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EDITORIALS
Only Hokkaido-area residents know about Mentsuyu "Menmi", the ultimate in convenience.
Did you know that such an all-purpose seasoning "Menmi" is actually "limited to Hokkaido"?
When I started living alone in Honshu as a new working adult, I was shocked to find no "Menmi" in any supermarket. It was only when I looked it up on the Internet that I learned that it was a Hokkaido-only product, and I remember asking my mother to send it to me as soon as possible.
"Menmi" is a product of Kikkoman, famous for its soy sauce
Characteristics of "Menmi." The key to its gentle mouthfeel was 00!
Let's look at the ingredients label first
Menmi is a 5X concentrated men-tsuyu (Japanese noodle soup) that combines the umami of dashi broth made from five kinds of fish: bonito, niboshi, kombu, mackerel, and scallop, with soy sauce and hon mirin (Japanese sweet cooking rice wine). The inclusion of scallops in the ingredients gives Menmi a mellow, sweet taste that is different from other mentsuyu, and is uniquely Hokkaido.
With "Men-mi", easy cooking is made easy!
Here is an example of how we made it at home
With the Corona disaster, more and more people are using their home time to cook for themselves. Sometimes you have a limited lunch break when you work from home, or you have hungry children... and you want to cook a meal as quickly as possible. Here are some examples of simple dishes using menmi, which are useful in such situations.
Boiled spinach
Leafy greens of your choice
Simple but elegant
Boiled quail egg
Quail eggs boiled in water
A little water
Make the water so thick that it covers the eggs
Then, just wait until the flavor is in!
Looks so good after just an hour in the fridge
It is a perfect accompaniment to alcoholic beverages when eaten with mustard to your liking. It's also great for drinking at home.
Nabeyaki Udon Noodle
Udon noodles
Shiitake mushrooms
Fish paste
Spinach
Green onions
Eggs and other toppings of your choice
Add your favorite ingredients and simmer gently
This dish is good for digestion and warms you up during cold winters or when you are not feeling well. It is a three birds with one stone menu that you can also take in nutrients with your favorite ingredients.
Tenkasu Onigiri
Tenkasu (fish cake)
Aonori seaweed
Sesame oil (a little for flavor)
Ajinomoto, cheese, sesame seeds, etc. to taste
Since all you have to do is mix, you can make it with your children
Then, what a surprise! It's like the devil's ____ style that is popular at certain convenience stores! You can add a dash of spice to make it spicy to your liking. This is addictive!
Oyako-don
Chicken thighs
Onion
Eggs
Cooking sake
Water
You can also add red ginger on top if you like
Not only for oyakodon, menmi can also be used for other rice dishes such as katsudon (pork cutlet served on top of a bowl of rice)!
Tsuki konnyaku with kojiki
Raw cod roe
konnyaku with konjak
Sugar to taste (a little)
I personally love this dish...I have a craving for it.
You can also add it to dashimaki tamago (rolled egg), simmered dishes, meat and potatoes, beef stew, yaki udon noodles (I recommend sprinkling katsuobushi on top), and Japanese fried rice.
Try this quick and easy dish with "menmi" and see for yourself!