Yondu is a natural liquid seasoning made by Sempio. It does not contain any animal ingredients, making it suitable for vegetarians. I recently discovered this treasure when Sempio sent me a sample. Without any prior knowledge or expectations, I tried it in one of my side dishes. The results were a pleasant surprise, so I have been doing more experimenting with it. My husband calls it “magic juice” because it makes everything taste better. (Just don’t drink it like a beverage.) LOL
The best Korean food gets its great flavor from using many ingredients to make dishes from scratch. For example, making soup with homemade broth has the best flavor, but it is a complex and time-consuming method of cooking. Therefore, if you are in a hurry, it would be great to have a shortcut. From my experience, I think Yondu provides that.
Yondu can be used as a flavor enhancer, substitute for certain ingredients, or it can be used to skip making broth from scratch. For example, it can be a substitute for fish sauce, or a small amount can be added to your food near the end of cooking, which will give your dish extra flavor.
Here is some information about Yondu from Sempio that I translated into English. I hope it is useful for you. ๐
What Yondu is:
- It is liquid seasoning that is made mainly with soybean extract, vegetables (onions, garlic, leeks, etc.), sea salt, and water. These ingredients make dishes more flavorful and nutritious.
- The most important ingredient among them is soybeans. Soybeans are known as a healthy food. They have more flavorful components in them than other natural ingredients. Did you know that soybeans have more than three times as many flavorful components than beef, shiitake mushrooms, or dried shrimp, all of which are commonly used by Koreans to make good broth?
How Yondu is made:
- The type of environment and microorganisms used for the fermentation process will result in the product being different. The main ingredient for Yondu is soybean extract, which is made using three fermentation steps (seed malt fermentation, lactic-acid fermentation, and yeast fermentation.) Only soybeans, sea salt, and water are used in those processes.
- In addition to the soybean extract, they add a boiled down extract from some vegetables such as shiitake mushrooms, onions, garlic, Korean radishes, leeks, broccoli, etc.
- Meat ingredients are not used to make Yondu.
What is special about Yondu:
- It is delicious. Artificial flavor products rely on MSG (monosodium glutamate) or other chemicals to get better flavor, whereas Yondu uses Sempio’s fermenting skills and natural ingredients for the savory flavor.
- It is healthy. It contains no synthetic additives such as l-monosodium glutamate, synthetic preservatives, artificial colorings, etc. It also does not contain sugar, dextrin, or beef tallow.
- It is mom’s choice. In a study of 366 Korean mothers, who have been using MSG in their cooking, 99% said they would start using Yondu in their cooking after trying it. 53.3% said they would replace MSG with Yondu. 45.8% said they will use Yondu in addition to MSG. Only 0.8% said they will not buy Yondu.
Where can Yondu be used:
- Use it to add Korean flavor to soups and other dishes as a natural flavor enhancer.
How to use Yondu and storage:
- Add 4g (ยฝ tsp.) of it, per serving, at the end of cooking.
- Refrigerate after opening.
Where to buy:
I recommend this product. In my future recipes, I will mention if this product is a good match. If you would like to try this product, stay tuned to Aeri’s Kitchen for an upcoming event. ๐
I wonder if it tastes similar to Maggi seasoning sauce. I just bought a bottle of it the other day and it’s also a soy based enhancer…thought not Korean. Good but a bit “smokey” in flavor. I’ll have to try the one by Sempio as I use a lot of msg and have been trying to cut back.
hi Sandy,
Sorry I don’t know what Maggi seasoning sauce is.. it’s Korean food? you said.. it is not ?? anyway.. ^^ Yes, it will be good to cut Msg a little back in your diet for your health. Try YounDoo someday if you have a chance… thanks
Hello,
I can’t even express how excited I was to find your website!! I have been searching for more Korean recipes, and I am so happy to find your site. Thanks for sharing ๐
Kara
hi kara,
I’m so excite to meet you too. ๐ Thanks…
Hi Aeri
Kara, I agree totally. Also the Korean Language lesson.
I’m not sure if my local Korean Mart have all the ingredients esp this item.
Bless you and thnx.
i have to hunt for this at our local korean stores. i hope they do carry this!!
hi layping,
I hope so too… because it is a good product to have for Korean cooking. ๐
Hi Aeri
I was at Hmart today and was unable to find this sauce… could you point me in the direction of what type if aisle it might be? with soy sauces? fish sauce area?? sorry,,, after awhile all the aisles and bottles start to look alike!
thanks!!
misun
hi misun,
Oh.. where are you living in? If you can’t find it in a Korean market… soon amazon will start to sell this.. so you can buy it online.. ๐
I live in NJ and a brand new Hmart just opened by me so I looked there, but I can also go to the older one or the bigger one in Ridgefield. I’ll try again when go! If not, i’ll wait for Amazon! thanks!
hi misun,
It is awesome you have new Hmart.. hehe… Yes, I’m waiting for Amazon to sell more Korean food so I can buy from it.. ^^ thanks
Hello Aeri,
I just received my bottled of YounDoo that I won ๐
Even though this isn’t my “official” review I had to write this note about my first impression.
