Umami Pot

  • Recipes
  • By Ingredient
  • Get Started
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • By Ingredient
  • Get Started
  • About
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • By Ingredient
  • Get Started
  • About
×
Home » Recipes » Sauces & Condiments

Nikiri Soy Sauce (Simmered Soy Sauce for Sushi)

Published: Dec 29, 2024 | Modified: Jun 19, 2025 By Ryo Hikita | 2 Comments

Why not give regular soy sauce a unique twist by creating a version specifically for sushi? Nikiri Soy Sauce, with its mildly savory flavor, is an essential condiment for truly enjoying sushi and sashimi (sliced raw fish). Enhance your sushi and sashimi experience with this refined sauce.

↓ Step-by-Step Recipe  

Nikiri Soy Sauce (simmered soy sauce for sushi)
Jump to:
  • What is Nikiri Soy Sauce?
  • The key to enhancing flavor
  • Dishes using nikiri soy sauce
  • 📋Step-by-step recipe
  • Customizing the flavor
  • Another soy sauce recipe you'll probably love
  • Recipe card

What is Nikiri Soy Sauce?

Nikiri Soy Sauce is a type of condiment made by combining soy sauce with sake, mirin, and sometimes dashi stock ingredients, then heating the mixture to create a mellow flavor. The term "Nikiri" refers to the process of simmering sake and mirin to evaporate their alcohol content. By removing the alcohol and blending these ingredients with soy sauce, the result is a milder, less sharp soy sauce flavor.

The key benefit of this condiment is its mildness, which enhances dishes without overpowering the natural flavors of the ingredients, compared to regular soy sauce. In Japan, it is especially known as a soy sauce for sushi, used to highlight the delicate flavors of sushi toppings.

Simply using nikiri soy sauce can elevate the flavor of sushi and sashimi (sliced raw fish), making them taste more authentic. Give it a try and experience the difference for yourself.

Nikiri Soy Sauce (simmered soy sauce for sushi)

The key to enhancing flavor

There is no complicated process for making nikiri soy sauce, but there is one important thing to keep in mind: do not boil the soy sauce. While it is necessary to simmer sake and mirin to evaporate their alcohol, boiling the soy sauce along with them can diminish its delicate flavor.

To preserve the flavor, first simmer the sake and mirin, then add the soy sauce. This allows the alcohol to cook off while preserving the soy sauce’s flavor. With this small adjustment, you can enhance the taste of this condiment—I highly recommend incorporating this method.

Dishes using nikiri soy sauce

The nikiri soy sauce you made can be used in a variety of dishes. While it is most commonly paired with sushi and sashimi, it is also used in Japan in dishes that highlight the natural flavors of the ingredients, such as:

  • Zuke Maguro (soy-marinated tuna)
  • Yaki Nasu (grilled Japanese eggplant)
  • Nitamago (seasoned boiled eggs)
  • Tamago Kake Gohan (rice mixed with raw egg)
  • Ohitashi (blanched ingredients soaked in seasoned dashi)
  • Gomaae (blanched vegetables tossed with sesame sauce)
  • Hiyayakko (Japanese chilled tofu)

Beyond these, you can also use this condiment as a substitute for regular soy sauce in everyday cooking. Try experimenting with this versatile seasoning.

Nikiri Soy Sauce (simmered soy sauce for sushi)

📋Step-by-step recipe

Print Recipe
Recipe Card

Ingredients

Servings: 1 batch (1 batch = about ¼ to ⅕ cup/50-60 ml)

US Customary - Metric
  • 1 Tbsp sake
  • 1 Tbsp mirin
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • a small piece of kombu (kelp)  (about 0.035 oz/1 g)
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

🕒 Total: 18 mins mins
nikiri soy sauce_instruction-1

Step 1
Add sake and mirin to a pot and heat it over medium heat. Once it starts boiling, let it simmer for about 20 seconds to cook off the alcohol, then turn off the heat.


nikiri soy sauce_instruction-2

Step 2
Pour soy sauce into the pot and heat it again over low heat. Once small bubbles start to appear on the surface, remove the pot from the heat to preserve the soy sauce's flavor.


nikiri soy sauce_instruction-3

Step 3
Add kombu to the pot and let it cool to room temperature. Then, transfer the mixture to a container. (Be sure to remove the kombu within 10 hours; if left in too long, the liquid may become cloudy and develop a strong kombu odor.)


To store

You can store it in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks, or even longer. Since it contains sake and mirin, it has a lower salt content, so be sure to keep it refrigerated. To prevent odors from transferring, it is better to store it in a ceramic or glass container rather than a plastic one.

Customizing the flavor

You can adjust the flavor of this condiment to suit your personal taste by changing the ingredient ratios.

