SAITAMA (Japan), Oct 11: For centuries, the rich aroma of grilled eel has been woven into Japan’s culinary landscape – its glossy, sweet-savoury sauce a hallmark of tradition.
Considered a summer delicacy, Japan even celebrates “Unagi Day” when people across the country eat eel to restore stamina and ward off exhaustion during the year’s hottest stretch.
However, for would-be eel fans overseas, especially in Muslim-majority countries, there has been one stubborn barrier to savouring Japan’s most iconic unagi dish, kabayaki: the alcohol in the sake and mirin used to make the caramelised sauce.
Now, in Saitama near Tokyo, a family-run freshwater fish wholesaler with roots dating back to 1897 is on a mission to change that by creating an alcohol-free eel sauce — bringing the taste of tradition to tables worldwide.
Although modest, the alcohol content in kabayaki means that it cannot be exported to Muslim countries where halal certifications prohibit alcohol consumption.
This challenge has inspired a new project at Koihei, the wholesaler that is aiming to create a new sauce that retains the rich, deep flavour of the original without using sake or mirin.
“We want everyone to enjoy this taste steeped in history and tradition,” says sales manager Yoichi Matsui, who is leading the project.
The idea took root in June 2023, when Koihei joined a Tokyo exhibition for foodstuff businesses aiming to expand abroad. Distributors from Southeast Asia and the Middle East kept asking the same question: “Do you have a sauce without alcohol?”
Recognising both the demand and the challenge, Matsui put together a development team made up largely of younger employees in July 2024. They set out to create a sauce free of alcohol and gluten, the latter in consideration of customers with wheat allergies.
The initial formula was stripped to four basic ingredients: soy sauce, salt, sugar, and starch syrup. A partner manufacturer was commissioned to produce a soy sauce free of both alcohol and wheat.
However, they immediately found something missing. Switching to tamari soy sauce which contains no wheat emphasised sweetness, while without sake and mirin, the early versions of the sauce lacked the richness and depth that define kabayaki’s signature flavour.
To tackle the problem, Matsui organised a company-wide tasting survey. Roughly 70 employees sampled the sauce, rating sweetness, saltiness and overall balance on a five-point scale.
Their feedback guided repeated adjustments to the ratios of ingredients. At the same time, Koihei sought advice from veteran craftsmen who had long protected the company’s flavour tradition.
A breakthrough arrived in May this year. While trace amounts of alcohol are naturally produced during soy sauce fermentation, the team managed to keep the content below 0.5 per cent. This level falls comfortably under the “less than 1 per cent” standard set by many Muslim countries for import approval.
To test public reaction, Koihei launched a crowdfunding campaign. Backers praised the new sauce, with some calling it “authentic” and others saying it “holds its own against the original,” providing reassurance that the flavour had struck the right balance.
Some employees, however, are conflicted by mixed emotions, acknowledging the difficulty of altering a recipe that has been passed down through five generations.
“Changing a sauce filled with the spirit of our predecessors isn’t easy,” one commented.
Yet Koihei remains committed to refining the product. For now, the alcohol-free sauce is positioned for overseas export, but replacing the existing version in Japan has not been ruled out.
“There’s still room for improvement,” Matsui said. “We want to keep making daily refinements until we reach a goal that satisfies.”
— BERNAMA-KYODO