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SOY/SOYA/TAHO MILK - all about it!


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Soy Sauce - Glossary of Chinese Ingredients and Cooking Terms

 

 

Definition: Invented by the Chinese approximately 3,000 years ago, soy sauce is made from fermented soy beans, wheat flour, water, and salt. The two main types of soy sauce are light and dark. As the name implies, light soy sauce is lighter in color, and also sweeter than dark soy sauce. In Chinese cooking, it is used more often than dark soy - always use light soy in a recipe unless dark is specifically called for.

 

 

 

Aged for a longer period of time, dark soy sauce is thicker and blacker in color. It is also less salty than light soy. It is used in recipes to add color and flavor.

 

 

 

Storage: Store soy sauce at room temperature.

 

 

 

Recommended Brand: Pearl River Bridge. You can also use Kikkoman Soy Sauce as a substitute for light soy sauce in cooking. You may, however, want to adjust the amount of salt used in the recipe as Kikkoman contains less salt than light soy sauce.

 

 

 

Also Known As: Soya sauce

 

 

 

(Shoyu, Japanese soy sauce, has a different flavor than Chinese soy sauces. The two are not really interchangeable.)

 

 

 

Soy Sauce Secrets

 

 

 

"He who asks is a fool for 5 minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."

 

(Chinese proverb)

 

 

 

When it comes to Chinese food, few ingredients are more essential - yet at the same time more misunderstood - than soy sauce. We pour it on rice, use it for stir-frying and as a dipping sauce; still, the difference between light and dark, slowly aged or chemically manufactured soy sauce is not well-known.

 

 

 

History

 

 

 

Like tofu, soy sauce is made from soybeans. While the Europeans only discovered the soybean plant in the early eighteenth century, the Chinese were relying on it as a food source at least 5,000 years ago. The reigning emperor called it "Ta Teou," which means big bean, and declared it to be one of the five sacred grains, along with rice, wheat, barley, and millet. Nutritionally, soybeans provide the Chinese people with a healthy and inexpensive source of protein - two pounds of soy flour contains approximately the same amount of protein as five pounds of meat.

 

 

 

Soy sauce dates back about 2,000 years, during the Zhou dynasty. Originally a salty paste, eventually this developed into two separate products: the liquid shoyu (the Japanese word for soy sauce) and miso. While both are used in Japanese cooking, in China soy sauce is more important. Today, properly prepared soy sauce is made from soybeans that are mixed with roasted grain (usually wheat, rice, or barley) and fermented for several months. Once the aging process is completed the mixture is strained and bottled. By contrast, synthetically manufactured soys are produced in a matter of days through a hydrolytic reaction and seasoned with corn syrup, caramel coloring, salt and water. They lack the savory flavor of naturally brewed soy and often have a metallic taste.

 

 

 

Soy Sauce Types

 

 

 

The two basic types of soy sauce used in Chinese cooking are light and dark. Dark soy is aged much longer than light soy, giving it a brownish-black color and much thicker texture. As its name suggests, light soy has a lighter color, plus a saltier flavor. It is used more in cooking, as the rather pungent odor and darker color of dark soy sauce can ruin the taste or appearance of a dish. (Dark soy is used in red-cooked dishes, and is good for marinating meat). Ideally, you should keep both on hand. There are also mushroom and shrimp soy sauces, infused with the flavors of mushrooms and brine shrimp respectively. (Thick soy sauce, used by restaurants to give fried rice its dark color, is made from molasses and soy bean extract). Finally, kecap manis is a sweetish, thick soy sauce made with palm sugar and seasoned with star anise and garlic. A popular tool of Indonesian cooks, it can be used as a dip, and some people like to substitute it for dark soy sauce in recipes.

 

 

 

The best soy sauces are the ones imported from China (Pearl River Bridge is especially good) or Hong Kong. Japanese brands such as Kikkoman can be substituted for light soy sauce in cooking, although some experts claim tamari - a type of soy sauce made without wheat and using a different fermentation process - is too sweet, working better as dip than as a substitute for Chinese soy sauce in stir-frying. Be sure to avoid any soy sauces that are chemically manufactured, for the reasons noted above.

 

 

 

Dark Soy Sauce

 

 

 

Definition: Dark soy sauce is one of the two types of soy sauce used most often in Chinese cooking. (The other is light soy sauce). Aged for a longer period of time and with molasses or caramel and a bit of cornstarch added, dark soy sauce is thicker and darker in color than light soy sauce, with a more full-bodied flavor. It is also less salty.

 

 

 

Dark soy sauce is frequently added to marinades and sauces to add color and flavor to a dish; it is also found in Shanghai-style red-cooked dishes. Although dark soy sauce is used primarily in cooking, as it needs heating to bring out its full flavor, you will also sometimes find it in dipping sauce recipes.

 

 

 

Health Benefits: Singapore researchers believe dark soy sauce may contain significant health benefits. In a study conducted at the National University of Singapore, scientists found that dark soy sauce may contain up to 10 times the anti-oxidants found in red wine. Dark soy sauce also improves blood flow, meaning it could possibly help slow down the rate of certain degenerative diseases. (However, it’s good to keep in mind that dark soy sauce does have a high sodium content, although not as high as light soy sauce).

 

 

 

Pronunciation: Lo ceo, Lao Chou

 

 

Also Known As: thick soy sauce (this is a bit tricky; some manufacturers label their soy sauces as thin and thick instead of light and dark. However, there is also a condiment called thick soy sauce that is basically dark soy sauce thickened and with added sugar).

 

 

 

Soy Sauces, light and dark

 

 

 

Definition: Soy sauces, light and dark are a mainstay in all Asian cuisines, including Thai. “Light” refers to regular soy sauce, while “dark” is literally darker and stronger in flavor. Vegetarians should note that light soy sauce can be substituted for fish sauce in most recipes. Thai chefs also use sweet soy sauce in certain dishes, or as a dipping sauce—look for it in specialty Asian stores.

 

 

 

Also Known As: tamari

 

 

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Guest simply_tinA

VITAMILK mahilig ako and un sa magtataho meron silang Soya Drink na tinda eh 25 lan but once sa Divi nakabili ako ng worth 15 pesos ata :)

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