Momiki, Black Garlic Umami Sauce, 180g
Soy, dashi and aged black garlic in one bottle: a ready-made tare with the depth of something cooked all afternoon.
Momiki Black Garlic Umami Sauce is a yakiniku-style tare from Miyazaki in southern Kyushu. Momiki makes its own black garlic and builds this sauce on soy and dashi. The black garlic brings a dark, fruity sweetness, closer to balsamic or tamarind than to raw garlic, and the dashi gives it a long savoury finish. Use it as a dip, a glaze or a seasoning. 180g bottle.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Depth in a spoonful: aged black garlic and dashi give the kind of layered savouriness that usually takes a long reduction.
- Sweet without sugar-heaviness: the fruitiness of black garlic rounds out the soy instead of a sticky, sugary tare.
- Works hot or cold: a dip straight from the bottle, or a glaze that caramelises on the grill.
- Made by the grower: Momiki makes its own black garlic in Miyazaki, so the black garlic is theirs from the bulb up.
How to Use
- Yakiniku and grills: a dipping sauce for grilled beef, pork and vegetables, or brush it on in the last minute over the heat.
- Stir-fries and noodles: a splash at the end of cooking for fried rice, yaki udon or greens.
- Marinades: with a little oil and ginger for chicken thighs, pork belly or aubergine.
- Beyond Japanese food: a few drops in a dressing, over roast squash, or in place of Worcestershire in a gravy.
Black garlic (黒にんにく, kuro ninniku) is whole garlic held at warm, humid conditions for weeks until the cloves turn black, soft and sweet. Nothing is added; the change comes from slow browning reactions inside the clove, which is why it tastes of molasses and dried fruit rather than sharp garlic. Momiki is based in Miyazaki, in southern Kyushu, where the family business grew up as a subcontractor for an electronics maker before moving into food and black garlic production. The label calls this sauce wayōchū ni tsukaeru bannō tare (和洋中に使える万能たれ), an all-purpose tare for Japanese, Western and Chinese cooking.
Learn more: What is Umami?
What does black garlic sauce taste like?
Not like garlic sauce. There is no raw bite at all. The first impression is soy and a dark, jammy sweetness, somewhere between balsamic, prune and tamarind, then the savouriness of the dashi comes through and stays. It is mellow and rounded, with a gentle roasted note, and a light acidity keeps it from feeling heavy. On grilled meat it reads as a rich yakiniku tare; in a stir-fry it simply makes everything taste deeper.
Product Details
| Type | Black garlic umami sauce (黒にんにく旨味だれ), yakiniku-style tare |
| Brand | Momiki |
| Origin | Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan |
| Weight and Format | 180g bottle |
| Storage | Cool, dark cupboard before opening; refrigerate after opening |
| Best Used As | Dip, glaze, marinade and finishing sauce |
What is black garlic?
Ordinary garlic that has been aged whole in warm, humid conditions for several weeks until the cloves turn black and soft. The flavour becomes sweet and savoury, with notes of balsamic and dried fruit, and the harshness of raw garlic disappears. It is not fermented with anything added; the change happens inside the clove.
Can I use it straight from the bottle?
Yes. It is ready to use as a dipping sauce for grilled meat and vegetables, or poured over rice. For a glaze, brush it on in the last minute or two of cooking so the sugars caramelise without burning. For a marinade, loosen it with a little oil and add grated ginger or spring onion.
How should I store it?
Keep it in a cool, dark cupboard until opened, then in the fridge with the cap closed. Shake well before each use, as the black garlic settles to the bottom of the bottle.
SKU : S0777