How to make soy sauce at home: recipe

Asians generally cannot live without soy sauce; they add it to fish, rice, noodles and even soups. Our people also fell in love with soy sauce and got used to it. Sushi and your favorite rolls simply don’t make sense without this dark brown, salty liquid. How delicious it is to marinate chicken wings in it, or season homemade noodles with seafood!

Is it possible to make homemade soy sauce, without chemicals and harmful ingredients, with your own hands? After all, everyone has heard that this product is prepared using complex technology, fermented and aged for almost years. In fact, you can make it at home too. We will tell you all the secrets of how to make soy sauce at home, and what to add to it to make it very tasty and healthy.

How to make soy sauce at home

Do-it-yourself soy sauce
To figure out how to make soy sauce at home, you need to understand what it consists of and how it is produced in a factory. Pick up a bottle of soy sauce on the supermarket shelf and read the ingredients. In theory, it should contain nothing except soy, wheat, salt and water.

It's amazing how these simple ingredients produce such rich color, aroma and taste! The whole secret is in the process of fermentation and fermentation. But alas, besides these four components, you can read a lot more on the label. These include dyes, flavor enhancers, and a variety of unnecessary additives. In addition, many manufacturers make soy sauce using accelerated technology, adding dangerous acids.

In short, it’s better to make your favorite Asian dressing at home than to risk your health and buy chemicals. But natural sauce without impurities is very expensive, not everyone can afford it. It's good that there are original ways to prepare this dressing at home! You don't have to spend extra money and time. Try it and you will stop buying harmful chemicals in stores!

What is soy sauce and how is it prepared?

The international integration of culinary traditions of different nations in recent decades has led to the fact that Japanese cuisine is in demand among residents of all continents. One of its characteristic products is soy sauce. Many Russians are familiar with the classic tart sauce for rolls. It is very liquid, slightly transparent, has a rich black color and a pungent odor. Technologically, the liquid is a product of fermentation of soybeans with the addition of certain types of mushrooms and yeast. The biochemical composition is characterized by a high concentration of amino acids and vitamins. The piquant taste is a real boon for the housewife, and soy sauce, due to its large proportion of glutamic acid, enhances the taste of the dishes and ingredients to which it is added.

What is soy sauce made from: the classic version

Today, two technologies for preparing soy sauce are used on an industrial scale: fermentation and protein hydrolysis. Due to the natural nature of the processes occurring in the raw materials, the first method is considered more useful and valuable, but requires a lot of time:

Before making soy sauce through natural fermentation, manufacturers mix crushed roasted wheat grains with soaked boiled beans and add mushrooms, bacteria or yeast.
The next stage is fermentation, before which salt is added to the mixture. The stage takes from 6 to 150 weeks and is accompanied by the decomposition of proteins into amino acids, and starch into sugars with a simple structure. The result is thick soy sauce in the form of a slurry.
The product is pressed to separate the liquid portion, which is then heated to kill yeast and fungi. At the last stages, the product is filtered and packaged in containers for sale.

The production technology from hydrolyzed soybean protein helps reduce cooking time to 3 days. The resulting liquid is less popular among consumers and is prepared, as a rule, for cheap brands. It is believed that naturally fermented sauce has brighter consumer properties, is stored longer and is able to best reveal even the most unusual combination of products.

Varieties

The sauce, along with various types of soybean fermentation products, is widely in demand not only in Japan and China, but also in other countries of East and Southeast Asia.

China

The variety of products in this country is extremely large and, in order to classify them, it is first easier to divide them into boiled and mixed. The first ones are prepared according to recipes close to the classic ones, from soy, wheat, water and salt:

Shengchou is an opaque light brown liquid with a strong salty taste. Often added to dishes as a dressing.
Touchou is a soy sauce dip. This is a product of the first pressing of fermented paste, which in this gradation is similar to the Extra Virgin brand among olive oils.
Shuanghuang is a light sauce that is fermented twice: in brine and in soy sauce. This gives additional taste and aroma properties.
Inyu. A very dark liquid that is prepared without the addition of wheat based on fermentation with salt. It has a strong, deep flavor and is used for frying, thickening, and dipping food.

Mixed varieties have a more complex composition, enriching the smell and taste:

Laochou is a sweet soy sauce with a very thick and dark texture. Its production technology involves longer fermentation with the addition of molasses or caramel. The juice of Volvariella volvova (mushroom) is added to the Caogu Laochou variety.
Jiangyugao is a black sauce thickened with sugar, starch, monosodium glutamate and spices.
Xiazi jianyu is a type of sweet Chinese sauce, for the preparation of which soy product is boiled with the addition of shrimp, sugar, spices and baijiu liqueur.

