In case you've been living in a cave for the past year, here's a little update: pak chee (coriander) is booming in Japan. The aromatic herb has become so popular that beyond coriander crisps, cookies and other edibles, it has now even taken on that most ubiquitous of Japanese products – soy sauce.
That's right, you can now get a bottle of shoyu packed with a little leafy flavour for you to spice up your meal. The new coriander-infused soy sauce was developed in collaboration with a famous soy sauce maker and contains minced garlic and sesame oil – besides coriander of course – for a nice kick.
It’s a versatile sauce that goes well with many different types of food – bets are on for Pakchee Soy Sauce (officially Yummy The Phakchi Soy Sauce) to become a new standard condiment. Bonus points for the funky label design, which comes with a whole backstory of 'mummy and daddy The Phakchi' who taught coriander-loving daughter 'Yummy The Phakchi' their tips and tricks, with a little help from beloved family pet 'Doggy The Phakchi'.
At around ¥700 (about USD6), you're hardly breaking the bank either, although the 120ml bottle might not last long for the properly coriander-crazed.
We're so enamoured with it that we've shortlisted it for the 2017 Love Tokyo Awards – see all the other nominees here.