Mumbai, 4 April 2022: The world’s leading producer of naturally brewed soy sauce, Kikkoman Corporation, today announces the introduction of the first set of recipes co-created with several top chefs in India.
Kikkoman seeks to promote new encounters between ingredients, people, and food cultures, something that Kikkoman has focused on for decades around the world. The ‘Kikkoman Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience’ programme was launched in October 2021 as part of these efforts to make this most popular naturally brewed soy sauce an everyday ingredient for all restaurants and households in India. This first set of custom-made recipes are part of this programme.
Kikkoman aims to introduce 100 recipes a year, featuring multiple cuisines including Indian dishes, that will be introduced to both home and professional chefs in India. We are introducing over 50 recipes in the first instance as the first set of custom-made recipes for India. Working with top professional chefs, Kikkoman seeks to spread awareness about how Kikkoman Soy Sauce can be used in day-to-day cooking to make every meal more delicious.
In the first set of recipes for India, Kikkoman has worked with its Brand Ambassadors in Mumbai—Chef Vicky Ratnani (leading chef & restauranteur), Chef Seefah Ketchaiyo and Chef Karan (owners of Seefah restaurant in Mumbai), as well as Prashant Issar (who runs Ishaara in Mumbai)—to create unique recipes for professional chefs using Kikkoman Soy Sauce as a key ingredient. Additionally, some easy-to-make recipes have also been developed for everyday cooking for home chefs. Extra care has been taken to ensure these recipes can be easily prepared in all Indian kitchens.
Our recipes will soon be uploaded on Kikkoman India’s digital platforms, including Instagram and YouTube. Kikkoman’s all-purpose authentic soy sauce—brewed naturally using the centuries-old Honjozo method—has been used to blend different flavours and combinations to prepare both popular and unique dishes. These new recipes range from Asian cuisine that includes Japanese, Chinese and Thai, to Continental, Italian, Indian, Mexican and Indian-Chinese dishes.
Behind this collaboration is Kikkoman’s understanding that recipe development should be where food culture meets authentic naturally brewed Kikkoman Soy Sauce. It is something we have been doing around the world—matching our soy sauce with local ingredients and cuisines to create new delicious experiences.
For example, in 1957 when Kikkoman opened its subsidiary in the USA, in San Francisco, a range of multiple recipes were developed in order to have Americans be able to use Kikkoman Soy Sauce in their everyday cooking. These recipes were placed as neck-hangers on Kikkoman Soy Sauce bottles at all retail locations, and from these cookbooks were compiled for Americans to appreciate the versatility of Kikkoman Soy Sauce in their cuisine. As a result, Kikkoman Soy Sauce is now a popular everyday all-purpose seasoning in America, an essential ingredient. Teriyaki sauce which uses Kikkoman Soy Sauce as its base is now firmly established in America, bringing new delicious experiences to thousands of restaurants and the majority of households. In the same way, we at Kikkoman have worked across over a 100 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania to develop new recipes with local cuisines. From these years of experience, we understand that the fusion of Kikkoman Soy Sauce and local food culture through our unique recipes is able to co-create new delicious experiences across the world.
India is a land of multiple diverse cuisines. The country’s rich food culture has its roots in centuries-old traditions, but food culture is ever-dynamic and constantly evolving. With an infinite scope for creating delicious new dishes, Kikkoman aims to leverage this opportunity to showcase the appetising experiences that Kikkoman Soy Sauce can bring to the table by connecting with professional chefs, next-generation students of the culinary and the hospitality industry which are 2 million strong, as well as the wider community at large.
Vicky Ratnani, Kikkoman India Brand Ambassador, who uses Kikkoman Soy Sauce in not only Japanese but also Indian and Western dishes, said, “There are countless possibilities that the Kikkoman Soy Sauce offers, something that not many Indians know yet. The idea is to inspire and educate both professional and home chefs through the new recipes that I and many other chefs in India will create. In fact, I believe Kikkoman Soy Sauce will be a crucial ingredient in Indian kitchens in the near future.”
Osamu Mogi, Director, Senior Executive Corporate Officer, International Operations Division, Kikkoman Corporation stated, “Kikkoman has a deeply comprehensive vision for India, and these recipes are just the beginning of an exciting journey that forms part of the Kikkoman Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience. We believe the varied recipes prove how versatile our soy sauce actually is. With sincere respect for the long history and flourishing culture in India, we want Kikkoman Honjozo Soy Sauce to be a part of Indian food culture, not just “a foreign ingredient”. “Becoming a part of local food culture” is our basic business philosophy. In the past, in European countries and in the United States, we successfully achieved the localization of soy sauce by proposing recipes that incorporate local cooking methods and local ingredients. Applying the same strategy, we would like to expand the traditional Japanese seasoning of soy sauce into a seasoning loved by people in India. There will be regular regional meetings and an annual conference bringing together professional chefs and home chefs, industry leaders, government representatives, academics, and media, both from Japan and India. We would like to see some great chemical reactions among the participants and the birth of new culinary innovations in India.”
Lastly, these are simply the first set of recipes co-created for the Indian market. It is a market we hope to work with for the next 100 years and beyond. Kikkoman seeks to further develop thousands of recipes in India for Indian chefs, recipes for both home and professional cooking.
