If you have not discovered authentic mirin, you are in for
a treat. An exquisite, versatile seasoning, it has the unique
ability to coax and accentuate the flavors of bland or light-tasting
foods. Its mild sweetness balances many dishes and tones down
others, such as sea foods. Along with natural soy sauce and
dashi (kombu stock), mirin is known as one of the three essential
tastes of Japan. It complements arid balances the salty flavor
of shoyu, tamari, and miso, and the sourness of vinegar or
lemon. With a little experience, you can use mirin in a variety
of ways to enhance both Asian and Western styles of cooking,
and it is ideal for the new "East meets West" fusion
cooking. However, finding real mirin can be a problem unless
you know what to look for.
Once a thriving industry with over 200 companies, the processing
of mirin did not survive the rice shortages of World War II
or the post-war seventy-six percent liquor tax. As reported
in the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's leading daily newspaper, by
1959, Toshio Sumiya's family business was the only company
in Japan using the traditional methods of mirin brewing. Sumiya
Bunjiro Shoten was sole keeper of the flame until recently,
when a handful of companies began the production of authentic
mirin.
In 1910, when Sumiya's grandfather started the family shop,
the production of mirin was a complex, exacting process requiring
years of experience to master. After serving a long apprenticeship,
Sumiya's grandfather chose the perfect location to begin his
own business, an area in central Japan known as Mikawa, where
three great rivers flow into the Bay of Ise. Now part of the
Aichi prefecture, this region is known for its mild climate,
high-quality rice, and excellent water. As a result of these
ideal conditions, Sumiya's grandfather was able to produce
a mirin that was rich and delicious beyond everyone's expectations.
It was named Mikawa Mirin, literally "three-river mirin,"
in honor of its birthplace.
The labor-intense fermentation methods still used by the Sumiya
family are steeped in the history and culture of pre-industrial
Japan. More than a process, the family's work represents a
way of life that, like Mikawa Mirin, is rare in the modern
world. Although most mirin manufacturers, past and present,
buy inexpensive shochu that has been distilled from molasses,
the Sumiya family prepares its own spirits from hand-made
koji, premium rice, and spring water. These ingredients are
mixed together and stirred each day for about a month. The
resulting alcoholic mash, called sake moromi, is placed into
cotton sacks, pressed, filtered, and distilled into clear
rice shochu. This completes the first phase of authentic mirin
processing.
Next, 2,000 pounds of sweet glutinous rice are soaked and
steamed. The cooked sweet rice is then added to the shochu
together with more koji. This second mash, called "mirin
moromi," is placed in 1,000-gallon enamel vats that are
insulated with rice-straw mats. With the exception of an occasional
stirring, the mirin moromi is left to ferment for about three
months. Gradually, the koji enzymes break down the complex
carbohydrates and protein of the glutinous rice into sweet,
simple sugars and amino acids that blend with the shochu to
form a delicious alcoholic rice pudding that, unfortunately,
only traditional mirin manufacturers ever get to sample. Standing
over the huge vats, Sumiya sniffs the sweet rising vapors
to judge the progress of the developing mash. A quick taste
confirms what his nose has already discovered; it's time to
pump the mash into cotton sacks and press out its sweet essence.
(The remaining flavorful pressed moromi is used to make delicious
mirin pickles.) Finally, this sweet essence (immature mirin)
is returned to the enamel vats and left to age for about 200
days. During the hot days of the long Aichi summer, the subtle
color and flavor of the mirin develops further. In the fall,
Sumiya and his brothers eagerly sample their 70,000-gallon
golden harvest and confirm that grandfather's recipe, unchanged
after almost eighty
years, yields mirin that is as delicious as ever. The mature
mirin is then filtered through cotton and bottled, unpasteurized,
for shipment to customers around the world. Continuing his
grandfather's commitment to quality in modern times, Sumiya
now offers Organic Mikawa Mirin.
When shopping for mirin, read labels carefully. Authentic
and organic mirin, such as the Mikawa products, contain only
sweet rice, water, rice and rice koji (natural rice culture).
Another good quality product related to mirin, called aji
no ha, is often sold as mirin, but it contains no sweet rice
and has salt added. The ingredients are rice, water, rice
koji and sea salt. As in cooking wine, sea salt is added to
the finished product to avoid paying alcohol taxes.
Japan's traditional sweetener (before the introduction of
white sugar), mirin enhances the flavors of sweet as well
as savory sauces, vinaigrettes, stir-fries, fried noodles,
sushi rice, and marinades. It is the "secret" ingredient
that lends a characteristic flavor to Japanese noodle broths
and dips for tempura and other deep-fried foods. Mirin is
used to flavor many simmered dishes, including fish, shiitake
mushrooms, reconstituted dried tofu, and deep-fried tofu.
When simmering foods, use 1 tablespoon of mirin and 1 1/2
tablespoons of shoyu per cup of water or stock. The following
simple mirin recipes are ones that we come back to time and
again.
