Nagoya-Style Sweet Miso Sauce: You Can Make Savory Sweet Red Miso Sauce Without Mirin

Miso is already one of the worldwide condiments, which is a fermented soybean paste.

Recently, fermented food has been getting attention with its health benefits, so Miso pastes that you want to incorporate into your daily diet.

I’ll bring you up today with this sweet delicious umami-packed, versatile sauce called Miso sauce.

Okay, maybe you may already know the sauce,

yeah yeah, just mix Miso paste, sugar, sake, mirin…whatever…,

but you’ll soon discover its many delights, and because it’s so authentic Nagoya-style Miso sauce because I am from Nagoya.

The Japanese traditional combination of miso paste, Japanese sake, and mirin, will be absolutely addictive, you’ll be able not to stop drizzling.

Also, you can make Miso soup made of this sauce when you store it in your hand.

Nagoya-Style Miso Sauce Is Sweet AND Rich Flavor

Originally, in the Tokai region, red miso paste called “Hacho Miso” has been the staple in the pantry and local people use Miso paste in many dishes.

Especially, Misokatsu, Miso-nikomi-Udon, and Miso Oden, which used the local strong red miso paste called “Hacho Miso” have been popular throughout Japan, as called “Nagoya-Meshi”.

Needless to say, local people often make Miso sauce made of red miso/ Haccho miso.

Needless to say, local people often make homemade Miso sauce made of red miso/ Haccho miso.

In the Tokai region, there are commercial Miso sauce products available, and it has been the popular pantry stock.

Nagoya style Miso sauce is almost sweet, but since it uses Hacho miso which is a rich and storing red miso paste, the sauce is well-balanced sweet, and tangy, which is so addictive.

So, you may need to adjust the volume of sugar if you use regular red miso paste.

What’s Nagoya Miso

Miso only has a history of 1300 years or more, and its variety of types varies from region to region, but Nagoya local red miso, especially, soybean miso and Hatcho miso is a famous popular unique miso paste.

Soybean (mame) miso, Hatcho miso, and red miso look very similar, but what are the differences between them?

What’s Soybean Miso

Soybean (Mame) Miso is miso paste made of only soybeans, salt, and water and aged for a long period.

Mainly, it is produced in Aichi prefecture, and it is miso that is eaten mainly in the Tokai region.

What’s Red Miso

Red miso called Aka miso refers to all red miso types its color is reddish-brown.

Therefore, it is made all over Japan regardless of the difference in raw materials and manufacturing methods, and there are various raw materials such as soybeans, wheat, and rice.

What’s Hatcho Miso

Hatcho Miso is a type of red miso that has a dark strong miso flavor in any other miso.

Originally produced in Okazaki City, a suburb of Nagoya City, Aichi, Japan.

Hatcho Miso is the special local soybean miso that has been made since the early Edo period (between 1603 and 1867) in Hatcho-village, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture.
Hatchō Miso is characterized by being aged for a long period of time, and only bean miso that meets the standards set by the government regarding the manufacturing method, raw materials, and aging method can be called Hatchō Miso.

Hatcho miso is made of only fermented soybean Koji, salt, and water, on the contrary, other miso is made of rice koji, soybeans, salt, and water.

Although you can find it easily in the Nagoya region or Amazon, Hatcho Miso is actually local miso, not widely produced throughout Japan.

For more details about Japanese miso, read this guide.

Japanese Miso Paste 101: Discover Types Of Miso Paste

Miso is a traditional Japanese condiment with a rich flavor and this unique paste we always have on hand today worldwide. It’s versatile, provides incredible umami flavor, and is rich in probiotics. (Yes, miso is the fermented food!) You know there are red, yellow, mixed, white, sweet, dry...whatever they call types of miso. So, I will a little deeper dive into Japanese miso paste, including different types by several points.

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Nagoya-Style Miso Sauce Should Be Red OR Hatcho Miso

Miso paste can be made of rice, barley, soybean, or koji, and each one has different flavors in its richness and sweetness.

As I define this Miso sauce recipe as Nagoya-style, use red miso / Hatcho miso to make this sauce.

When using a different type of miso, especially, white and yellow miso pastes, the homemade miso sauce will be a totally different sauce and more sweet and mild.

Adjust Sweetness Depending On Miso

Although miso pastes are called Red miso including Hatcho Miso, sweetness and richness (salty taste) dramatically defers depending on the manufacturing process and raw materials.

This recipe is based on when using Hatcho miso, so it’ll be so sweet.

Adjust sweetness up to your taste.

