Japanese Ume Paste without Shiso

this stuff is just perfect. maybe scraping the actual umeboshi off the seed is a little better tasting. Maybe not. A great alternative to anchovies is Caesar-style dressings and delicious right on top of rice.

More interesting that dried herb/salt mixtures on Rice. Nice with roasted vegetables on-top of seasoned rice and not at all sweet like some US sauces

I love this paste! It is beyond tasty. I purchased the shiso flavoured version & I put it on rice, tofu, seaweed & anything else that needs some ume zing.

This is definitely a good alternative to whole umeboshi if they are unavailable or just not convenient. It's very convenient to use and lasts a long time because the flavor is very strong so only a little needs to be used at a time (unless you're like me who will down a tablespoon at a time lol). However, I do find that the paste one does not have the same delicious texture as umeboshi, and two does not have the same fruity fragrance or taste. It seems to trade a bit of that for a more salty taste, which is fine but when I'm eating umeboshi rice balls I find using the paste a little underwhelming. All in all, a fine alternative and definitely a more convenient option to get the pickled plum flavor, but it can't beat using real, whole umeboshi.

We use this often and it is easier to use this squeeze tube rather than the whole plum. It takes up less space in my refrigerator.

Love this stuff. If you like to eat Chamoy with fruit, this plum sauce is next level. My fav thing to do is put frozen mango or strawberries in a container with a small amount of the plum sauce and shake it up.

This is an adequate sauce, but it's not exceptional. I've had similar sauces where the flavors of the shiso and the preserved plums were distinct and vibrant, and while the sauce was salty, other flavors didn't get lost in that saltiness. That was what I was expecting and I'm sorry to say I was disappointed.

tasty