The Ultimate Guide to Seasoned Soy Sauces
Seasoned Soy Sauces
Soy sauce has been a staple of Sichuan cuisine for centuries, so naturally, numerous ways to flavor and enhance soy sauce have been developed. Tangy, aromatic soy sauces are both abundant and easy to make.
For anyone not well acquainted with Soy Sauce, there are two main varieties: Light Soy Sauce and Dark Soy Sauce.
Light Soy Sauce is the standard soy sauce found on the tables of Chinese American restaurants and should be considered regular soy sauce. So, Light Soy Sauce is just regular soy sauce. BUT Light Soy Sauce is not the same as Low-Sodium Soy Sauce! Among Light Soy Sauce there are two basic varieties: regular and premium. Both can be used for cooking and for the following Seasoned Soy Sauces. Premium Soy Sauce has a slightly stronger flavor but not as strong as Dark Soy Sauce, which is a thick, pungent sauce that adds a bright red color to foods.
Finally, I would advise against using non-Chinese brands of Soy Sauce to cook Chinese food. While Kikkoman is a great Japanese brand, its flavor is slightly different from Chinese Soy Sauce. A good Chinese brand would be Lee Kum Kee. Whatever brand you choose, DO NOT BUY LA CHOY! La Choy is fake soy sauce made of food coloring and chemicals to replicate the flavor of soy sauce.
Aromatic Soy Sauce - Fangxiang Jiangyou (芳香酱油)
Aromatic Soy Sauces are used in many noodle dishes as a foundational flavor. All of the following noodle dishes can substitute Aromatic Soy Sauce for regular Light Soy Sauce: Dan Dan Noodles (担担面), Yibin Kindling Noodles (宜宾燃面), and Sichuan Cold Noodles (四川凉面). Aromatic Soy Sauce can also be used in Dipping Sauces to provide that extra kick of flavor. The aromatics used in this recipe add notes of Chinese five-spice among the salty, umami of the soy sauce.
Ingredients
2 cups Light Soy Sauce
1 cup Water
Aromatics
4 whole Star Anise
3 Bay Leaves
2-inch block of Ginger (Slightly Crushed)
1 stick of Cassia Bark (or Cinnamon)
1 whole Black Cardamom (Crushed)
1 tsp. Fennel Seeds
1/2 tsp. whole White Pepper (And/ Or 1/2 tsp. Green Sichuan Peppercorns)
Directions
1.) Pour the Soy Sauce and Water into a pot and add the Aromatics (Star Anise, Bay Leaves, Ginger, Cassia Bark, Cardamom, Fennel Seeds, and White Pepper).
2.) Bring to a boil and cook for about 1 minute.
3.) Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer on low for about 45 minutes until about 1 cup of liquid has evaporated.
4.) Pour the sauce through a strainer into a jar and allow to cool completely before storing in a cabinet for later use.
Citrus Soy Sauce - Ganju Jiangyou (柑橘酱油)
While not necessarily a "Sichuan" soy sauce, this dipping sauce goes well with many cold chicken dishes and battered, fried food. Citrus Soy Sauce is perfect for battered, fried fish and is a great, healthy alternative to the sugar-heavy sauce used in Sweet and Sour Chicken, Fish, and Pork. It also pairs well with dumplings.
Ingredients
1 cup Aromatic Soy Sauce
Flavors
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup Orange Juice
3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tbsp. Lemon Zest
1/2 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds
Directions
1.) Pour the Soy Sauce into a jar with a lid.
2.) Add the Flavors (Rice Vinegar, Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, Honey, Lemon Zest, and Sesame Seeds).
3.) Screw on the lid and shake the jar vigorously to emulsify.
4.) The sauce can either be poured into a dipping bowl or stored in the fridge for later use.
Red Soy Sauce - Fuzhi Jiangyou (复制酱油)
This Red Soy Sauce is perfect for dumplings and wontons, but it’s also a key ingredient in noodle dishes such as Mixed Sauce Noodles (杂酱面) and Sweet Sauce Noodles (甜水面). Red Soy Sauce is quite similar to Aromatic Soy Sauce (芳香酱油), except that it is notably sweeter and thicker. The Chinese name for this sauce includes the word Fuzhi, which literally means to copy. In other words, this is Copycat Soy Sauce, and this Soy Sauce is essentially just copying various aromatic flavors. It’s sweet, salty, umami, and of course aromatic.
I have included two recipes for Red Soy Sauce, though they are essentially the same recipe just with different yields. The first is a large batch recipe for making an ample amount of Red Soy Sauce – enough easily to fill a large Soy Sauce bottle. The second is a small batch with a far smaller yield perfect for home cooks, who do not intend to use the Red Soy Sauce often. The large batch will have slightly better flavor, though the small batch is somewhat easier to make. With either recipe, if you would like a little extra pop of flavor, add just a pinch of Chinese Thirteen-Spice Powder (十三香粉).
