The Lurking Illness
Sep. 18th, 2007 03:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gracedpalmerIt's loopy time again! I seem to be going through another of my periods of very mild illness - enough to impair daily function, but not enough to qualify as really sick. This is irritating, as I must get on a plane tomorrow, and have things to do before then. Being able to stand and do other things in a non-wobbly manner would, for instance, be of great help in my quest to get this well-overdue print matted and mailed. Plus, there is writing to be done before I head airportward.
We recently received a truly amazing Chinese menu here, in other news. A great deal of it is in Chinese, and the portions that are in English promise excursions into the culinary unknown. Just what is "Color To Fu" or "Boiling Radish?" If I am functional for driving tonight, we may go investigate. Thrills, terror, soy sauce!
And, since I haven't anything new to report on the project front, we'll delve into some of that old random research, and bring you
The soy sauce we get in America is, at best, variations on a single Japanese type. At worst, it's actually just salty brown colored soy protein, which doesn't even earn the name soy sauce. However, pretty much every country in Asia (barring India and like regions) has several different varieties, and they all taste different and act differently in food. Here's an attempt to explain the differences:
A proper soy sauce is made of whole soybeans, fermented with yeast or particular strains of mold. A traditionally produced soy sauce will be fermented naturally, but most brands are fermented in commercial, controlled conditions. Keeping your soy sauce cool and out of direct light can prevent a tendency toward bitterness.
Soy sauce originated in China, which has three basic types: Light, Dark, and Thick.
-Light soy sauce is thin, but opaque, and when sloshed in the bottle, does not cling to the sides. It's saltier, and the one mostly used for seasoning. It doesn't affect the color of the dish much.
-Dark soy sauce is thicker, aged longer, and has added molasses. If you slosh it around in the bottle, it will cling to the sides and color the bottle. Because of this, dark soy sauce is said to have "legs." It's often used during cooking, because the majority of its flavor develops due to heat. It's slightly sweeter, and can be used to add color to a dish.
- Thick soy sauce is even thicker and darker, made of dark soy sauce with added sugar and starch. It can't be poured effectively, and usually comes in a jar. This is used to add specific color to dishes like fried rice without making them too salty, or for dipping sauces.
In Hawaii, a special kind of soy sauce is produced, based on Japanese sauces.
Indonesian soy sauce is called kecap. This is the word from which our "ketchup" was originally derived. In the West, ketchup was originally a vinegary condiment that could involve a number of different vegetables. Mushrooms were popular. Tomato ketchup is a mid 19th century invention. Indonesian kecap has two major types: kecap asin and kecap manis.
-Kecap asin is similar to the light Chinese toy sauce, but a little thicker and stronger. If you have an Indonesian recipe calling for this sauce, you can substitute light Chinese soy sauce.
- Kecap manis is a sweet, syrupy soy sauce. It contains generous amounts of palm sugar, and is quite unique. If you don't have it on hand, you can use molasses thinned slightly with vegetable stock for a similar, but not identical effect.
Malaysian soy sauce is related, and called kicap. It also consists of two types: kicap lemak and kicap cair.
-Kicap lemak is like kecap manis, but has much less sugar.
-Kicap cair is almost identical to kecap asin.
In Japan, there are five major catergories of soy sauce, based on production method and ingredients, plus subdivisions. Japanese soy sauces include more wheat than other countries, and are sweeter than Chinese sauces because of this. They can also taste slightly alcoholic. Despite the way we normally use them in America, they're not really interchangeable. The five varieties are koikuchi, usukuchi, tamari, shiro, and saishikomi.
-Koikuchi, or dark, soy sauce makes up the majority of Japanese soy sauce production. It's made from relatively equal amounts of wheat and soybeans. When not pasteurized, you might also see it called kijoyu or namashoyu.
-Ususkuchi is lighter and saltier than the above variety. Its production incolces a sweet liquid made from fermented rice, called amazake. It's used to season things like vegetables, fish, and clear soup, since it adds a salty flavor without changing the color of the food much.
-Tamari originated as the liquid from making miso, and contains almost no wheat. This is a darker and thicker sauce, used for teriyaki, sashimi, and nimono.
-Shiro is a very lightly colored soy sauce. It uses almost entirely wheat and few soybeans. This makes it very sweet, and it's most commonly used in the Kansai region. It can be used on sashimi, for cooking white fish and vegetables, and as a noodle soup base.
-Saishikomi is a darker sauce, which uses koikuchi for the brine usually needed to make soy sauce. This causes it to also be called "twice fermented." It can be called sweet shoyu, and is used for dipping and sashimi.
In Taiwan, only light soy sauce is usually found. However, there are two varieties: one made from soy and wheat, and one, more expensive, made from black beans. This is the only place where the latter kind is produced on a large scale.
Korean soy sauce is a byproduct of making doenjang (a fermented bean paste.) It's thin and dark colored, and made entirely of brine and soybeans. However, its use is being superseded by more easily obtained Japanese sauces. It's less salty than Chinese light soy sauce, which it resembles, and has a sweet smell and taste, something like malt.
In Vietnam, the local variety is called tu'o'ng. It's made by adding a fungus to soybeans, and came come in consistencies from paste to liquid. It can also include glutinous rice, corn flour, and salt.
