Nihonichi Shoyusco Jalepeño Hot Sauce
Nihonichi’s Jalapeño Shoyusco Hot Sauce was wildly different from any other hot sauce our testers had ever tried before. It’s produced in Japan by a revered shoyu manufacturer that traces its roots back to the 1700s. To make their soy sauce, they ferment soy for up to two years in 100-year-old cedar wood vats, unlike the stainless steel tubs other producers use. Once brewed, the soy sauce is combined with balsamic vinegar, which serves as a unique base, lending depth to the light, bright addition of jalapeño heat. There’s a welcome thread of garlic rounded out with white pepper for an addictive, truffle-like quality. Its’ spicy, bright and packed with umami—what’s not to love? It disappears so quickly in Matthew Card’s, Creative Director of Recipes and Products, house, that he buys three bottles at a time.
Enokida Jozo Yuzu Miso
Saucy and full of punchy yuzu flavor, Enokida Jouzo's Yuzu Miso is a lovely twist on a typical umami-packed miso. With a texture perfect for spreading or glazing, this slightly sweet miso is made from rice malt and yuzu, a tart citrus fruit grown in Japan. Add this citrusy flavor bomb on top of rice, mixed into noodles, on vegetables, fish, chicken, meat and more. Based in the Gunma Prefecture at the foot of Mt. Akagi in Maebashi City, a place known for its fermented foods, the company has been in business for over 100 years.
Empress Pineapple Miso Hot Sauce
Made and bottled in Taiwan, this small-batch hot sauce features Taiwan-grown pineapples sourced from family farms and a hint of miso. Inspired by the flavor of tacos al pastor, savory miso, fruity chilies and bright, acidic pineapple combine to make a mild-to-moderate hot sauce. It’s excellent in a marinade, thanks to pineapple’s natural ability to tenderize; we love it in grilling and basting sauces. It’s also wonderful on pizza, thanks to its smooth and pourable consistency.
Nihonichi Premium Tamari
Tamari, the liquid byproduct that results from pressing miso, is so much more than gluten-free soy sauce (a common misconception among American cooks). This premium tamari from Nihonichi is darker, richer and less salty in flavor than the soy sauce in your cabinet, adding layers of umami and a sweet finish—reminiscent of miso—with just a splash. It’s produced in Japan by a revered shoyu manufacturer that traces its roots back to the 1700s. And unlike grocery store brands that may muddy and darken the flavors of your dish, this tamari, naturally brewed in wooden vats, is deeply flavorful and pourable, perfect to add to just about any dish.
Haeoorim Jeju Korean Fish Sauce
For those put off by the typical pungency of fish sauce, Haeeorim’s Jeju Korean Fish Sauce—a milder, less funky take on the classic staple—may be just the thing. Caught in the waters off of Korea’s Jeju Island by local fisherman, a combination of young and horse mackerel marinate in salt crystals from Jeju before being expertly sealed in traditional Onggi (Korean earthenware pots) for more than a year. After the initial fermentation, a mixture of locally-grown daikon radish, sea kelp from Wando and local mandarin orange are added to the Onggi to add interesting notes of flavor, complexity and a bit of sweetness. After another period of aging and ripening, the resulting sauce is clean without the funk of typical fish sauce— thanks to milder mackerel, a less pungent option than the anchovies typically used for fish sauce, and longer fermenting—yet still full of meaty fish flavor. With a little more sweetness and a lighter touch of salt than most other brands, this fish sauce lends itself beautifully to a variety of dishes, from noodles and vegetables to sauces and marinades.
King Foods Onion Dressing
Onion is the star ingredient in this well-balanced dressing. Prepared by accomplished chef to the Japanese royal family and head of King Foods, Takashi Hidie, it combines the popular allium with oil, vinegar, honey and garlic for a slightly sweet, onion-forward result with just the right hit of acid. We don’t just reserve this pleasantly thick dressing for salad, though—use it to marinade meat or as a dipping sauce, add it to rice, noodles, steaks, burgers and sandwiches.
