Junmai sake

Saké junmai

What it is

Sake sold in Japan as cooking sake is salted to a couple of percent so that it counts as a seasoning rather than a drink, and escapes liquor tax; junmai means pure rice, and carries nothing but rice, water, koji and yeast. The category once demanded a polishing ratio as well, a requirement dropped in the 2000s - today the single rule is that no distilled alcohol goes in.

In the kitchen

Let it boil for a minute before it meets anything delicate: the alcohol leaves and the amino acids stay, and it is those that soften fish odour and round out a broth. Because it carries no salt, count it as liquid rather than seasoning, and season only once it has reduced.

Goes with

Clam Salmon Ginger Kombu Hon-mirin Soy sauce Daikon Chicken

Same species

Akazu Arborio rice Rice paper (bánh tráng) Basmati rice Black glutinous rice Black rice

Also used with

Japanese tilefish (amadai) Northern sweet shrimp Japanese abalone Bettarazuke Japanese amberjack (buri) Tiger pufferfish (torafugu)

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Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Drink in moderation.