As Japanese Cuisines become popular worldwide, mirin is now becoming more accessible outside Japan. However, it requires you to know a few information and tips on how to choose mirin to make sure that you are buying the right one for you.
In this article, we will share everything you need to know about buying and having mirin.
Content ListWhere to Buy Mirin?
Mirin (みりん), or the Japanese sweet rice cooking wine, is made of glutinous rice fermentation with rice malt (koji) and shochu. It is the indispensable condiment behind Japanese cuisine so that every household in Japan will stock mirin and use it for so many recipes.
Mirin’s subtle sweetness which derived from the fermentation process will give richness and umami taste to the dish. Mirin is also easy to absorb, can be used to thicken the sauce, and add glaze with a natural sweetness to meat ingredients.
Some of mirin recipes that you commonly found in Japanese household are teriyaki sauce, nimono (Japanese simmered dish), soba noodle soup, yakitori (Japanese grilled chicken), etc. If you are cooking Japanese cuisine and you don’t have mirin in your hand, then you’re missing out.
Now, let’s back to the topic.
Where to buy mirin?
Do you have to go to liquor store to get one?
To get better information about “where” and “how” to buy mirin, let’s divide it into two categories where you can get mirin near you!
Find Mirin in The Grocery Store
If you live in Japan, looking for mirin in the grocery store will be easy-peasy.
However, finding mirin can be tricky overseas, especially when you’re looking for hon mirin (real mirin).
Aji mirin is the type of mirin that is cheaper and easier to find. But they have a completely different taste and quality. If you could find hon mirin sold in the nearby grocery store, consider yourself as lucky!
You can find mirin sold in grocery stores, Asian grocery stores, as well as international grocery stores.
Find it in oil and vinegar aisle. Some grocery stores might put mirin near rice vinegar because mirin is the sweet rice cooking wine.
If you can’t find it there, try to find it in the condiment and spice aisle. It is usually placed near soy sauce, or around liquid condiments.
Special for hon-mirin or real mirin (without sugar added), since the alcohol content percentage is higher than aji-mirin, you could also find it in a specialty liquor store.
Purchase Mirin in Online Stores
Another way to buy mirin without directly find it in the grocery store’s aisle is to buy mirin in online stores. Many types of mirin can be found online, which makes it so convenient.
If you are unsure what brand or which mirin should you buy online, you can look at our product recommendations for reference.
Click Here to See Recommended Products for Mirin
Can Minors Buy Mirin in Supermarkets?
This is a very frequently asked questions about mirin in Japan.
Minors (or people under 20 in Japan) can buy mirin in supermarkets, because mirin is classified as condiments. Therefore, it is the same as buying other condiments and seasonings like soy sauce or vinegar.
They can buy mirin, but they can’t drink hon mirin due to its alcohol content. However minors can still enjoy hon mirin in dishes as the alcohol content blow off from the cooking process.
Great Ways to Use Mirin
There are some types of mirin. The most common names you may heard are “hon mirin (real mirin)”, “aji mirin”, and “mirin-fu chomiryo (mirin-like seasonings)”.
Those are all mirin and can be used for cooking. However, the manufacturing method and ingredients are completely different. Therefore each type can result in a different taste to the dish.
We recommend to use the hon mirin to bring the most authentic, delicious taste to Japanese cuisine.
In this article, we will further introduce hon mirin as mirin.
Knowing how to use mirin will make more discoveries to your cooking experience.
Let’s review it one by one.
Use it to Make Teriyaki Dishes or Sauce
Teriyaki, the all-time favorite sauce which holds the ultimate combination of savory, saltiness, and sweetness in one sauce. Teriyaki’s bold taste with umami made it loved by all generations.
To make the authentic teriyaki sauce, you will need a ratio of,
1 Mirin : 1 Japanese Soy Sauce : 0.5 Sugar
Try to make teriyaki dishes using chicken, beef, fish, or any meat you want. Take a peek at Salmon Teriyaki Recipe here.
Add when Cooking Nimono Dishes (Japanese Simmered Dish)
When we are talking about Japanese home cooking, nikujaga (meat-vegetable stewed dish) probably be the most popular of all. This Japanese comfort food is one of the nimono dishes where mirin plays an important part in its recipe.
Nimono is a cooking technique from Japan when you simmered fish, meat, vegetables, to clams in broth from several ingredients (dashi, Japanese soy sauce, sugar, sake, mirin, etc).
