I paid $30 for this and don't regret it at all. I went on a soy sauce research bender and found this one to be the most recommended. It's rich, reddish, and it only takes a couple drops to add great umami to a dish. I still use Kikkoman for all things marinade and such, but to add a dash of flavor or for dipping sushi, this is really good.
Obviously if you're doing Chinese or Thai food there are better options. But for straight seasoning? this one is great.
I guess it's $50 instead of $35, good stuff, not like the $2 bottle egirl piss you get in the stores.
Thw link to the below best soy sauce I've ever tasted. Traditionally aged in wood barrels for 4 years. I only use it for dipping and finishing sauces as it's expensive, but about as much as I spend on a bottle of Bourbon. It's soooo much better.
I just use Kikkoman for all my other stuff in quantity.
Yamaroku Shoyu Pure Artisan Dark Sweet Japanese Premium Gourmet Barrel Aged 4 Year Soy Sauce "Tsuru Bisiho", 18oz (532ml) (18oz, 1)… (1 Pack) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0036TFXY0/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_Y45BDGRJJPC4WMVCTVNG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I can't go back. This is all i buy.
If you're looking for something fancy, Google "Tsurubishio." Here is an Amazon link
The second episode of the Salt Fat Acid Heat documentary on Netflix explores soy sauce, and this "Tsurubishio" kind was highly praised
I think higher quality ingredients are the way to go, but not just because they're expensive - because they're actually good. Not that saffron is bad, but it's expensive due to how time consuming it is to harvest, not because it's the most amazing thing ever.
This soy sauce on the other hand is the most amazing thing ever. As a chef, I love using ingredients that are a bit of a splurge that I wouldn't typically buy. I do buy this soy sauce occasionally because it's so damn good, but due to the price I don't buy it often (I also use it sparingly).
Something that caught my eye recently was making chocolate from the fruit. I was always interested in making but a video popped in my feed recently that made me really want to make it. That would be super cool! It's quite a process and I think it would be awesome to make my own chocolate bar. You'll have to source some fresh cacao pods, and you can also buy a chocolate bar mold. He's not going to have the "proper" equipment, but it can still be done with common equipment and should still be great.
One Christmas I got a ton of different chili crisps and seasoned salts from David Chang's online store. One year for my birthday I asked for (and received) Ezzo pepperoni for making pizza since I love making pizza and who doesn't love pepperoni.
Also, get this tuna. Seriously. It's pretty expensive and not something I'd buy normally, but damn it was delicious. I ate it straight from the jar with some bread and that was it. Unbelievable. I think that would be a super cool gift. It's unexpected because it seems like nothing, but it's no normal can of tuna! Stuff like that is what I'd be excited about. There's a Youtube channel I saw that on called Sorted Food. They rate expensive ingredients to see if they're pretentious or not, and their review of this tuna made me buy it - I was so happy I did!
Tailor it to what he likes. If he'd cook with saffron then get it, but don't get ingredients just because they're expensive. Personally, I rarely ever use saffron, so while getting some would be nice, there are a million other things I'd rather get.
https://www.amazon.com/Yamaroku-Artisan-Japanese-Premium-Gourmet/dp/B0036TFXY0?th=1
You can buy this from Nijiya or Rice Factory. Not sure if Donki/Marukai stocks it.
I also would not cook with this stuff. Purely for dipping/finishing.
>doesn't ship to Canada
"Well okay, I wonder what it costs on amazon.ca"
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0036TFXY0/
>one hundred dollars
Sorry, Yasuo, looks like they've priced me out.
The Netflix documentary miniseries Salt, Fat, Acid Heat featured Yamaroku Shoyu, which can be found on Amazon here
Alternatively, I've seen Kishibori Shoyu mentioned from time to time
This? Yamaroku Shoyu Pure Artisan Dark Sweet Japanese Premium Gourmet Barrel Aged 4 Year Soy Sauce "Tsuru Bisiho", 18oz (532ml) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036TFXY0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_i4C6Fb199620R