Aroma
– smells similar to soy sauce, but folks don’t be deceived (I’ll tell you why in the next section)
FLAVOR
I took a little plastic spoon and dipped it in.
I was rally surprised. Since the scent is very similar to soy sauce I thought it would taste that way, and it does but only for a tiny moment, it has a very deep and wonderful flavor. The after taste is closer to shitake than soy and it really does taste beautiful. The wonderful part is that it does taste like a great replacement for MSG. The fact that it doesn’t have MSG made me very happy and I feel like Sempio is setting a great example for Asain products. No MSG makes me feel prouder to use it in my kitchen ๐
Packaging
– Packaging is important to me. Not sure if I would always admit that but it’s true. It’s charming and the shape is wonderfully conducive to just grabbing a hold.
So there you have it my unofficial review…now I just have to decide what to make with it. I have the feeling it’s going to be wonderful in JapChae, whatever I decide – I’m definitely including pictures!
Thanks again Aeri (pictures and official review to come soon)
Caroline ๐
Hi Aeri just received the YounDoo I added to some kongnamulgook that I was making and it really improved the flavor gave it more smoother taste to the soup. For lunch today I made nangmyun and added a little to the sauce my husband who is Korean made the comment that it had a better taste. I did not tell him that I tried something different in it. He loves the korean food I make but rarely comments on it so this made me want to tell you thanks a bunch will try it in other dishes and let you know. But so far plan on buying it instead of msg. Thanks a bunch. ๐
I made gamja tang last night and at the end of cooking I poured a little soup in a bowl, then in the pot I added the some of the youndoo sauce. My regular bowl of soup was tasty but a little bland but the youndoo sauce was so flavorful. It wasn’t just a salt-like taste (which is how I would normally season soup, or soy sauce) but it had a “all day long” cooking taste. I was quite impressed. It had enhanced the flavors that had been boiling and I didn’t need any salt! I was quite impressed. Normally I have to add quite a bit of salt to soups that I don’t have time to cook for a long time.
I am very healthy and picky about what I put in my food and I’m very please that Youndoo doesn’t have MSG. I really love that it’s made from vegetables and can be replaced for fish sauce/salt/soy sauce. I also noticed a little goes a long way, so that means one bottle will last me quite a bit!
Sempio was so generous sending two bottles to me and I am thankful! I believe this will be part of my everyday cooking. I can’t wait to try this out with other recipes. Thank you Aeri and Sempio… I really enjoyed cooking with Youndoo!
Hi Aeri,
As promised, here is my official review. I used Sempio’s YounDoo Seasoning in Rice Noodles, with vegetables. I actually started off thinking I was going to make Pad Thai but then later decided to add the seasoning to the noodles with some seseme oil instead. So I guess what I did was make a lazy version of JapChae, with different noodles…and uh not quite the same vegetables that I would of used in JapChae.
Anyways I completely agree with Annie, a little goes a long way – I noticed that I didn’t have to add any salt either. It really does enhance the flavour beautifully. I actually think I might try using it in place of soy sauce…so my next experiment will be with mandoo. ๐
I really love this product and again I can’t emphasize how happy i am about the no msg enough. I really hope more products follow Sempio’s lead. They have proven that you don’t need msg to help bring that gorgeous flavor out.
By the way my husband loved it too ๐
I think I am lost because I never received an email, unless I missed it. I been waiting and I had thought you were busy. ๐ณ I feel embarassed now
hi Brittany Renee,
Oh no~~~ You know what? I sent e-mails to all 21 winners, and I got reply with their adress from 18 people. I was waiting for the answers before I give the address to Sempio to send the prize. I think I waited for about a week, and decided to send the address I got.. I should check individually again which person is whose…and who sent me reply..and didn’t.. I didn’t have enough time to do that..and just guessed they don’t want the prize..or something.. I’m sooooo sorry about it. I feel so bad that there was miscommunication between us. I don’t know what happen to the mail… but I will say.. it’s my mistake for than yours.. I had to check and send message again to the 3 people who didn’t reply to me to make sure.. ๐ I’m so sorry.. How can I reward your prize ??? If you can understand this situation… Can you be the next winer if I try another experience corp thing ?? Please let me know your opinion.. I truly apologize this situation again. I feel embarrassed now too.