Nimono dishes are delicious for an everyday meals, served with several side dishes, and also perfect for making lunch bentos.
Add to Braised Fish/Meat Dishes
Nizakana (braised fish) and kakuni (stewed pork belly) is also one of the nimono dishes.
You won’t want to miss adding mirin to these dishes because mirin could suppress the raw smell of the fish or meat, add a beautiful glaze, and prevent the fish or meat not to collapse easier.
To make nizakana, you’ll need the ratio of:
1 mirin : 1 Japanese soy sauce : 2 dashi soup : 1 sake : 2 water
Please note to adjust the broth ingredients above at the beginning before adding the fish.
Use it for Oden Soup
Oden is another simmered dish that becomes the comfort food during the cold winter.
To make oden soup, you’ll need the ratio of:
1 Mirin : 1 Japanese Soy Sauce : 20 Dashi soup
What’s interesting about making oden is, you can add any ingredients you want from fish cakes, boiled egg, konyaku, daikon (Japanese radish), tofu, octopus, meat, etc. Additionally, you can add karashi or miso as the condiment.
Dipping Sauce for Tempura (Tentsuyu)
Tempura will be more scrumptious to dip with tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce). It is a general umami dipping sauce for all kinds of tempura.
To make tentsuyu, you’ll need the ratio of:
1 Mirin : 1 Japanese Soy Sauce : 4 Dashi soup
Tentsuyu usually served in the dipping sauce plate with grated daikon radish.
Add to Scrambled Egg Recipe
Last but not least, my favorite yet simple way to use mirin is to add it to a scrambled egg recipe. I like my scrambled egg to be fluffy, soft and has an umami under taste on it. Mirin helps me to make that happen!
Please add 1 teaspoon (or at your preference) of mirin for each egg.
Add mirin when making scrambled eggs to add sweetness, tangy flavor, and fluffy texture to your egg. You can still add other ingredients like salt or pepper (if you love savory egg), sugar (if you like it to be sweet), or even dashi powder (if you want it to be more like Japanese tamagoyaki).
Mirin also can be used to make Oyakodon (Chicken & Egg Bowl). Check the Oyakodon recipe here.
If you interest to learn more about hon mirin, please check the article below!
Mirin Substitute and Alternative
Mirin can be substituted with this ratio:
1 tablespoon of mirin = 1 tablespoon of sake and 1 teaspoon of sugar
White wine and sugar also can be an alternative to mirin because it also has sweetness.
Cooking alcohol could be used too, but the taste will be a little bit different because it contains salt.
Mirin can’t be substituted with rice vinegar because they have a different flavor profile.
If you cannot use alcohol for religious or other reasons, you can replace sake with water. There are also halal mirin that already have halal certification. You can check for halal mirin in online shops.
Learn more about the mirin itself in our article below!
Where to Buy Mirin FAQ
- Where can I get Mirin in grocery store?
- Mirin can be found in grocery stores, Asian grocery stores, as well as international grocery stores.
Find it in oil & vinegar aisle, or in the condiment & spice aisle. It is usually placed near soy sauce, rice vinegar, liquid condiments, etc.
- Where to buy mirin in online shops?
- Mirin can easily be found in online shops. All kinds of mirin are available, so please freely choose which mirin is the most suitable for you.
- Where to buy real mirin?
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Hon mirin (real mirin) can be found in the vinegar aisle or the alcoholic beverage aisle in grocery stores. It’s more expensive than aji mirin, but definitely will bring the most high-quality and authentic taste if used for cooking.
Hon mirin made with only glutinous rice + rice malt (koji) + shochu can also be enjoyed as liquor. You can also find it in a liquor store. Click here for mirin product recommendations.
- What is the substitute or alternative for mirin if I can’t find it?
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Mirin substitute for each tablespoon is 1 tablespoon of sake and 1 teaspoon of sugar. You can replace sake with white wine or water if you can not consume alcohol.
There are also halal mirin that already have halal certification. You can search for it in online store
- Can minors buy mirin?
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Minors (or people under 20 in Japan) can buy mirin in supermarkets. Mirin are classified as condiment, thus everyone can buy it, even minors.
Minors can buy mirin, but they can’t drink hon mirin as liquor due to its alcohol content.
Recommended Mirin Products
These are the Hon Mirin product recommendations from Japan’s veteran licensed mirin brewery. These products are widely use in Japanese restaurants, and even perfectly affordable for household use.
It’s surely the real deal Japanese Sweet Rice Wine and worth it!