Japanese soy sauce: light, dark and sweet

Koikuchi is the most common type of sauce and has a strong taste.
Usukuti is paler and saltier than Koikuti, but less strong.
Tamari is a very dark-colored sauce with a strong flavor characteristic of the Chubu region. Almost no wheat is used in production.
Shiro is a white sauce made with more wheat than soy. Often used as a dip for sashimi.
Saishikomi. This is an additionally brewed koikuchi with a brighter flavor.
Usujo and Gen'en are more modern variations of the sauce, with 50% and 20% less salt.

Kechap manis (Indonesia)

Kecap or ketsap manis (sweet soy sauce) is the name given to all soy sauces prepared by fermentation in Indonesia. Basically, they are divided into three types. Kechap asin is a salty version very similar to the light Chinese version, although it has a deeper flavor and thicker texture. Kechap manis indon is a sweet sauce with a consistency similar to syrup. Traditionally, palm sugar is used in its preparation.

Thai soy sauce

Nam Pla is a traditional Thai variety of soy sauce, which is distinguished by the fact that anchovies can be used in its production. Nam Pla is used in Thai cooking, perhaps in the same way as salt is used in Russian. It is added to soups, salads, noodles, and marinades.

DIY soy sauce: recipe

Classic soy sauce
So, the factory recipe for making this dressing is not suitable for us, since fermenting the beans and waiting for them to ferment is difficult and time-consuming. We will not do this, but instead we will prepare real homemade soybean sauce using simplified technology.

We will offer you two interesting recipes that will allow you to prepare a delicious dressing at home without much difficulty. These two recipes differ in their ingredients and final tastes, choose the one you like best. Both are completely natural, simple and cheap, so cook for your health.

A quick sauce recipe with a minimum number of ingredients

So, we will prepare homemade soy sauce using simplified technology. This doesn't take five minutes, but it doesn't require much trouble either. The only thing is to soak the soybeans in water overnight in advance.

The calorie content of such a dressing will be 48 kcal.

The ingredients are simple:

Soybeans – 200 gr.;
Vegetable, fish or mushroom broth – 150 ml;
Flour – 1 tbsp;
Dried ginger – 0.5 tsp;
Sea salt – 0.5-1 tsp, to taste.

Step by step recipe:

To begin, as already mentioned, we wash and soak the soybeans overnight. They should sit in water in the refrigerator for at least eight hours.
Next, these beans need to be boiled. To do this, drain the water in which they stood all night. Cover them with fresh water and simply simmer in a saucepan until they become wrinkled and soft.
Drain the water and grind the cooked mass of beans in a blender to obtain a paste.
For the prepared soy puree, take a separate saucepan, put it there and add a couple of spoons of broth, and then flour. Place on medium heat. Stir so that the flour is completely dissolved, leaving no lumps, and the mass becomes homogeneous.
Now all that remains is to pour in the rest of the broth, add salt and ginger and cook for 15 minutes, but without boiling too much.

Cool, pour into a glass container and taste immediately. Shake before serving as homemade product may have sediment. You can store it for two to three weeks, no longer. Bon appetit!

How to make hot soy sauce

Spicy soy sauce
Another homemade soy sauce recipe. It is more piquant and spicy, perfect for marinade and for serving with fish, meat, rice and noodles. Try to cook it, you will like it!

Calorie content – 57 kcal.

Ingredients:

Soybeans – 300 gr.;
Vegetable or mushroom broth – 100 ml;
Butter – 1 tbsp;
Sea salt – 0.5 tsp;
Flour – 2 tsp;
Grated ginger root – 1 tsp;
Chili powder – 1 tsp;
Black pepper - a pinch;
Garlic – 2 cloves.

Step-by-step preparation:

Soak the beans overnight and boil them until soft, then grind them into a smooth puree.
Peel the garlic and ginger and grate into a paste.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add flour and stir to form a paste. After three minutes, pour in the hot broth in a thin stream and stir all the time to obtain a uniform mass.
When the mixture boils, add bean puree, chili and ginger root. Add salt and bring everything to a boil again.
Reduce heat and let the mixture simmer for another 5 minutes.
Add garlic and black pepper and turn off.

This sauce should be shaken before serving and served chilled with any dish, especially fish, poultry, seafood and rice.

Classical

The process of making sauce using classical technology is very long and very labor-intensive. The period of natural fermentation of soybeans takes from 2 months to several years. Therefore, it is unlikely that you will be able to make authentic soy sauce at home. But, you can easily make its analogue with similar properties and get a tasty and healthy environmentally friendly product.

Ingredients:

soybean - 100 gr;
wheat flour - 1 tbsp;
chicken drumstick - 1 pc.;
butter - 2 tbsp;
salt - to taste.

Attention! These quantities of products are indicated to determine the proportions of the components. During manufacturing, it is necessary to use their quantity in accordance with the desired volume of the resulting product, i.e. increase 2 or 3 times.

