Tsuyu (つゆ) or Mentsuyu 麺つゆ (めんつゆ)sauce is a Japanese concentrated soya based sauce used in a variety of Japanese dishes such as broths and dipping sauces. Tsuyu is a pantry staple in Japan. It is surprisingly easy to make. It has a lovely sweet and salty taste.

I have two recipes I use depending on what I have on hand in my pantry and how busy I am that day. The first is a simple sauce using just dashi powder. The second requires a little more work as it uses dried konbu (kelp) and bonito (fish) flakes, also called katsuobushi. Both are delicious.

How To Use Tsuyu/Mentsuyu Sauce

Tsuyu sauce is most often used with noodles such as soba, udon or somen. It is used as a rich umami dipping sauce for cold noodles such as soba, and it can be used as a seasoning for a variety of dishes, such as tempura, donburi (rice bowls), nabe (hot pot) dishes and broths for udon, ramen and soba.

It is also great to add to dressings and sauces for fish, meat or tofu. It goes well with tempura as a dipping sauce mixed with grated daikon radish.

Tsuyu sauce is quite concentrated so it is often diluted with water to suit your tastes. As a dipping sauce usually 1 part tsuyu to 1 part water, and for a broth 1 part tsuyu to 8 parts water or dashi. It really depends on your taste.

How To Make Tsuyu Sauce

Dashi is the base of tsuyu sauce. You can use powdered dashi such as the fish (bonito) dashi or Konbu (kelp) dashi pictured above.

Above are the backs of the packages so you can see the ingredients label.

Adjust the amount and type of dashi to your tastes.

If you can find the ingredients and have time then you can make the second recipe which uses bonito fish flakes and konbu kelp to infuse the flavour of the sauce. The longer you leave the fish flakes (bonito) in the pot the stronger the taste will be.

Above are the backs of the packages, so that you can see the ingredients. I've found them at Health food stores and Asian grocery stores. For the bonito flakes you will want to get the larger flakes if possible.

Easy Gluten-Free Tsuyu (Mentsuyu) Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon dashi powder
• 1/2 cup gluten-free soya sauce
• 5 Tablespoons mirin
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium sauce pan add all ingredients and bring to a boil, turn off right after it boils.
2. Let cool and put in a container and store in the fridge. Keeps for a couple of months in the fridge.
3. You can use as a dipping sauce for cold noodles as is or mix one part sauce with one part water if you like a milder flavour.

Gluten-Free Tsuyu (Mentsuyu) Sauce Using Bonito Flakes and Konbu Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon dashi powder
• 1/2 cup gluten-free soya sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar (optional)
• 1 sheet (about 2 inches by 4 inches) of Konbu (kelp)
• 1 to 2 cups bonito (fish) flakes, also called katsuobushi (鰹節)

Directions

1. In a medium sauce pan add all ingredients except the bonito flakes and bring to a boil. Then remove from heat.
2. Stir in the bonito flakes and wait about 30 seconds until the bonito flakes are soaked through, then strain.
3. Put the liquid in a glass container and let cool. It is ready to use.
4. Store in the fridge. Keeps for a couple of months.
5. You can use as a dipping sauce for cold noodles as is or mix one part sauce with one part water if you like a milder flavour.

Sides To Serve With Cold Noodles and Tsuyu Dipping Sauce

The simplest and most common sides served with cold soba noodles and tsuyu are thinly sliced green onions and wasabi paste. This is mixed into the tsuyu and then the noodles are dipped into the sauce. Then thin strips of nori seaweed are sprinkled on top of the soba noodles.

What Do You Eat With Cold Soba Noodles (Zaru Soba):

• finely sliced green onions
• wasabi
• sliced nori seaweed
perilla (shiso) leaves, sliced thinly
• sesame seeds
tempura, called tenzaru (天ざる)
• deep fried renkon (lotus root)
• egg, boiled or poached
• sliced cucumbers
• julienned carrots
• seaweed salad
• Japanese pickles such as takuan

Why Is It Called Mentsuyu?

Tsuyu is often referred to as Mentsuyu. The kanji "麺" (men) means "noodle," and "つゆ" (tsuyu) means "sauce" or "broth." Mentsuyu is a common seasoning sauce made from soy sauce, mirin, dashi, and sugar, and it's typically used as a dipping sauce for noodles like soba or udon It is very popular in Japan. There are many premade bottled varieties of mentsuyu sold in stores in Japan.

They are variations of mentsuyu in Japan, with some recipes tailored to specific regional tastes or dish pairings. Shiitake (mushroom) dashi is also used in some areas of Japan.

Other Gluten-Free Japanese Soup Recipes You Might Like

1. Gluten-Free Dashi Recipe
2. Gluten-Free Kitsune Soba Recipe

Has anyone found a Premade gluten-free version of tsuyu? Do you make your own? If so, how do you make it?

Note: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Always seek out a medical opinion for medical concerns. Not sponsored. If sponsored I will always say so at the top of the post.