Yokofuku Japanese Garlic Paste with Shio Koji
Crafted from Japanese-grown garlic, this velvety, creamy paste is a game-changing flavor booster—every jar contains two whole heads of garlic, finished with a hint of fermented funk from shio koji. Its texture resembles garlic butter—the garlic is raw when pureed into paste. The paste is ready to use out of the jar, bringing garlic, salt and umami to dishes without making a sticky, pungent mess of your hands or cutting board.
The first note is a bold hit of sweet garlic, with zero pungency or bite to follow up. The koji provides an earthy, rounded sweetness like other fermented ingredients—like gochujang or miso—and is our secret to perfect marinades. Shio koji’s enzymes break down proteins, for juicy, tender meat and fish. Mix it into marinades or brines (the fast-working shio koji save tenderizing time), toss with stir-fries or pastas, stir into soup or rub as is on to steak or chicken legs. We also like it as a condiment—slather it on toasted bread, serve on a charcuterie board or with antipasti, dish some up alongside grilled vegetables or fried chicken. This premium seasoning is made with zero artificial additives.
King Foods Carrot Dressing
Carrots are the star ingredient in this unique dressing. Prepared by accomplished chef to the Japanese royal family and head of King Foods, Takashi Hidie, it combines carrots with honey, vinegar and garlic for a tangy and savory result that strikes a lovely balance between sweetness and zest. We don’t just reserve this pleasantly thick dressing for salad, though—use it to marinade meat or as a dipping sauce, add it to rice and noodles, steaks, burgers or sandwiches.
King Foods Kabosu Dressing
A popular Japanese citrus closely related to yuzu, kabosu is the star ingredient in this tangy dressing. Prepared by accomplished chef to the Japanese royal family and head of King Foods, Takashi Hidie, it combines satisfyingly acidic kabosu juice with sugar, vinegar, EVOO, dashi and bonito powder for a tart and smoky result with the right amount of sweetness. We don’t just reserve this light dressing for salad, though—use it to marinade meat or as a dipping sauce, add it to rice and noodles or drizzle on steaks, burgers and sandwiches.
Enokida Jozo Chili Miso
Saucy and full of subtle—not overwhelming—chili flavor, Enokida Jouzo's Chili Miso is a peppery twist on a typical umami-packed miso. With a texture perfect for spreading or glazing, this slightly sweet miso is made from rice malt and Japanese green chili peppers. Add this zippy flavor bomb on top of rice, mixed into noodles, on vegetables, fish, chicken, meat and more. Based in the Gunma Prefecture at the foot of Mt. Akagi in Maebashi City, a city known for its fermented foods, the company has been in business for over 100 years.
Marukin Koikuchi 40% Reduced Salt Soy Sauce
Most low-sodium soy sauces lack flavor or complexity, but this premium product from Marukin packs a ton of rich umami flavor with half the salt. Established in 1907, Marukin is one of only 1% of Japanese soy sauce producers that maintain traditional production methods from the past century. Their low-sodium sauce is made from the same ingredients as regular soy sauce and is fermented in cedar barrels over a hundred years old; the natural bacteria and yeast that live on the barrels and in the air slowly ferment the soybeans into this naturally sweet, malty and complex sauce. It's the perfect substitute for regular soy sauce for anyone who is looking to reduce their sodium intake without sacrificing flavor. Add this reduced sodium soy sauce to any number of dishes, marinades and sauces.
Yokofuku “More More Garlic” Teriyaki Sauce
An exclusive Milk Street staff favorite and chock-full of Japanese-grown garlic, Yokofuku’s “More More Garlic” Teriyaki Sauce brings bold, sweet, garlicky flavor to just about anything you add it to. Planted in mid-September in Kagoshima Prefecture, an area with active volcanoes that makes for the most fertile soil, the garlic in this sauce is harvested in early June and combined with soy sauce from the Kyushu region, mirin, sesame and oyster sauce for a punchy, thick final product. Right upfront you’ll taste salty soy combined with pungent garlic, then notes of sweet, nutty sesame, plus a little bit of acid and funk from the mirin and oyster sauce. Use this delightfully textured sauce as a marinade or dipping sauce for barbecued meats, roasted veggies and tofu; toss with noodles and rice or add for an instant flavor booster to soups.
