The 10 Best Ways To Use Mentsuyu (Recipes)

What Is Mentsuyu?

Mentsuyu is generally made from soy sauce, sugar, salt, and bonito dashi. Although the taste slightly differ depending on the manufacturer, mentsuyu contains most of the flavors needed for Japanese cuisine. You could even make the perfect meal only by using a bottle of mentsuyu.

Here, I am introducing the 10 best mentsuyu recipes that you can try so easy at home!

By the way, concentration of mentsuyu also varies from product to product. Please check how much is the strength of your mentsuyu before you start cooking.

Please check this page for details of Mentsuyu.
What Is Mentsuyu and How Is It Used?

The 10 Best Ways To Use Mentsuyu (Recipes)

1. Chicken Chashu with Mentsuyu

Ingredients (for 4 servings)
・1 lb (500g) Chicken thigh
・4 Boiled eggs
・0.6 cup (150ml) Mentsuyu triple strength
・1 tbsp Sugar
・1 tbsp Chicken stock powder
・1 tbsp Grated garlic
・1 tbsp Sesame oil
・0.8 cup (200ml) Water

Direction
1. Put all of the seasonings and water into a pot. After boiling, add meat and eggs.
2. When it is boiled again, reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Turn over the meat and eggs, simmer another 10 minutes.

Ready to eat!

2. Hamburger Steak with Mentsuyu Sauce

Ingredients (for 2 servings)
・0.9 lb (400g) Ground beef or beef+pork
・3.5 oz (100g) Onion
・1 Egg
・4 tbsp Panko
・1 tbsp Mayonnaise
・Salt and pepper

Sauce
・4 tbsp Mentsuyu triple strength
・0.8 cup (200ml) Water
・1 tsp Grated ginger
・1 tsp Grated garlic
・1 tbsp Potato starch or Corn starch
・1 tbsp Water

・Grated daikon

Direction
1. Finely chop the onion. Microwave the minced onion for 3 minutes, and cool enough.
2. Put ground meat, onion, egg, panko, mayonnaise, salt and pepper into a bowl. Knead well.
3. Mold into an oval shape.
4. Bake on medium heat until both sides are browned.
5. Cover and bake on low heat for 5 minutes.
6. Prepare a clean pot, and boil the seasonings for the sauce. (You can add your favorite mushrooms if you want.)
7. Mix potato starch with the same amount of water as potato starch. Put it into the sauce and boil it for 1-2 minutes until thickened.
8. Dish up the hamburger steak and pour the sauce on top. Put grated daikon as you like.

Ready to eat!

3. Pepper Steak with Mentsuyu

Ingredients (for 2 servings)
・5 oz (150g) Beef or Pork
・3.5 oz (100g) Bell pepper
・3.5 oz (100g) Bamboo shoots or Paprika or Eggplant
・1 tbsp Sesame oil

A
・1 tsp Soy sauce
・1 tsp Sake
・1 tsp Potato starch

B
・1.5 tbsp Mentsuyu triple strength
・1.5 tbsp Sake
・1.5 tbsp Sugar
・1.5 tbsp Oyster sauce
・1 tsp Grated ginger
・1 tsp Grated garlic

Direction
1. Thinly slice the meat, and mix the meat with sauce A.
2. Shred the bell peppers and bamboo shoots (or alternative).
3. Put sesame oil into a heated frying pan, and stir-fry meat and vegetables.
4. When ingredients are cooked, pour the sauce B.
5. Stir-fry for a while.

Ready to eat!

4. Cold Udon with Mentsuyu

Ingredients (for 2 servings)
・0.9 lb (400g) Boiled udon noodles*
・3 oz (85g) Eggplant
・1 canned tuna
・Minced green onion
・2 tbsp Oil for deep-frying

・2 tbsp Mentsuyu triple strength
・0.3 cup (90ml) Cold water

^{*The udon noodles should be washed in cold water well after boiling.}

Direction
1. Mix mentsuyu with the cold water.
2. Cut eggplant into bite-sized. Then, deep-fry them.
3. Dish up the boiled udon on a plate, and put deep-fried eggplant and tuna.
4. Pour mentsuyu on top, and sprinkle minced green onion as you like.

Ready to eat!

