Mirin

From http://www.mitoku.com/recipes/index/mirin.html

Mirin complements and balances the flavor of natural soy sauce in dishes. Although mirin, along with natural soy sauce (shoyu and tamari) and dashi (kombu stock), are known as the three essential tastes of old Japan, mirin was the missing ingredient in early American attempts at cooking with Japanese foods. Americans were quick to adapt salty Japanese seasonings such as miso, soy sauce, and umeboshi (salt-pickled plums), but the sweet taste and alcohol content of mirin was at first viewed with suspicion by natural foods shoppers. Consequently, prepared foods often lacked the balance and subtle sweetness of traditional Japanese cooking. However, as cooks began to realize that the simple ingredients comprising authentic mirin could be naturally transformed into an outstanding liquid seasoning, mirin grew in popularity.

Also See:

• G-Chef Page: http://www.g-chef.com/english/articles/mirin.html
• Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirin
• Japanese Food About page: http://japanesefood.about.com/od/saucecondiment/p/mirinprofile.htm
• Blog Post at The Perfect Pantry: http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2007/03/mirin.html

IngredientCategory?