Seasonings of Yamaguchi

For Yanai's kanro shoyu (soy sauce), finished raw shoyu is put back into the moromi (the fermenting mash) and brewed a second time. That extra round darkens the color and brings out a syrupy sweetness and a heavy umami. The method is also known as saishikomi (brewed twice, with shoyu instead of brine).

It has a narrow range of uses. Sashimi, chilled tofu: things where a few drops decide the taste. A shoyu made on the assumption that you will not use much of it has survived as a seasoning for specific jobs.

• Saishikomi: brewing a second time using raw shoyu
• A shoyu you use by the drop, not by the spoonful