Large Batch – About 1 to 1.5 Liters of Sauce:
Ingredients
Aromatics
4 stalks of Celery
1 bunch of Cilantro
1 stalk of Big Scallion (大葱)
1 stalk of regular Scallion (香葱)
1 stalk of Small Scallion (小葱)
1 4-inch block of Ginger
1/2 of a Red Onion (OR 4 cloves of Garlic)
Spices
3 whole Star Anise
2 Bay Leaves
2 whole Cloves
1 4-inch stick of Cassia Bark
1 tsp. Fennel Seeds
1 1.9 Liter bottle of Light Soy Sauce (OR about 2 Liters)
1 2/3 cups of Brown Sugar (红糖; OR, more traditionally, Slab Sugar 片糖, which is sliced before use)
400 ml of Seasoned Soy Sauce for Seafood (蒸鱼豉油; preferably an entire 14 fl oz. bottle of Lee Kum Kee; This ingredient is optional and can be replaced with an additional 400 ml. of Aromatic Soy Sauce or regular Light Soy Sauce)
Directions
1.) Prepare all of the Aromatics, placing them together in the same bowl:
- Cut the Celery, Cilantro, Big Scallion, regular Scallion, and Small Scallion into 4-inch-long pieces.
- Smash the Ginger.
- Quarter the Onion and separate the pieces into individual petals.
2.) Place all of the Spices (Star Anise, Bay Leaves, Cloves, Cassia Bark, and Fennel Seeds) together in a bowl.
3.) Fill a large pot with about 4 cups of Water, add the Aromatics, and heat on high heat. Bring the Water to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer at a low boil for about 20 minutes or until the Water has reduced by at least half.
4.) Skim out the pieces of Aromatics with a strainer, pressing the them against the wire mesh to squeeze out as much concentrated flavor as possible.
5.) Pour the Light Soy Sauce into the pot and add the Brown Sugar along with the Spices. Increase the heat to high and bring the Sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the Sauce for 15 to 20 minutes until the Sauce easily coats the back of a spoon.
6.) Pour the Sauce through a mesh strainer into a bowl to remove the Spices and any debris. Return the Sauce to the pot, add the Seasoned Soy Sauce, and continue to reduce the Sauce on medium-low heat until it reaches a honey-like consistency.
(The Sauce should be quite thick and almost honey-like. Though unnecessary, some Sweet Sauce Noodle 甜水面 restaurants in Chengdu will first strain the Sauce and then add a Corn Starch Slurry to thicken the Sauce into an almost pudding-like consistency. This style is often flavored with a freshly ground seasoning mix similar to Thirteen-Spice Powder 十三香粉 instead of whole spices).
7.) Allow the Sauce to cool slightly and then pour the sweet Red Soy Sauce into glass jars or bottles for storage.
Small Batch – About 1 to 1.5 cups of Sauce:
Ingredients
Aromatics
1 stalk of Celery
4 sprigs of Cilantro
1 4-inch stalk of Scallion (香葱)
1 1-inch block of Ginger
1 clove of Garlic
Spices
1 whole Star Anise
1/2 of a Bay Leaf
1 whole Clove
1 1-inch stick of Cassia Bark
1/4 tsp. Fennel Seeds
2 cups of Light Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Brown Sugar (红糖)
1/3 cup Seasoned Soy Sauce for Seafood (蒸鱼豉油)
Directions
1.) Prepare all of the Aromatics, placing them together in the same bowl:
- Cut the Celery, Cilantro, and Scallion into 4-inch-long pieces.
- Smash the Ginger.
- Peel and lightly smash the Garlic clove.
2.) Place all of the Spices (Star Anise, Bay Leaves, Cloves, Cassia Bark, and Fennel Seeds) together in a bowl.
3.) Fill a small pot with about 1 cup of Water, add the Aromatics, and heat on high heat. Bring the Water to a boil, reduce the heat to just under a boil on medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4.) Strain out the large pieces of Aromatics and reduce the Fragrant Water until it has reduced to just under 1/2 cup.
5.) Pour the Light Soy Sauce into the pot. Add the Brown Sugar along with the Spices. Increase the heat to high and bring the Sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the Sauce for 15 to 20 minutes until the Sauce easily coats the back of a spoon.
6.) Pour the Sauce through a mesh strainer into a bowl to remove the Spices and any debris. Return the Sauce to the pot, add the Seasoned Soy Sauce, and continue to reduce the Sauce on medium-low heat until it reaches a honey-like consistency.
7.) Allow the Sauce to cool slightly and then pour the Sweet Red Soy Sauce into a glass bottle.
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