The recipe suggests a 3:1:1 ratio of soy sauce, sake, and mirin, but if you prefer a saltier taste, you can increase the amount of soy sauce. If you'd like it sweeter, add more mirin. No changes to the other ingredients or the cooking process are necessary.

Nikiri Soy Sauce (simmered soy sauce for sushi)

If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please consider leaving a review and star rating in the comments below. If you enjoyed it, I’d really appreciate it if you shared it with your friends.

Another soy sauce recipe you'll probably love

  • Dashi Soy Sauce

Recipe card

Nikiri Soy Sauce (simmered soy sauce for sushi)

Nikiri Soy Sauce (Simmered Soy Sauce for Sushi)

Why not give regular soy sauce a unique twist by creating a version specifically for sushi? Nikiri Soy Sauce, with its mildly savory flavor, is an essential condiment for truly enjoying sushi and sashimi (sliced raw fish). Enhance your sushi and sashimi experience with this refined sauce.
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time: 3 minutes mins
Cooling Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 18 minutes mins
Servings: 1 batch (1 batch = about ¼ to ⅕ cup/50-60 ml)

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 Tbsp sake
  • 1 Tbsp mirin
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • a small piece of kombu (kelp)  (about 0.035 oz/1 g)
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions
 

  • Add sake and mirin to a pot and heat it over medium heat. Once it starts boiling, let it simmer for about 20 seconds to cook off the alcohol, then turn off the heat.
    nikiri soy sauce_instruction-1
  • Pour soy sauce into the pot and heat it again over low heat. Once small bubbles start to appear on the surface, remove the pot from the heat to preserve the soy sauce's flavor.
    nikiri soy sauce_instruction-2
  • Add kombu to the pot and let it cool to room temperature. Then, transfer the mixture to a container. (Be sure to remove the kombu within 10 hours; if left in too long, the liquid may become cloudy and develop a strong kombu odor.)
    nikiri soy sauce_instruction-3

Notes

  • You can store it in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks, or even longer. Since it contains sake and mirin, it has a lower salt content, so be sure to keep it refrigerated. To prevent odors from transferring, it is better to store it in a ceramic or glass container rather than a plastic one.

Nutrition

Calories: 58.65kcal Carbohydrates: 10.24g Protein: 5.78g Fat: 0.06g Saturated Fat: 0.01g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g Sodium: 3194.17mg Potassium: 117.01mg Fiber: 0.45g Sugar: 5g Vitamin A: 1.15IU Vitamin C: 0.03mg Calcium: 12.63mg Iron: 1.33mg
Author: Ryo Hikita (Umami Pot)
Cuisine: Japanese
Category: Plant-Based, Quick, Sauces & Condiments, Traditional
Keyword: dashi soy sauce, mirin, sake
Enjoyed this recipe?I’d really appreciate it if you shared it with your friends.

More Sauces & Condiments

  • Tentsuyu (Tempura Dipping Sauce)
    Tentsuyu (Tempura Dipping Sauce)
  • Matcha Salt
    Matcha Salt
  • Japanese Tartar Sauce
    Japanese Tartar Sauce
  • Wasabi-Soy Salad Dressing
    Wasabi-Soy Salad Dressing

Comments

  1. Alvin Diao says

    April 14, 2025 at 1:30 pm

    No bonito is on purpose I assume?

  2. Ryo Hikita (Umami Pot) says

    April 14, 2025 at 7:58 pm

    Thank you for your comment, Alvin! I'm glad you found my nikiri soy sauce recipe interesting.

    Yes, the omission of bonito is intentional. The main purpose of making nikiri soy sauce is to mellow out the sharpness of regular soy sauce and turn it into a more delicate seasoning that brings out the natural flavors of the ingredients it accompanies.

    That's why I chose not to include bonito, which has a distinctive flavor. It's actually uncommon to use bonito in nikiri soy sauce in Japan.

Leave a Rating and a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Ryo-Hikita_UmamiPot

Welcome to Umami Pot!

I'm Ryo, a Japanese culinary expert living in Osaka, Japan. Here, I would like to share with you how to make Japanese dishes actually enjoyed in Japan, from traditional to modern, as clearly, concisely, and deliciously as possible.

More about me »

Latest Recipes

  • Umami Chicken
    Umami Chicken
  • Okayu (Japanese Rice Porridge)
    Okayu (Japanese Rice Porridge)
  • Edamame with Garlic and Soy Sauce
    Edamame with Garlic and Soy Sauce
  • Japanese-Style Salted Edamame
    Japanese-Style Salted Edamame

Footer

  • Main Dishes
  • Side Dishes
  • Soups
  • Japanese Pickles
  • Desserts
  • Rice Toppings
  • Sauces and Condiments
  • By Ingredient
  • About
  • Contact

Copyright © 2022 - 2025 Umami Pot - Privacy Policy

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required