I delved into the world of soy sauce a few years back and id say if your looking to go beyond kikkoman, or god forbid that swill they call la choy, go for kimlan. super special, I-Jen (for something a little different), light, or aged..pearl river bridge isn't too bad either just watch out for brands with a bunch of added chemicals in the ingredients
An interesting note: La Choy is synthetically fermented (whatever what means!) and is usually the only alcohol-free option for those with medical or religious restrictions on the consumption of alcohol. Soy sauce is specifically listed as something recovering alcoholics taking Antabuse should avoid [1], though I've read it only rarely triggers any reaction. But there is a sometimes a reason for La Choy!
yikes, antabuse users I'll give a sympathetic pass, but if whatever god one prays to condemns its followers to a life to salty water+caramel coloring condiments, all believers must collectively come together in songs of praise to request a slight rule change.
La choy is to soy sauce what Maruchen is to real ramen or Kraft to French cheese. Try San J, available in most 'health' grocers, eg Food Hole, Sprouts, etc. it's not fine, but it's good.
> La choy is to soy sauce what Maruchen is to real ramen
Oh come on now, surely Maruchan deserves a bit more credit...at the very least, no one is breaking the bank while desecrating their soul.
In contrast, at my local Walmart, a 15-oz bottle of La Choy is priced +50% higher than its (subjectively superior) Kikkoman alternative of the same size!
This is a good question. I would offer that there are at least two major types of soy sauce: light and dark. They are used in a variety of ways in Northeast Asian cooking (Mainland China, Koreas, Japan, Taiwan, Hongkong, Macao). For example, when you steam a fish (southern Chinese/Canto style), you use a combination of light and dark soy sauces. (I have no idea why, but this is a traditional recipe taught to me years ago.) Soy sauce has two primary "taste" components (previously I discussed visual components): (a) the fermented soy beans and (b) the umami (MSG/monosodium glutamate). Even if you feel like (a) is overwhelmed by your cooking, it is still enhanced by (b) which, for most people, makes any savory food taste more appealing.
For me, nothing beats raw fish (sashimi or sushi) as a taste test for a soy sauce, but I frequently use a mixture with Japanese ponzu... so ignore any expertise that I have on the matter! I am sure that each culinary region in Northeast Asia will have a different answer. You could probably interview 100 chefs from the region and get 25 different answers.
Lastly, there is a third type of soy sauce used in Southeast Asia called sweet soy sauce, or kecap manis in Bahasa Melayu/Indonesia.
I got into making hot sauces recently. I didn't really care for any of the results until I started fermenting them. Chop up ingredients, add brine, put everything in a jar with a fermentation lid that allows gas to escape. Then let it sit on the counter for a week or two. blend and maybe add a bit of vinegar. That's the basic process, and in my humble opinion, it's the absolute best way to make hot sauce
(YMMV, do your own research, there are obviously risks to letting food sit out at room temperature for two weeks)
It's kinda wild how fermentation does both - keeps food from going bad and somehow makes it taste better. Like, who figured that out and thought, "Yeah, let’s just let this sit and see what happens"?
Arguably our tastes evolved or adapted to enjoy the flavors of fermentation. And it's not universal: a lot of people don't like the smell of cheese, or natto, or even cucumber pickles. I love them all!
What is fermentation really? It is a process whereby bacteria et al. process a food source, breaking it down. And the same process goes on inside your gut. Ouch, now there is spoilage for you!
There is at least some research that says fermented foods have some benefits including reducing inflammation. My personal guess based on subjecting myself to more and more fermenting foods is that much of the obesity and many of the common health issues have to do with not eating enough fermenting foods. Just a guess based on a sample of one.
What point are you even trying to make? The difference between gone bad and fermented is pretty obvious, but fine, don’t eat anything fermented if you like.
I’ll be over here enjoying cheese, kimchi, beer, miso, pickles, sauerkraut, etc etc etc
So is it like tamari? Seems to be made from fermented soybean paste, which is how tamari is made too (byproduct of miso paste).
Most of the soy sauce you encounter in the US has wheat, while in Japan (and seemingly South Korea) there's no wheat added.
Personally once I switched to tamari I never went back to "regular" soy sauce, the flavor is quite a bit richer and more versatile in cooking, in my opinion.
