In summary, concentrated soy sauce improves production efficiency, standardized flavors, and product innovation for food manufacturers. Its flexibility and intensity make it an ideal ingredient for industrial applications.

Selection tips: Look for the tall dark bottles and brands such as ABC and Cap Bango. Indonesian sweet soy sauce that has no preservatives or additives has better, more complex flavors. Coconut aminos is similar to Maggi but has a slightly tart finish on the palate. Bragg Liquid Aminos is a fine Maggi substitute that's available at mainstream grocers. Bragg is gluten-free and non-GMO, if those things matter to you. Choosing soy sauce But if you have questions or other information to share, please let us know in the comments below! How Is It Used? Add a teaspoon or two directly to soups, braises, or stir-fries right at the end for a mega punch of umami flavor. A little bit goes a long way. Gluten-free La Choy soy sauce is readily available at many supermarkets and its flavor is like a cross between regular soy sauce and Maggi seasoning sauce (see below).That said, if you enjoy the flavor of a particular type or brand over another, you can use whatever floats your boat. That’s the beauty of home-cooking––you’re the boss! Buying & Storing If, however, you have a soy allergy, you can try coconut aminos. We haven’t cooked with coconut aminos, but we hear this salty-sweet condiment is a good alternative for those who need to follow a soy-free diet. Our Favorite Dishes That Feature This Ingredient: If our Chinese recipes call for “soy sauce,” “regular soy sauce,” or “light soy sauce,” we are always referring to Chinese light soy sauce (shēng chōu, 生抽). It is generally thinner and lighter in color than the familiar (Japanese) Kikkoman you may have seen on dining tables at sushi restaurants and takeout joints. (We’ll get to the differences between Chinese and Japanese soy sauce later in this article.) At a Japanese market, you’ll see light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu) which is not low sodium, but rather light in color. In fact, Japanese light soy sauce is saltier than its dark counterpart. There are also high-end shoyu for sushi too, such as the little squat bottle in the photo.

Soy sauce is probably the most important condiment across Asia. It acts as a seasoning, as well as a color enhancer, darkening the color of dishes to a rich amber. Y ou’ll use it in stir-fries, sauces, soups, braises, fillings, noodle dishes, dumplings, and more.Mix with spices and sweeteners as a glaze or dipping sauce base for meats and dumplings. Solidified Soy Sauce:

For the most part, Japanese and Korean soy sauces are interchangeable. They are both darker and slightly sweeter than Chinese-style light soy sauce. With some creativity, concentrated and solidified soy sauces can do a whole lot more than just saltiness. Their intense umami and luscious texture open up many possibilities in the kitchen.General rule of thumb: if it is a Chinese brand of naturally brewed soy, and it does not say “dark” on it, it is light soy! How Concentrated Soy Sauce Benefits Industrial Food Production ◉ Transportation and Storage Efficiency American magazine recipes often call for low-sodium soy sauce. Unless the publication is a health oriented one, I'm not sure why the condiment is called for. Selection tips: Imported Japanese and Korean soy sauce tends to taste the best. For example, Kikkoman soy sauce made in Japan tastes more refined than US-made Kikkoman. Excellent organic shoyu is also exported abroad. Raw, unpasteurized nama shoyu is fabulous too. The difference is that the premium soy sauce is the first batch extracted from the fermentation process. Additional ingredients are then added and fermented further to create subsequent batches that are slightly less flavorful than that initial batch.