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This Japanese Company Is Looking Into Making Sanuki Udon Halal

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Qistina Bumidin •  Jul 30, 2022

From mirin to soy sauce, alcohol is a large part of Japanese stocks, sauces and other products used to prepare local delicacies. However, this Japanese company in Sakaide (located in Kagawa Prefecture) is preparing to seek approval for a non-alcohol version of the local speciality dish, Sanuki udon!

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This amazing idea came from 28-year-old Arum Tiyas Suminar, an Indonesian Muslim woman who did her postgraduate studies at Kagawa University and is now employed at Kamada Soy Sauce Inc in Sakaide. According to Mainichi Shimbun, her idea came from her personal experience as a student who wanted to sample a bowl of Sanuki udon. For the uninitiated, Sanuki udon is a form of thick wheat flour noodle from the Shikoku region easily identified by its square shape and flat edges, which makes a slippery and easy-to-slurp texture! ?

When Arum's meal arrived, it dawned upon her that there might be alcohol in it, and true enough, the server confirmed her fears: the soup stock had mirin. She had no choice but to abandon the meal! ?

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After completing her postgraduate studies in 2019 and finding a job at Kamada Soy Sauce, Arum decided to try and convince her colleagues of the importance of halal products to Muslim consumers and took on the challenge of developing an alcohol-free soy-sauce stock ?

From using a carefully balanced recipe of ingredients devoid of mirin to a purified production line where specified cleaning products are used to rinse the manufacturing equipment with water six times, you can rest easy knowing that the product is 100% halal ?

Credit: Unsplash

After several attempts, the finished product went marketed as a Muslim-friendly udon dashi soy sauce, and sold to the public in 2020. They intend to seek halal certification in 2023, according to Indonesia's halal requirements, so that all Muslims will be able to enjoy their meal without any doubts! ?

We love hearing stories like these, where many countries, especially those of a non-Muslim majority like Japan, work to make sure that we Muslims are able to dig into their delicious delicacies without any concern! Thanks Arum ?

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