I haven't had a chance to play with these much yet. Our kitchen currently contains a Korean variety I don't know much about, called "monggo illeub," which makes good dipping sauce. However, the manufacturer's website is quite broken.
Off to be woogly again.
We recently received a truly amazing Chinese menu here, in other news. A great deal of it is in Chinese, and the portions that are in English promise excursions into the culinary unknown. Just what is "Color To Fu" or "Boiling Radish?" If I am functional for driving tonight, we may go investigate. Thrills, terror, soy sauce!
And, since I haven't anything new to report on the project front, we'll delve into some of that old random research, and bring you
The soy sauce we get in America is, at best, variations on a single Japanese type. At worst, it's actually just salty brown colored soy protein, which doesn't even earn the name soy sauce. However, pretty much every country in Asia (barring India and like regions) has several different varieties, and they all taste different and act differently in food. Here's an attempt to explain the differences:
A proper soy sauce is made of whole soybeans, fermented with yeast or particular strains of mold. A traditionally produced soy sauce will be fermented naturally, but most brands are fermented in commercial, controlled conditions. Keeping your soy sauce cool and out of direct light can prevent a tendency toward bitterness.
Soy sauce originated in China, which has three basic types: Light, Dark, and Thick.
-Light soy sauce is thin, but opaque, and when sloshed in the bottle, does not cling to the sides. It's saltier, and the one mostly used for seasoning. It doesn't affect the color of the dish much.
-Dark soy sauce is thicker, aged longer, and has added molasses. If you slosh it around in the bottle, it will cling to the sides and color the bottle. Because of this, dark soy sauce is said to have "legs." It's often used during cooking, because the majority of its flavor develops due to heat. It's slightly sweeter, and can be used to add color to a dish.
- Thick soy sauce is even thicker and darker, made of dark soy sauce with added sugar and starch. It can't be poured effectively, and usually comes in a jar. This is used to add specific color to dishes like fried rice without making them too salty, or for dipping sauces.
In Hawaii, a special kind of soy sauce is produced, based on Japanese sauces.
Indonesian soy sauce is called kecap. This is the word from which our "ketchup" was originally derived. In the West, ketchup was originally a vinegary condiment that could involve a number of different vegetables. Mushrooms were popular. Tomato ketchup is a mid 19th century invention. Indonesian kecap has two major types: kecap asin and kecap manis.
-Kecap asin is similar to the light Chinese toy sauce, but a little thicker and stronger. If you have an Indonesian recipe calling for this sauce, you can substitute light Chinese soy sauce.
- Kecap manis is a sweet, syrupy soy sauce. It contains generous amounts of palm sugar, and is quite unique. If you don't have it on hand, you can use molasses thinned slightly with vegetable stock for a similar, but not identical effect.
Malaysian soy sauce is related, and called kicap. It also consists of two types: kicap lemak and kicap cair.
-Kicap lemak is like kecap manis, but has much less sugar.
-Kicap cair is almost identical to kecap asin.
In Japan, there are five major catergories of soy sauce, based on production method and ingredients, plus subdivisions. Japanese soy sauces include more wheat than other countries, and are sweeter than Chinese sauces because of this. They can also taste slightly alcoholic. Despite the way we normally use them in America, they're not really interchangeable. The five varieties are koikuchi, usukuchi, tamari, shiro, and saishikomi.
-Koikuchi, or dark, soy sauce makes up the majority of Japanese soy sauce production. It's made from relatively equal amounts of wheat and soybeans. When not pasteurized, you might also see it called kijoyu or namashoyu.
-Ususkuchi is lighter and saltier than the above variety. Its production incolces a sweet liquid made from fermented rice, called amazake. It's used to season things like vegetables, fish, and clear soup, since it adds a salty flavor without changing the color of the food much.
-Tamari originated as the liquid from making miso, and contains almost no wheat. This is a darker and thicker sauce, used for teriyaki, sashimi, and nimono.
-Shiro is a very lightly colored soy sauce. It uses almost entirely wheat and few soybeans. This makes it very sweet, and it's most commonly used in the Kansai region. It can be used on sashimi, for cooking white fish and vegetables, and as a noodle soup base.
-Saishikomi is a darker sauce, which uses koikuchi for the brine usually needed to make soy sauce. This causes it to also be called "twice fermented." It can be called sweet shoyu, and is used for dipping and sashimi.
In Taiwan, only light soy sauce is usually found. However, there are two varieties: one made from soy and wheat, and one, more expensive, made from black beans. This is the only place where the latter kind is produced on a large scale.
Korean soy sauce is a byproduct of making doenjang (a fermented bean paste.) It's thin and dark colored, and made entirely of brine and soybeans. However, its use is being superseded by more easily obtained Japanese sauces. It's less salty than Chinese light soy sauce, which it resembles, and has a sweet smell and taste, something like malt.
In Vietnam, the local variety is called tu'o'ng. It's made by adding a fungus to soybeans, and came come in consistencies from paste to liquid. It can also include glutinous rice, corn flour, and salt.
I haven't had a chance to play with these much yet. Our kitchen currently contains a Korean variety I don't know much about, called "monggo illeub," which makes good dipping sauce. However, the manufacturer's website is quite broken.
Off to be woogly again.