I just tried the Youndoo seasoning and like it ALOT. I like it as a dipping sauce for my Mandu’s. I added a little bit in my bulgogi and decreased the amount of soy sauce and the taste was phenomenal! Love it!
Hi Aeri!
Me again!!! I just wanted to say that I made jook this morning and used the Youndoo. Party in my mouth!!!
I’m definitely addicted ๐
I received my Sempio YounDoo seasoning about 2 weeks ago, but would you believe I haven’t really cooked since then? The life of a student, I suppose.
When I first got it, I really thought the packaging was so cute. I also thought that the spout at the top was very clever, so you don’t spill more than you mean to (something I am occasionally guilty of, as a somewhat new cook). I decided to taste it with my mom when I got it, and so I poured some out into a spoon. I think because of the size of the bottle, I assumed you were supposed to pour a lot of it to season, so it was much more concentrated and salty than I thought it would be. But it was still delicious!
So today, I finally used it to cook some stir-fried pork, broccoli, and cauliflower, and it really is amazing. The seasoning adds a nuanced savory flavor that really makes the dish stand out.
I admit I was a little skeptical, because sometimes sponsored events can mean the product isn’t that great, but I am incredibly impressed by this. It’s definitely something I will be using in more dishes in the future (it’s almost a shortcut to really great tasting food), and I’ll recommend it to my friends and family.
Thanks so much for letting me try it out! I probably wouldn’t have thought to buy it on my own, and I’ll be sure to get more when my stock runs out.
Hi Aeri
now i can tell why Aeri’s husband said its “magic juice” im not a good cook. i start cooking since i got married. i tasted youndoo before i cook and it was lil salty and sweet. i recenlty gave birth to baby and i asked my mom to add youndoo on soup and it tasted really good! i made steamed egg with youndoo (i loved it)! we also used on many side dishes. we dont even have to add salt on sided ish because youndoo has right amount saltiness. also this is good for dipping sauce, my family ate grandma’s mandoo and it was better than just dipping on soy sauce. resturant should use this instead of msg!!! this is really a true flavor enhancer!
i thank you and sempio for letting me try youndoo! ๐
Hi Sandy,
It does taste a little bit like Maggi seasoning sauce except that it is lighter in color.
I copied the name on a piece of paper and brought it to the Korean market. After a few minutes of discussion by the 2 store managers, they pointed me to where I could find YounDoo. It is on sale to boot! ๐
Thank you Aeri!
hi aerie, i received the youndoo long time ago from you, but haven’t gotten a chance to try it yet because currently i am living on campus. I would love to try it out and i believe it will taste fantastic as you mentioned before ๐
Although I did receive the Youndoo sauce a while ago, I haven’t had the chance to experiment and leave a comment. These days I’ve been trying to eat more vegetarian meals, so I decided to make some vegetarian Thai green curry, except I used this Youndoo sauce instead of the usual fish sauce. I think it worked wonderfully as a substitute…the Youndoo was able to replicate the deep, savory taste that fish sauce gives to curry. I would highly recommend this for vegetarians as a substitute to fish sauce, or to people who just dont like fish sauce.
Hi Aeri,
I cooked asparagus and chicken stir-fry tonight. I deliberately used less salt to marinate chicken. At the end of my cooking, I pour few drops of Youndoo. Since Youndoo is a flavor enhancer, I find it was good enough. My dish tonight was tasteful, not too salty.
My family are trying to eat healthier (less salt). Youndoo has no MSG which is important to me since I’m allergic to MSG. I will experiment more with the product with my other dishes.
Thanks again for choosing me.
Hello,
I have once again put my Youn Doo to work for me! I created a chicken dish with chicken breast pieces, Chinese cabbage my husband grew in his winter garden, scallions, mushrooms, Chinese Five Spice, garlic powder and a finish of “magic sauce”, Youn Doo, at the end, and it was quite delicious…also quick and simple! ๐
Hi Aeri! I bought some YeonDoo in Homeplus the other day. I bought a package that had a big green bottle and a small yellow bottle in it together. Can you tell me the difference? My Korean isn’t good enough yet! Thanks so much dear! ~A
hi Amira,
They don’t sell the yellow bottle in USA.. so I didn’t get the chance to try it..but I know.. that yellow bottle is for soup and stew. It has slightly stronger flavor than green bottle..but I use the green bottle one for soup and stew too.. so I will say that’s basical differences.. yellow one is made for soup and stew.and green one is for side-dish.. or something else.. but I will say you can use both for any case actually.. ๐ thanks
Hi Aeri,
Thank you for putting this post together, but I will not be able to use the product that you have endorsed here. ๐
After reading this post I was quite excited to go to the market to find this product since it’s suppose to be free of msg (my husband and son both get bad reactions to artificial forms of msg). Luckily the Freshia market that I went to also had an English translation of the ingredients in the product. One of the ingredients is a “hyrolyzed wheat protein”. This is basically another name for msg.
http://www.fooducate.com/blog/quick-food-facts/the-many-names-of-monosodium-glutamate/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolyzed_protein
Siempo is not being honest about their product by saying that they do not have msg. I will not buy or use this product and will warn others in my family about this product. I hope you will also be upfront with your blog readers as well, since some of them may also have msg allergies. Hydrolyzed proteins are the same as msg, it’s just a loophole by the USDA that allows these food producers to not have to lable it as msg.
