Soy Sauce facts

Cooking with Soy Sauce

The slow brewing process of only natural ingredients (water, soybeans, wheat and salt) results in a superior soy sauce with distinct rich flavour, colour and aroma.

It’s delicious on its own, but it’s what it does to your food that’s really amazing. That’s because naturally brewed soy sauce is a flavour enhancer that actually brings out the flavours of other foods – dishes that go far beyond Asian cuisine, crossing culinary boundaries like Latin, Mediterranean and even mainstream Austrailian. Add a little Kikkoman to just about any dish on your menu. You probably won’t even notice the soy sauce taste, but suddenly, the dish is punchier, more complex, more mysteriously delicious.

That’s because Kikkoman Soy Sauce is rich in umami – the elusive fifth flavour. Everyone is familiar with the four basic flavours, salt, sour and bitter-but umami is something more. Sometimes translated from Japanese as “delicious,” “savoury” or “brothy,” it refers to a synergy of intricate, balanced flavours. In soy sauce, umami results from the more than 285 flavour and aroma components and high concentration of amino acids triggering taste receptors on your tongue.

As an experiment, replace the salt you normally use with a swirl of soy sauce-in seafood, meat, vegetables, salad dressings – even pasta sauces. The result: A clean, balanced flavour without drowning out subtle tastes. Cream sauces will taste nuttier. Tomato sauce will be less acidic; batters more golden brown. Pot roasts will be heartier, and sautéed mushrooms will taste meatier. Try a lemon-soy aioli for grilled fish, or how about a soy beurre-blanc for roasted asparagus? The possibilities are endless.