Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
Tohoku Shoyu Aji Doraku no Sato All-Purpose Tsuyu (東北醤油 味どうらくの里)
The story behind it
There is usually a bottle of it in an Akita kitchen. That is how widely this all-purpose tsuyu is used in the prefecture. Brewed shoyu (soy sauce) is combined with bonito dashi and balanced between savory and sweet, at five-times concentration.
It is made by Tohoku Shoyu in Daisen City. Noodle dipping sauce, tempura sauce, simmered dishes, hot pots, the base for a rice bowl: people rely on it because one bottle settles the seasoning for all of them.
When you cannot decide what to cook, this is where you start. It holds up Akita's daily meals without asking for attention.
How to use it
Use it as dipping sauce for somen or soba, or for tempura. It seasons simmered dishes and hot pots, and makes the base for oyakodon. Diluted it becomes clear soup; used stronger it seasons a simmered dish in one step.