "Kimaru Soy Sauce," rubbing it into meat, and marinating it overnight, you can enjoy a Japanese-style "marinated and grilled" yakiniku. The flavor permeates the meat thoroughly, resulting in a surprisingly deep and complex taste even at home. It also pairs well with fish dishes. In Japan, there's a culture of "tsuke-yaki," where fish is marinated in seasonings before grilling. Among these, "Yuan-yaki" is a delicate fish dish characteristic of Japanese cuisine, popular in Japanese restaurants and high-end eateries. Yuan-yaki is made by marinating fish in soy sauce, sake, mirin, and a citrus-based aroma, then grilling it. The citrus aroma and subtle acidity enhance the fish's umami while creating a light and elegant aftertaste. In Japanese cuisine, this "layering of aromas" technique is highly valued. Authentic Yuan-yaki requires meticulous adjustments to the seasoning ratio, marinating time, and grilling time, making it a somewhat time-consuming dish even for Japanese people. It's rarely made at home and is enjoyed as a "slightly special fish dish" at Japanese restaurants and high-end eateries. "Kimaru Soy Sauce" already has lemons infused into it. Therefore, simply marinating fish in it allows you to easily enjoy the uniquely Japanese, deep flavor of "tsuke-yaki" (marinated and grilled fish) at home. It's also delicious simply as a dipping sauce for steamed or grilled vegetables. The natural sweetness of the vegetables combined with the umami of "Kimaru Soy Sauce" creates a satisfying flavor even in simple dishes. It pairs well with tofu dishes; simply adding plenty of grated ginger and "Kimaru Soy Sauce" to chilled tofu creates a truly authentic Japanese home-style taste. In Japan, everyday home cooking—such as stir-frying or simmering vegetables and preparing tofu—is enjoyed not only in special restaurant dishes but also in daily meals. Washoku (Japanese cuisine) was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. The registration included not only famous dishes such as tempura, sushi, and sashimi. Japanese food culture itself, including everyday home cooking, is highly valued. "Kimaru Soy Sauce" is designed to make the familiar flavors of everyday Japanese meals more easily accessible. Simply using it on meat, vegetables, or tofu from your refrigerator allows you to easily enjoy authentic Japanese flavors. Even without special cooking skills, it makes it easy to create natural flavors like those found in home-cooked meals. Furthermore, "Kimaru Soy Sauce" is not just a seasoning for Japanese cuisine. It can be used in a variety of dishes, including meat dishes, grilled dishes, stir-fries, roasted vegetables, sauces, and dressings. By combining it with hot sauces, spices, garlic, and sesame oil, which are popular overseas, you can enjoy new flavors. For example, marinating meat with hot sauce allows you to enjoy a new kind of umami flavor, different from traditional Japanese cuisine. The ability to use "Kimaru Soy Sauce" in a variety of dishes with a free-thinking approach, while based on the principles of Japanese cuisine, is a major appeal of this product. Even those who aren't confident in their cooking skills will find it easy to achieve a perfect flavor, and it allows people overseas interested in Japanese food to easily enjoy the taste of Japanese home cooking. It contains no preservatives, artificial colors, artificial flavors, or MSG (amino acids, etc.). Made in Japan using Japanese ingredients, while cherishing the seasonal aromas. "Kimaru Soy Sauce" is a seasoning designed to allow you to enjoy the gentle yet profound flavor that has been cherished in Japanese households, more freely and easily.