Hi Anh,
As you suggested, Aeri and I researched the information about MSG and hydrolyzed proteins. We also gave Sempio a chance to clarify their position.
I certainly understand your concerns over food allergies. My father has an allergy to what we believe is MSG. I say “believe” because we are not exactly sure what causes the allergy. It happens frequently after eating food with MSG. In his case, his throat starts to swell shut, which as you might imagine, is a dangerous situation. After that, he can no longer eat for several hours. Anyway, on to the research…
It was interesting to learn that hydrolyzed protein occurs naturally many different foods such as eggs, cheese, seaweed, meat, seafood, etc. It also forms during the fermenting process in foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, soy sauce, and they even form during the natural digestive process in our stomachs.
The amount of MSG is very high in seaweed, where it was first extracted and isolated by the Japanese researcher Kikunae Ikeda. This may help explain why Aeri’s soup bases taste so great; if you noticed, may of them start with some seaweed (usually kelp) that gets removed later. The boiling process is probably extracting natural chemicals that include MSG. I could never understand how she could make her soup taste so great without chemicals, sugar, etc. Now I think I understand. This leads to another issue though.
Once researches isolated MSG, they wanted to commercialize it. This eventually led to the discovery that MSG can be made through a chemical process instead of a natural process. It is thought that some other chemicals may form when artificially producing MSG such as carcinogens. Maybe my dad’s and your family’s allergy is cause by artificially produced MSG? Or since hydrolyzed proteins occur naturally in many foods, maybe the allergies are cause by too much MSG?
In either case, this leads us back to Sempio’s claim that they do not add MSG. However, in the ingredient list, there is a hydrolyzed protein listed. Is that misleading? Technically speaking, from a chemistry prospective, a hydrolyzed protein is not the same as MSG. Hydrolyzing protein can be done through a chemical process, but Sempio reiterated that they use all natural processes to produce YounDoo. It should be noted that if they use MSG, they do label it as such, for example, on their non-spicy sesame leaves.
Aeri does not like the taste of artificial MSG in food. She did not think YounDoo tastes like it has MSG, which does not mean it does or does not: it could be a natural form of MSG that tastes different, or it could contain a small amount. My dad has eaten food with this added in it, and he has not had a reaction as of yet. He has had reactions to some soy sauces in the past. Your mileage may vary though. Considering the research we did, the complexity of the chemistry involved, and the experiences we had, we feel that Sempio’s actions and position are valid.
Thanks for this great post!
http://www.truthinlabeling.org
http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/08/25/msg/
Aeri,
Sorry it has taken me so long to post my experince with this product. I am finally home and gave it a try.
First I tasted it. It does have a well rounded salty flavor some where between soy and fish sauce. So I used it in a salad dressing.
I used 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon YounDoo. And it was really good!
Will amazon be selling this as individual bottles? They have a six pack and I do not need that much ๐
hi Lauren,
What I know of it now is.. they don’t sell individual bottles..but that sauce last quite long and you can use it for different kinds of food.. you might go through pretty good. anyway..I will ask or suggest what you think of it.. like to buy individual bottels.. thanks
Aeri,
Is this product made from non GMO soybeans? If so, I’d love to try it out! I’ve been looking every where for non-msg ‘dasheeda’ but it’s hard to find….now the next step if looking for products that haven’t been modified. Any advise would be helpful. A Korean-American mom/wife who LOVES to cook! Thanks!
Hi Aeri,
I was wondering if Yondu is now available here in Manila, Philippines. I’ve tried inquiring about this product in two Korean grocery stores here and they seem to be unaware of it. Thanks.
Oh..I’m sorry I don’t know about Sempio products in Manila. sorry for my poor answer.. ^^;;
Hi Aeri,
A lot of people in Australia can’t have wheat. Do you know if it contains wheat? I know soy sauce usually does, but Japanese tamari doesn’t.
Thanks
hi Janine,
I just checked my Yondu bottle for the ingredients. Unfortunately, it has wheat in it. I wonder why may Australian can not have wheat… it’s allergic ? genetic problem ?? anyway.. thanks