Mandarin: JIANG YOU; Contonese: CHI YOU; Japanese: SHOYU; Indonesian: KECAP, KETJAP; Malay: KICHUP, TAUYU; Thai: SIEW
Soy sauce is made from
fermented soy beans, and is one of Asia's most important contributions
to the global pantry. It is used all over the word, not merely as a
condiment in place of salt, but as an ingredient in a host of home-made
and manufactured foods.
Making soy sauce involves quite a lengthy process. The soy beans are
initially cleaned, soaked until soft and then steamed before being mixed
with a yeast culture and wheat flour. The mixture is then fermented for
up to two years before being filtered and bottled. There is no short cut
to making soy sauce of high quality, and while some modern products may
cost less than other, they have inferior flavor and should be avoided.
Aroma and flavor
There are basically three types of Chinese soy sauce on the
market.
Light Soy sauce is the initial extraction, like the first
pressing of virgin olive oil. It has the most delicate flavor and is
light brown in color with a lovely "beany" fragrance.
Dark soy sauce is left to mature further, and has caramel added
to it, so it is slightly sweeter and has a much darker color with a
powerful aroma. Then there is the regular soy sauce, which is a blend of
the two.
There are several different types of Japanese soy sauce too:
Usukuchi soy sauce is light in color and taste less salty than
the Chinese light soy.
Tamiri is dark and thick with a strong flavor, and is even less
salty than the light type.
Shoyu is a full-flavored sauce that is aged for up to 2 years.
Kikkoman is very popular, which is a brand name for the
equivalent of the Chinese regular soy sauce - not too weak, nor too
strong. It is ideal as a dipping sauce to be used at the table, rather
than for cooking.
The Indonesian kecap manis is thick and black, with a powerful
aroma, but a surprisingly sweet taste. The light variety, kecap asin,
is quite thin and weak, and is sometime described as "white soy".
Indonesian cooks also use the medium-boiled kecap sedang, but
this is less popular than kecap manis.
Culinary uses
As a rule, light soy sauce is used for seafood, white meats, vegetables
and soups, while the darker sauce is ideal for red meats, stews,
barbecues and gravy. If you are serving soy sauce as a dip, choose the
regular variety, or use a blend of three parts light sauce with two
parts dark. This proportion also applies to marinades.
Cooking techniques
When soy sauce is used for cooking, it should be stirred in towards the
end of the cooking time to avoid dulling the color of the food, and so
that the natural flavor of the principal ingredient is not overwhelmed.
This point applies to soups, stew, stir-fries and quick-braised dishes,
but not to slow-braised dishes, where the ingredients are simmered for a
long time in a sauce that includes only a label.
Storage
Check the label, for advice on storage. Some bottles do not
contain preservatives and must be kept in the fridge once opened.
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