> Most of the soy sauce you encounter in the US has wheat, while in Japan (and seemingly South Korea) there's no wheat added.
This is incorrect with regards to Japan. Shoyu is made with wheat. Tamari is not. Their production process is different.
Kikkoman is the most popular brand in the West AND in Japan, which is a koikuchi shoyu, which is the "standard" shoyu type in Japan. It is made with wheat.
For me I always have Kikkoman in the fridge (especially because thats what wife grew up with) as the staple soy sauce. I like to dabble in having 1-2 other variants in the fridge at once, but they can tend to have too strong a flavor for some peoples taste. Or certain variants are best with certain dishes, etc.
I was under the impression that traditional Japanese soy sauce (shoyu, not tamari) also contains wheat (close to 50/50 ratio) - it's used to help start the fermentation.
Eh, it depends what you mean by traditional. Ramen is "traditional" in japan, but it was invented in the early 1900s. Similarly, since wheat wasn't commonly imported into japan prior to the 1800s, most actually old tradition recipes didn't contain wheat either.
> Most of the soy sauce you encounter in the US has wheat, while in Japan (and seemingly South Korea) there's no wheat added.
My favourite jang is made from fermented wheat and soy - chunjang. Chunjang is the star ingredient in one of the most delicious noodle dishes ever conceived, Jjajangmyeon.
buldak ramen introduced me to jjajang. I stir fry 1 of them and one 2x spicy together with green and yellow onion, red pepper, garlic, ginger, and whatever leftover protein I have from the week. top with some type of Lao Gan Ma and there is basically no reason to ever order takeout
Once I had to switch to tamari due to a celiac diagnosis, I found it was one of the few things that actually tastes better without gluten. I think most of the world would enjoy soy sauce made without wheat more if they tried it.
Also, most soy sauce in Japan absolutely has wheat unfortunately.
Good question... I think they're pretty different in taste and how they're made (which is why they taste so different)
Miso and "dwen jang" taste very different because miso is usually mixed with soybean and rice, whereas dwen jang is all soybean. They are also aged differently. Miso is packed into more air tight container, whereas dwen jang is shaped into a block, hung outside to air dry.
The block to hang up outside for air drying is called 메주 (meju) which is form before made into 된장 (dwenjang). There is more process involved to make it into dwenjang. Actually from that meju we make daenjang and soy sauce.
I've really come to appreciate daenjang more than Japanese miso over time. It has funkier, earthier but arguably less refined taste than Japanese miso.
Western tastes favor intense flavors, so tamari may provide better balance than standard (koikuchi) soy sauce in that sense, but in Japanese cooking, "richness" is not necessarily a desirable characteristic, and tamari would overwhelm many dishes when substituted for koikuchi in similar amounts. Reprocessed (sai-shikomi) soy sauce, made by fermenting soy sauce twice, is considered a middle ground between koikuchi and tamari in terms of richness and is popular for dipping. But there is also a relatively wide range of flavor within the koikuchi category, and the US-made Kikkoman sauce that many people are familiar with is not very flavorful.
Lots of good recommendations here, but I'll add mine which is Zhongba 1 year fermented light soy sauce. The long fermentation time and the addition of a specific white mushroom (口蘑 (kǒumó)) gives it a somewhat unique deep flavour without too much saltiness.
Great for dishes where the primary taste is from the soy sauce.
For over a decade I used Yamasa exclusively. It's pretty typical soy sauce, but it's 1) brewed in Japan, 2) has no preservatives other than alcohol.
I know there are superior versions, but one should never be sorely disappointed with Yamasa.
In this new economy, I've adjusted my standards so that I still have something to put the soy sauce on, and have been giving Marca Pina (Philippines) a go. Not bad, but contains preservatives.
I've never had true artisan soy sauce and suspect I never will. But used skillfully, amazing work can be done with Yamasa.
Treacherous Joe's, a decade or so ago, had a pure Japanese soy sauce, but at some point cheapened it with vinegar, albeit a negligible amount.
Open to suggestions that don't require being involved in the black budget.
It's interesting they mention charcoal purification, there is this plant that Japanese people eat (like wild green tubes with leaves) and they soak it in water with wood ash from a fire.