5. Cucumber Spicy Pickles with Mentsuyu

Ingredients (for 2 servings)
・9 oz (250g) Cucumber
・1.6 cup (400ml) Water
・1 tsp Salt

A
・1.5 tbsp Mentsuyu triple strength
・1 tbsp Sesame oil
・1 tsp Chicken stock powder
・0.5 tsp Sugar
・1 Red pepper

Direction
1. Cut cucumber into bite-sized.
2. Put water and salt into a plastic bag, and soak cucumber in the salt water for 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes, drain the salt water well.
4. Prepare a clean bowl or plastic bag and make the pickles liquid mixing A. Put the cucumber into the liquid. Please adjust the spiciness to your liking.
5. Rest it in your fridge for at least 1 hour.

Ready to eat!

6. Meat and Potatoes (Nikujaga) with Mentsuyu

Ingredients (for 2 servings)
・5.3 oz (150g) Beef or Pork
・10.5 oz (300g) Potatoes
・3.5 oz (100g) Onion
・2.8 oz (80g) Carrot
・0.8 cup (200ml) Water
・2 tbsp Sugar
・0.6 cup (150ml) Mentsuyu triple strength

Direction
1. Cut meat and vegetables into bite-sized.
2. Put water and sugar into a pot. Put on high heat.
3. When it boils, put all the vegetables first.
4. When it comes to a boil again, add meat. Skim off the scum.
5. Add mentsuyu and simmer for 15 minutes until the broth is slightly reduced.

Ready to eat!

7. Marinated Fresh Tuna Bowl with Mentsuyu

Ingredients (for 2 servings)
・2 bowls of rice
・7 oz (200g) Raw tuna
・3 tbsp Mentsuyu triple strength
・1 tbsp Soy sauce

・Minced green onion
・2 sheets Shiso leaves

Direction
1. Slice the raw tuna.
2. Prepare a clean container, and mix mentsuyu and soy sauce in it.
3. Soak sliced tuna in the sauce.
4. Rest it in your fridge for 40 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Dish up the rice on a bowl, and then put marinated tuna, green onion, and shiso.

Ready to eat!

8. Chicken and Egg Bowl (Oyakodon) with Mentsuyu

Ingredients (for 2 servings)
・2 bowls of rice
・9oz (250g) Chicken thigh
・3.5 oz (100g) Onion
・3 Eggs
・0.4 cup (100ml) Water
・0.2 cup (50ml) Mentsuyu triple strength
・1 tbsp Sugar

Direction
1. Cut chicken into bite-sized, and thinly slice the onion.
2. Put water, mentsuyu, and sugar in a frying pan.
3. When it boils, cook onion and chicken.
4. Make roughly beaten egg with 2 eggs, and pour it into the pan.
5. Cook for a while, and add the rest of (beaten) egg.
6. Cover and turn off the heat.
7. When the last egg you put in is a little hardened, it’s done.
8. Dish up the rice on a bowl, and put chicken and eggs on top.

Ready to eat!

9. Spinach and Bacon Pasta with Mentsuyu

Ingredients (for 2 servings)
・7 oz (200g) Spaghetti
・3.5 oz (100g) Spinach
・1.7 oz (50g) Bacon
・1 clove of Garlic
・4 tbsp Mentsuyu triple strength
・2 tbsp Butter
・1 tbsp Olive oil
・Black pepper

Direction
1. Put oil into a pan, and cook minced garlic and bacon.
2. When you can smell the garlic, add spinach.
3. Add boiled spaghetti, butter, and mentsuyu.
4. Turn off the heat, and stir well.
5. Dish up and sprinkle black pepper as you like.

Ready to eat!

10. Japanese Mixed Rice (Takikomi-gohan) with Mentsuyu

Ingredients (for 2 servings)
・5.3 oz (150g / 1 go) Rice
・1.7 oz (50g) Carrot
・2 Shiitake mushrooms
・1 sheet Thin deep-fried tofu
・2 tbsp Mentsuyu triple strength

Direction
1. Cut carrot, mushrooms, and deep-fried tofu into fine strips.
2. Wash the rice well. Drain the water.
3. Put rice and mentsuyu in your rice cooker.
4. Add water. Make the total amount of liquid a little less than rice cooker’s indication line of 1 go. Stir well.
5. Put all the ingredients, and cook just like the regular rice.

Ready to eat!