• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Asian Test Kitchen

make it better @ home

  • Home
  • Easy Recipes
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures
You are here: Home / Wine Pairings / Japanese Dried Squid + Junmai Sake

Japanese Dried Squid + Junmai Sake

Published: Oct 2, 2018 · Updated: May 16, 2019 · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

  • Share
  • Tweet
Japanese Dried Squid Paired with Junmai Sake

Shredded Dried Squid and Junmai Sake

You don’t need to go all the way to the bar.  Just open a pack of dried squid and drink that sake at home.

Japanese Shredded Dried Squid

Otsumami is the Japanese word for snacks that are typically eaten with alcohol.  Dried shredded squid, cuttlefish, and fish are a common snack found in many Asian cuisines.

This particular version found in Japan at the Don Quijote store in Tokyo is seasoned with sugar and vinegar giving it an addictive slightly sour flavor.  Combined with the chewing gum soft texture of the squid, it makes for the ideal snack to sip with this junmai sake.

SHIRAKABE GURA Tokubetsu Junmai Sake

This sake comes from the Takara company in Japan that has been making sake for more than a century.  Junmai sake is a pure sake with no other additives such as starch or sugar added during fermentation.  It is simply rice, water, yeast, and koji, a type of mold.  The character of this sake is smooth and balanced and pairs extremely well with the vinegar notes of the dried squid.

Shirakabe Gura is the name of the brewery where this sake comes from.  Tokubetsu means “special” in Japanese and denotes that the rice used to make this sake has been polished to a higher degree.  Most Junmai sakes use rice that is polished down to 70% of its original weight, while this particular sake is polished down to 60-65%.  The greater the rice is polished, the purer the rice flavor emerges without the protein, mineral, and fats found in the outer layers of the rice grain.

This Tokubetsu Junmai Sake is both smooth, yet still crisp, and the characteristic alcoholic bite on the finish of lower quality sakes is tempered in this one.  Try it with some soft, dried squid for the ultimate “otsumami” moment.

« Hachiya Persimmon “Jelly” Crostini
Thai Crispy Pork Rinds + Orion Beer »
  • Share
  • Tweet

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Spring Recipes

Burmese split pea fritters

Turmeric Split Plea Fritters

korean sesame spinach with sesame seeds

Easiest Ever Korean Sesame Spinach side dish

eggroll in a bowl with a red towel in the back

Vegan Eggroll in a Bowl (and one pan!)

green garlic noodles on white plate with fork in the middle

Garlic Noodles with Extra Special Garlic

See More →

Popular Posts

Glass bowl of sliced cucumber kimchi with sesame seed garnish

Quick, Vegan Cucumber Kimchi (in 30 minutes!)

Fork twirling vegetarian black bean sauce noodles - Korean

Vegan Korean Black Bean Noodles: Jia Jiang Myeon

Korean bean sprout salad in bowl

5 Minute Korean Bean Sprout side dish

miso marinated black cod

Foolproof 2-Day Miso Marinated Black Cod a la Nobu

Footer

as seen in magazine logos in gray

Amazon Affiliate

Asiantestkitchen.com is a participant in the Amazon Affiliates LLC program.  A very small commission may be received for purchases you make from clicking links on this site, but never at any extra cost to you.

Welcome!

Learn to make healthy, high quality meals for you and your loved ones. Simple techniques and always easy recipes... Read More

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in