Yeah that looks right, long tubes. Another one I see a guy foraging/eating is a big leaf called "strawberry something" and he batters it up/fries it, interesting.
Must be an article for westerners because the average Asian household would have 4+ different soy sauces in their kitchen eg light, dark, steamed fish, raw fish, meat marinades.
Use Lee kum Lee for cooked stuff, Japanese ones for sashimi.
For restaurants they sometimes cook their own soy sauce with different oil and herbs for extra flavour
Readit News
An interesting note: La Choy is synthetically fermented (whatever what means!) and is usually the only alcohol-free option for those with medical or religious restrictions on the consumption of alcohol. Soy sauce is specifically listed as something recovering alcoholics taking Antabuse should avoid [1], though I've read it only rarely triggers any reaction. But there is a sometimes a reason for La Choy!
[1] https://advantagetherapy.com.au/the-impact-of-antabuse-on-al...
Oh come on now, surely Maruchan deserves a bit more credit...at the very least, no one is breaking the bank while desecrating their soul.
In contrast, at my local Walmart, a 15-oz bottle of La Choy is priced +50% higher than its (subjectively superior) Kikkoman alternative of the same size!
I feel like in most of my cooking the soy sauce is overpowered.
For me, nothing beats raw fish (sashimi or sushi) as a taste test for a soy sauce, but I frequently use a mixture with Japanese ponzu... so ignore any expertise that I have on the matter! I am sure that each culinary region in Northeast Asia will have a different answer. You could probably interview 100 chefs from the region and get 25 different answers.
Lastly, there is a third type of soy sauce used in Southeast Asia called sweet soy sauce, or kecap manis in Bahasa Melayu/Indonesia.
Golden Horde conquered the known world fueled by milk byproducts.
(YMMV, do your own research, there are obviously risks to letting food sit out at room temperature for two weeks)
Is not whether it makes humans unwell quite an important factor..
There is at least some research that says fermented foods have some benefits including reducing inflammation. My personal guess based on subjecting myself to more and more fermenting foods is that much of the obesity and many of the common health issues have to do with not eating enough fermenting foods. Just a guess based on a sample of one.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A1karl
I’ll be over here enjoying cheese, kimchi, beer, miso, pickles, sauerkraut, etc etc etc
The difference between spoilage and fermentation is whether it’s spoiled.
Most of the soy sauce you encounter in the US has wheat, while in Japan (and seemingly South Korea) there's no wheat added.
Personally once I switched to tamari I never went back to "regular" soy sauce, the flavor is quite a bit richer and more versatile in cooking, in my opinion.
This is incorrect with regards to Japan. Shoyu is made with wheat. Tamari is not. Their production process is different.
Kikkoman is the most popular brand in the West AND in Japan, which is a koikuchi shoyu, which is the "standard" shoyu type in Japan. It is made with wheat.
My favourite jang is made from fermented wheat and soy - chunjang. Chunjang is the star ingredient in one of the most delicious noodle dishes ever conceived, Jjajangmyeon.
Also, most soy sauce in Japan absolutely has wheat unfortunately.
Miso and "dwen jang" taste very different because miso is usually mixed with soybean and rice, whereas dwen jang is all soybean. They are also aged differently. Miso is packed into more air tight container, whereas dwen jang is shaped into a block, hung outside to air dry.
Great for dishes where the primary taste is from the soy sauce.
I know there are superior versions, but one should never be sorely disappointed with Yamasa.
In this new economy, I've adjusted my standards so that I still have something to put the soy sauce on, and have been giving Marca Pina (Philippines) a go. Not bad, but contains preservatives.
I've never had true artisan soy sauce and suspect I never will. But used skillfully, amazing work can be done with Yamasa.
Treacherous Joe's, a decade or so ago, had a pure Japanese soy sauce, but at some point cheapened it with vinegar, albeit a negligible amount.
Open to suggestions that don't require being involved in the black budget.
https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Mine-Natural-Food-Co/dp/B0019LA7...
Their mirin is quite good, too.
The process sounds similar to how I use something acidic to process the toxins from Taro leaves before eating them.
Possibly the most depressing thing I've read all week... :sigh:
Use Lee kum Lee for cooked stuff, Japanese ones for sashimi.
For restaurants they sometimes cook their own soy sauce with different oil and herbs for extra flavour