Mirin

Mirin is an essential ingredient in Japanese cuisine, both traditional and modern: omelettes, ‘oden’ stews and broths for sukiyaki, ramen and udon, teriyaki and ponzu sauces… This sweet sake, once drunk on New Year’s Day, is everywhere. It must be said that its four main properties are highly sought after: mirin softens, enhances, protects and beautifies at the same time.

Mirin is soft

The first property: it softens. This seems logical, as traditional mirin is naturally sweet. But good quality mirin also has a distinctive, rich, deep flavour. Which brings us to its second quality: it enhances.

A natural flavour enhancer

It is produced by the fermentation of rice by a small fungus called “koji”, which was named the “national fungus” by the Japanese in 2006 because of its indispensable role in the production of sake, miso and saké. Under the right conditions, koji fermentation produces amino acids that “flavour” food. These amino acids are present in mirin, which can therefore be described as a “natural flavour enhancer”.

A foolproof ingredient

The third quality of mirin is that it protects: because it is not afraid of heat, mirin keeps meat, fish and vegetables tender and juicy during intense or prolonged cooking. That’s why it’s used in glazing sauces such as “teriyaki” for meat skewers or baked salmon, and “dengaku” for the famous Japanese fried eggplant.

Cooking to perfection

The final quality, which is directly related to the third, is that of embellishment. Mirin-based sauces give food a glossy, appetising appearance. With a little practice, it’s easy to recognise this characteristic “shimmer”… To sum up, we’ll say it again: it is essential.