Mentsuyu Recipe (Classic Noodle Soup Base & Vegan Alternatives)
Try this authentic Mentsuyu Recipe for a deliciously rich taste!! Enjoy the irresistible umami flavors, perfect for slurping up with your favorite Japanese noodles!
Looking for easy noodle recipes? Try my Tanuki Udon, Kitsune Udon, or Zaru Udon!
I’ll walk you through the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. I hope you enjoy it!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Mentsuyu Recipe:
How To Make Mentsuyu: STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions! For the video and all the detailed ingredients and instructions, go to the printable recipe card below.
Step 1
Soak kombu for 30 minutes or more.
Step 2
Bring to a boil and take out the kombu.
Step 3
Add soy sauce, mirin, and katsuobushi, bring it to a boil, and simmer.
Step 4
Strain the mentsuyu to remove the katsuobushi.
That’s it! Get ready to savor the delicious umami of mentsuyu soup.
Storage
Keep the mentsuyu in a glass jar or airtight container and store it in the fridge for one week. For long-term storage, freeze it in a freezer bag or ice cube tray and store it in the freezer for one month.
What to do with the leftover dashi ingredients
When you make mentsuyu from scratch, you will have leftovers, called dashi gara (leftover dashi). Don’t throw them away; you can use them to make a delicious onigiri filling!
Finely chop kombu and katsuobushi, cook them in a pan over low heat, and let any extra liquid evaporate. Mix them with steamed rice and make an onigiri rice ball.
You will enjoy the perfect harmony between savory dashi ingredients and plain rice in this delicious onigiri!
Try These Easy Japanese Noodle Dishes
Satisfy those noodle cravings with these flavorful Japanese noodle recipes. From hot soups to refreshing cold dishes, there are many ways to enjoy these various noodles!
Your Questions Answered
No, you can’t. Using only soy sauce is too salty as mentsuyu has a milder flavor.
It’s not sweet but mildly salty, and you can taste the savory flavor from the dashi stock.
Mentsuyu is crafted with just three main ingredients–dashi stock, soy sauce, and mirin. Buying a store-bought mentsuyu in Japan is common, but it’s easy to make at home.
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Mentsuyu Recipe (Classic Noodle Soup Base & Vegan Alternatives)
Print Pin SaveEquipment
- Medium saucepan 18cm (7 inches)
- Strainer
- Coffee filter or paper towel, cloth
- Glass jar or airtight container
Ingredients
- 10 g Kombu, kelp
- 1 L Water
- ½ cup Soy sauce, 120ml
- ½ cup Mirin, 120ml
- 30 g Katsuobushi, bonito flakes
For Vegan Mentsuyu
- 1 tsp Kombu Dashi Powder
- 2 Tbsp Mirin
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- ½ tsp Salt
- 3 cups Water, 720ml
Instructions
- Soak the Kombu: In a medium saucepan, combine water and kombu. Let it soak for at least 30 minutes to extract the flavor.
- Make the Kombu Dashi: After soaking, bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat off, and remove the kombu.
- Simmer: Add soy sauce, mirin, and katsuobushi to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Cool Down: Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mentsuyu cool to room temperature.
- Strain: Place a coffee filter inside a strainer and position it over a glass jar. Carefully strain the mentsuyu to remove the katsuobushi.
For Vegan Mentsuyu
- Put all the ingredients in a pot and bring it to a boil.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Keep in a glass jar or airtight container and store in the fridge for one week or the freezer for one month.
- Dilute mentsuyu with water when you use it for dishes. See the “How to use it” section.
Wow…
Thank you!
Hi. I have a question. Can kombu and katsuobushi be used for something else after boiling?
Ok, I found the answer on the website – origiri, rights? 🙂
Yes, you can mix it in Onigiri!