Nitto Jozo White Tamari
Note that while tamari is often used as a term for gluten-free soy sauce, Nitto Jozo’s White Tamari is actually all wheat-based. (In Japan, tamari simply refers to a liquid that is pressed out of another substance—in this case, wheat.) This sauce is malty-sweet and slightly tangy, a great choice for those who want the umami flavor of soy sauce with less saltiness.
Marukin Mentsuyu All-Purpose Noodle Sauce & Soup Base
Used widely across Japan as a standalone sauce, soup base and dressing for cold noodles, this umami-packed mentsuyu from Marukin needs no diluting. Unlike other similar products on the market, this full-flavored, complex sauce is completely ready to use—without adding any water. A blend of premium soy sauce and dashi broth, each high quality ingredient is sourced from Japan. Balancing both salty and sweet, each bite is smoky and briny without overpowering. With a variety of uses, we like it served alongside both hot or cold noodles, as a dipping sauce or as a broth. It also works well as a dipping sauce for tempura, as a base for other soups, subbed in for dressing, marinade, pickling liquid or splashed in as a flavor enhancer for egg dishes.
Woon Kitchen Stir Fry Sauce
Packed full of savory, umami flavor, Woon Kitchen’s Stir Fry Sauce is a quick and satisfying addition to noodles, vegetables, rice, meat and more. Based in LA, the mother and son duo behind the company began selling Chinese comfort dishes at a pop-up restaurant. Immensely popular today, Woon Kitchen now has a brick-and-mortar location where they sell the same comfort food and some of the ingredients that make it—including their stir-fry sauce. Packaged in an easy-to-squeeze bottle, perfect for controlling your drizzle, this sauce combines a punch of oyster sauce and the funk of mushrooms, balanced out by a hit of sugar and salty soy sauce. It coats udon noodles and vegetables evenly, or makes a fantastic marinade for grilled meats.
Super Sarap Sauce
Sarap is the Tagalog word for “delicious” or “tasty,” and Super Sarap Sauce, small-batch Filipino condiment made in San Francisco, certainly lives up to the name. Savory, tangy, sweet, citrusy and a little peppery, this powerhouse sauce is unlike anything we’ve ever tasted. The pairing of calamansi, a tart citrus that combines lemon, lime and orange flavors, with mushroom, tamari and sugar adds salt, acid, umami and brightness to any dish. If we were to liken it to anything else on the market, it’s closest to a mixture of ponzu and Worcestershire sauces—but the comparison doesn’t do it justice. And with a relatively thin consistency, it’s easy to mix into sauces, dressings, use as a marinade, coat noodles, tacos, eggs or french fries.
Colonel Pabst All-Malt Amber Lager Worcestershire Sauce
This sauce’s profile is unlike any other we’ve tried. While Worcestershire can typically have a reputation as being tart and tangy, we love how this one leads with sweet and malty notes. It’s brewed in small batches before it’s carefully strained and bottled. And it begins with award-winning Milwaukee amber lager from Lakefront Brewery—mellow, yet rich. Made from a family recipe, it has far more noticeable layers than the typical grocery store variety, but still offers that special flavor boosting quality Worcestershire is known for. Indian tamarind, molasses and Demerara sugar offer a unique sweetness, while madras curry, peppercorn and cinnamon yield a balanced warmth. We especially love the use of tomato paste here, which is relatively uncommon, and the classic umami base that comes from classic anchovy paste and soy.
MegaChef Smooth Sweet Chili Sauce
Made from chilies handpicked in Thailand—and incredibly hard to find in the U.S.—Megachef’s Smooth Sweet Chili Sauce achieves the perfect balance of sweet, savory and spicy. Unlike other chili sauces loaded with stabilizers that make them sticky, Megachef’s version is blended smooth with an ideal viscosity for multiple cooking applications. It easily blends into marinades, sauces for noodles, stir-fries, and dipping sauces. We were wowed by the unique flavor—sweet on the front followed by a light tang, hit of garlic and decent heat that doesn’t linger too long. And this sauce is made with no preservatives, colors or artificial sweeteners, so you can feel good about using it at just about every meal.