John Myers
Whether sushi, wok, or Indonesian rice table: Soy sauce is an integral part of Asian cuisine. Did you know that the unmistakable seasoning sauce is one of the oldest spice mixtures in the world? There are many different variants – but what is the difference between the varieties? We give you an overview here!
What is soy sauce?
It’s a bit like apple pie: there is no one, only a true one. Depending on the region and available resources, countries from China to Malaysia have developed their own soy sauces. However, the base is the same for all: water, salt, grain, and soybeans.
The grain provides the necessary sugars for the fermentation process, which makes the sauce so distinctive in taste. Additional ingredients and different brewing methods make the difference between the sauces you can use in your cooking.
Is soy sauce gluten-free?
Due to the fermentation during production, gluten is hardly present in the finished product. If you do not suffer from celiac disease, but only have a slight gluten intolerance, you can enjoy all soy sauces without hesitation. To be on the safe side, you can use variants that are not based on wheat or are explicitly labeled as gluten-free. are you unsure whether Soy sauce made in the Tamari style is always wheat-free?
Since wheat is the basis for most types of dark sauce, if you are severely sensitive, you may want to use an alternative that is labeled as gluten-free – at the restaurant, this knowledge may help you make your choice: the lighter the sauce, the lower the wheat content.
Differences soy sauces
There are 3 main groups of soy sauce. If you cook Asian food often, you should have all three in your fridge. Soy sauce keeps for a long time even once opened, so it’s good to stockpile until you need it.
Sweet soy sauce
The sauce is not sweet but contains palm sugar and is therefore very sticky, almost like syrup. It goes well with marinades containing peanuts, rice, or pasta dishes. It is mainly used in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Light soy sauce
- Japanese sauce (usukuchi shoyu) is reddish-brown and, unlike sweet soy sauce, very runny, it goes well with noodle soups or for dipping sushi. Rice vinegar and seaweed are often added, resulting in a slightly fishy taste.
- Chinese sauce is the classic: a little darker than the Japanese version, but just as runny. If you only read “soy sauce” in a recipe, you can use this variant without hesitation. It goes well with all meat dishes.
Dark soy sauce
- The Japanese variant (Koikichi Shoyu) consists of equal parts soybeans and wheat and is therefore particularly strong in taste.
- The Chinese sauce is almost sticky and is brewed for a particularly long time. So it can replace meat flavors in tofu dishes.
Use in everyday life
To make your choice easier: if you want to focus on the classic taste, use strong, creamy versions of the dark soy sauces. This is good, for example, for wok dishes or udon noodles, where hardly any roasted aromas are to be expected. If the soy sauce is not the focus of the seasoning, as with sushi or meat dishes, then choose the lighter, lighter varieties such as Usukuchi Shoyu. If the recipe only says “soy sauce”, you are 80% on the safe side with a dark, Japanese variety.
