Japan Makes Vegetable Ramen Broth for Muslim and Vegan Tourists

JAKARTA - The surge in foreign tourists has made restaurants in Japan increasingly faced with requests for halal and vegan food. In the midst of this trend, Fuji Oil Co. developed MIRA-Dashi, a vegetable dashi broth with the taste of chicken and seafood.

As reported by Kyodo News, quoted Sunday, July 5, Fuji Oil began marketing MIRA-Dashi in 2023. The company, which was founded in 1950, operates a factory in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture.

Dashi is the basic broth in Japanese cuisine. Usually, dashi is made from ingredients such as dried bonito or seaweed. However, MIRA-Dashi is made from vegetable oil and soy, so it can be used for vegan-friendly menus and is easier to adjust to halal needs.

This product is also used by the popular ramen chain Ippudo.

According to the Japan Halal Association, an institution that certifies food products and services in accordance with Islamic food rules, not many Japanese companies produce vegetable broths with a taste similar to meat or fish.

At Pivot BASE, a cafe in the Dotombori area of Osaka, MIRA-Dashi is used for tonkotsu-style ramen and tantanmen menus. Tonkotsu is usually synonymous with pork bone broth, while tantanmen is known as noodles with a spicy savory sauce.

The menu is popular with foreign tourists. A vegetarian from India who came with his family praised the taste of the ramen soup while eating it.

Fuji Oil is now expanding sales of MIRA-Dashi to restaurants in tourist areas and hotels in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The product has also entered old restaurants in Mount Koya, Wakayama Prefecture, which serve shojin ryori or Buddhist vegetarian cuisine.

At the restaurant, MIRA-Dashi is combined with sesame juice to make the ramen broth. In the Kansai region, the bonito or mackerel-flavored dipping sauce using this dashi has also been distributed.

Fuji Oil has been working with the Izumisano City Government since last December to provide dashi for free to local businesses. The goal is so that they can develop new recipes.

The Japan Halal Association said restaurants serving Muslim consumers in Japan are still concentrated in Tokyo, Osaka, and several areas with large Muslim communities.

However, questions about halal food have started to increase in various regions after the number of foreign tourists increased, including those related to the World Exposition in Osaka last year.

"This product answers the increasing diversity of food needs, and the response from abroad is very positive," said Tsutomu Saito, head of the flavoring materials department at Fuji Oil, quoted by Kyodo News.

Izumisano Mayor Hiroyasu Chiyomatsu also welcomed the move. Izumisano is across the bay from Kansai International Airport, one of the main gateways for foreign tourists to Japan.

He said the city wants to build "barrier-free food environments and strengthen our readiness to welcome international visitors."