15 Best Rated Dishes With Mirin

Ajitsuke tamago is a traditional dish consisting of soft-boiled eggs that have been soaked in mirin and soy sauce. The egg yolks should be custardy if properly prepared, and the eggs are eaten as a snack, a part of bento, or more commonly, enjoyed as a ramen topping.

The eggs are boiled for a few minutes so that the yolk remains runny, and they are then chilled and soaked (overnight or for a few days) in a combination of water, mirin, and soy sauce. This is the basic preparation, and some cooks might add their own secret ingredients to the marinade to make the eggs more flavorful.

Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique in which the ingredients are broiled, roasted, or grilled after they have been marinated in teriyaki sauce, consisting of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. The word teriyaki is a combination of two words: teri, meaning luster, and yaki, meaning to grill or broil.

Teriyaki dishes are characterized by their shiny and glistening visual appearance, achieved by the usage of teriyaki sauce. Food historians claim that teriyaki was first invented by Japanese chefs in the 17th century, along with a number of other dishes that incorporated grilled or roasted meat. 

Chashu is slowly braised pork belly, a staple Japanese dish infused with traditional flavors of soy sauce and sake. The dish can be made with flat pork belly, but the pieces can also be rolled to create more sophisticated versions which cook more evenly.

Prepared pork belly is covered in a fragrant mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. The liquid is additionally seasoned with sliced ginger and scallions, and the meat is braised on low heat for hours, until it soaks up all the layered flavors and turns the thick pork belly into an incredibly soft, tender, and juicy piece of meat. 

Delicately flavored soy eggs are a simple and versatile Chinese invention. Boiled and peeled eggs are submerged in the soy sauce mixture and left for a couple of hours until the salty flavors penetrate, infuse, and color the outer layer of the egg.

The simplest marinade includes a combination of soy sauce, spices and other ingredients that might include typical and authentic ingredients such as scallions, sliced ginger, chili peppers, or garlic. The marinade can be boiled or simply mixed, and eggs should not be left in it for too long, as the flavors would become overpowering. 

Kake soba is a traditional version of soba noodles-based dishes and the most basic way to eat soba noodles in a hot dish. In order to prepare it, soba noodles are boiled, drained, and served in a bowl while still hot. A hot broth consisting of soy sauce, mirin, and dashi is then poured over the noodles and the dish is ready to be slurped.

Kake soba is characterized by its mild flavor, but the dish can be enriched with sliced scallions or a sprinkle of shichimi pepper on top, as well as slices of kamaboko fish cakes or soft-boiled pickled eggs (ajitsuke tamago), if desired.

Shogayaki is one of the most common pork dishes in Japan. It consists of lean cuts of pork that are thinly sliced and braised in a flavorful mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and grated ginger. In Japan, shogayaki is a popular lunch or dinner choice and even though it is commonly prepared in many Japanese households, it is also a staple restaurant item.

The dish is usually served alongside rice and shredded cabbage or enjoyed as a part of takeaway bento meals.

Kake udon is a simple Japanese dish consisting of thick udon noodles served in a flavorful mixture of mirin, soy sauce, and dashi stock. It is one of the most basic versions of the ubiquitous Japanese udon dishes, typically served sprinkled with sliced green onions.

Found throughout Japan, kake udon is enjoyed as a nutritious warm dish at many traditional udon restaurants.

Momo is a traditional yakitori dish. It's made with chicken thighs as the main ingredient. The pieces of chicken thighs are placed on skewers, then grilled until done. Before the grilling process, the meat is sometimes brushed with a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and brown sugar for extra flavor.

These yakitori skewers can often be found in izakaya bars, paired with a bottle of beer on the side.

Black miso cod is a Japanese fish delicacy that is made by marinating black cod (sablefish) fillets in a miso-based mixture for several days before cooking them until their exterior becomes crispy. The marinade typically consists of a combination of white miso paste, sugar, mirin (sweet rice wine), and (sometimes) sake.

Traditionally, the fish needs to soak in it for at least 2 or 3 days for the best results. After grilling or broiling, the resulting fish is typically distinguished by an incredibly buttery, silky, and moist texture and an exceptional flavor that pairs well with a variety of accompaniments such as steamed rice, soft tofu, wasabi mashed taters, soba noodle salad, and steamed or pickled vegetables such as baby bok choy, daikon radishes, cucumbers, or ginger shoots.