Authentic Sweet Nagoya-Style Miso Sauce Without Mirin

Rico McConnell

The Nagoya-style sweet miso sauce. The most versatile sauce or glaze you can easily at home. It is everything you want when grilling, broiling stir-frying, stewing, for meat, seafood, veggies, mushrooms, tofu. This rich umami sauce brings savory flavor to Japanese food and many other cuisines.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Sauce

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4 people

Ingredients  

• ½ cup Japanese red/ Hatcho Miso paste
• ½ cup Raw cane sugar
• ½ cup Water
• 2 tbsp Japanese sake/ white wine
• 1 TSP Hondashi Powder
• 1 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds *optional
• ½ tsp Fresh ground ginger *optional

Instructions 

• You can make about 1 cup of Miso sauce in this recipe.
• In a small saucepan, add the water, Japanese sake/ White wine, sugar until well combined.
• Bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, boil alcohol down for 2 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low. Add miso paste, and whisk it thoughtfully.
• Simmer until reduced by about two-thirds.

Notes

©Japanmcconnell/Rico McConnell- Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Keyword condiment, Easy, Fermented food, Hondashi, marinade, Miso, Sake, Sauce, sesame seeds

You Can Make Sweet Miso Soup In 10 Minutes With This Miso Sauce

Easy Sweet Miso Soup Recipe For Kids, Beginners, Working Parents: How To Make Miso Soup With Homemade Miso Sauce

Looking for some miso soup inspiration that’s simple, delicious, and just feels good to eat? Look no further! This miso soup recipe is needed in your list of “go-to” soups. You can make Miso soup in 10 minutes when using homemade miso sauce. It's a little sweet miso soup without adding soy sauce or actual miso paste, but still rich taste.

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Add Stir-fry, Add Sauce

Use sweet miso sauce for the holiday dinner, duck roast!

Rich miso flavor and juicy duck flavor go really well.

Go for my whole duck roast recipe.

Simply, add miso sauce to your stir-fried dish.

You don’t need to add salt, drizzle soy sauce if you desire more tanginess.

Add Koren gochujang for a hot spicy flavor.

What’s Hondashi Powder

What's Hondashi Powder

Do you know how to use "HONDASHI" powder? Is HONDASHI powder is same as the dashi powder? -As you know, dashi is a key stock of most Japanese cooking. Simple gentle ingredients but flavorful. Typically, it's made from natural ingredients such as dried bonito, dashi kelp, dried fish, dried mushroom ... With Ajinomoto Hondashi, you can easily and instantly make real soup stock at home

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How To Make Miso Sauce Spicy

Add 1 tbsp of Korean Gochujang if you want to make spicy miso sauce.

This is the key ingredient to making the sauce not only spicy but also adding rich flavor.

Add Oyster Sauce To Miso Sauce For Duck Sauce

Add 1 tbsp of Oyster sauce and drizzle toasted sesame oil to this Nagoya-style miso sauce, it’ll become the perfect duck sauce.

Also, add 1/3 cup of water and simmer the sauce until it reduces by half.

I have a ready-to-cook recipe here, which uses the marinade sauce after marinating the duck.

Whole Roast Duck Over Potato With Easy Japanese-Style Miso Sauce

Savory sweet soy sauce Asian-fusion flavor basted a whole duck over thick sliced potatoes. This gorgeous golden-colored whole duck is marinated in Asian-style marinade sauce and stuffed with herbs, roasted over sliced potatoes that also get flavored from the duck fat and savory juice. Contrary to looks, this whole roasted duck is easy-to-make, and also you can get the side at the same time. It’s absolutely perfect holiday dinner.

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Miso Yaki Udon

Good-Bye, Mushy Stir-Fried Udon Noodles; The Ultimate Recipes Of YAKIUDON With Two Sauce

Popular Izakaya menu internationally, Japanese stir-fried Udon noodles, Yaki Udon is an easy & delicious meal loaded with vegetables, mushrooms, and your choice of protein, with rich soy-sauce based sauce. In Japan, Yaki Udon is more likely the staple easy lunch that mothers often cook. Yes, it's quite easy. To avoid making "mushy" Yaki Udon, prepare noodles with my tips, add a moderate volume of vegetables (not too much), and make the stir-fry sauce before cooking.

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Yaki Udon is a popular Japanese stir-fried noodle dish, which stir-fries Udon noodles and vegetables with several kinds of sauce such as Soy sauce-based, Japanese Worcester sauce-based, Miso sauce-based, etc…

Miso Yaki Udon is kind of a new type of Yaki udon, and Kameyama city, Mie, Japan is the original place of Miso Yaki Udon pioneer.

Use this Miso sauce to make rich sweet delicious Yaki Udon different from the typical recipe.