Step-by-step instruction:

Soybean preparation
Drain the liquid and rinse the fruit again.
Pour cold water into a saucepan and add soybeans.
Cook over low heat for one and a half hours. The fruits should become soft. If the beans have not reached sufficient softness, you need to drain the liquid, add fresh water and cook until tender.
Pour the cooked soft beans from the pan into a colander and leave to drain the liquid.

Important! It is not recommended to bring beans to a boil or cook over high heat.

Preparing Chicken Broth
Place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat.

Recommendation! When foam begins to appear on the surface, it needs to be collected with a spoon.

When the liquid boils, add salt to taste.
Turn the heat to low and simmer the broth for about 50 minutes. The lid of the pan can be closed or left open.
Turn off the stove and remove the chicken drumstick from the broth (it will no longer be useful, so you can just eat it).

Preparing the sauce

Turn boiled beans into mush using any method. A meat grinder, a potato masher and a blender will do.

Place the resulting bean mass in a large stainless steel bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Before adding, strain the broth through a sieve and measure out 50 ml (this should be added to the total mass).

Mix the contents of the bowl thoroughly and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Cook for 3-5 minutes over low heat. Stir constantly.

Turn off the stove and let the sauce cool.

For information! If the sauce is thick, you can dilute it with broth or strain it through a sieve. It is permissible to do both.

Soy sauce: benefits and harms

Homemade soy sauce not only decorates and transforms the taste of dishes, it is also very healthy. The Chinese eat tons of it and live for a hundred years, and even look great.

And all because this product is rich in antioxidants, it prolongs youth and gives the body vitality. It also fights cancer, being a real enemy for cancer cells. The vitamins and minerals contained in the product will give you health and strengthen your immune system. It has also been noted that regular use of this dressing helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels, improve sleep and the nervous system, memory and attentiveness.

There is only one harm to the sauce - too much salt. So you shouldn’t eat this spice in too large quantities, because salt in such volumes is harmful to the body. And of course, it is harmful to those people who have an individual intolerance to soy.

Application, composition and taste of teriyaki sauce

Teriyaki is a traditional Chinese culinary method of frying food in a sauce of the same name. The words "teri" and "yaki" are translated as "shine" and "fry". This is because the foods are fried until the sugar in the sauce caramelizes, giving the fried foods a shine. Teriyaki has a very interesting rich taste. It is sweet, salty, spicy and tart at the same time. The variety of recipes and combined ingredients greatly expands the map of flavor and aromatic properties of the sauce.

What are the benefits of soy sauce for women?

Making teriyaki sauce requires mixing soy sauce with mirin (sweet rice wine), sake and/or sugar. The recipe may also require the addition of apples, lemon, ginger, fish sauce, garlic, honey and other ingredients that enrich the taste. The calorie content of the product depends on the production technology and, on average, is 85-100 kcal per 100 grams.

The scope of application of teriyaki is limited, perhaps, only by the imagination of the cook. It is well suited for marinating, frying, creating sweet sauces for noodles or rice with vegetables. Teriyaki goes well with fish, meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables and even fruits.

In Japanese

Cooks all over the world love to experiment and create new samples. Even our compatriots came up with their own recipes.

Important: it’s not easy to find Koji fungus here, so you won’t be able to prepare the product the Japanese way.

However, anyone can do something similar. Products to be used:

soy;
bouillon;
flour;
butter.

Soybeans must be boiled until tender, then pureed. Add butter and broth, a small amount of salt and flour to this mass. Mix the mixture and cook over medium heat, bringing the contents of the saucepan to a boil and remembering to stir constantly to prevent burning.

This dressing is perfect for rice, meat and fish. It can easily replace store-bought ketchup, and the main thing is that the product is natural, which means it will be beneficial for the body.

Sweet option

For those who prefer a sweeter version of the dressing, there are recipes for preparing a sweetish product. For it you will need:

soy;
sherry;
sugar;
leek;
ginger root;
ground cinnamon;
anise;
orange zest.

The preparation steps are as follows. First you need to grate the orange zest and ginger root on a fine grater. Then put the vegetables in a saucepan. Add chopped onion, sugar, wine, soy, spices. Mix everything well and place on the stove.

Cook for about an hour, set the flame to low. Wait until the volume of the mixture decreases by a third. The prepared product must be filtered and poured into a glass container. It is quite possible to store the dressing, but not more than a month.

The sweet product obtained according to this recipe can be served with sushi or avocado rolls. In addition, it can be used as an ingredient for making sweet and sour Chinese sauce.

Contraindications

In the majority of cases, negative consequences occur when the recommended dose of seasoning is exceeded or when low-quality products are consumed. For example, excessive consumption of dressing can lead to salt deposits and disruption of the urinary system. It is also necessary to take into account the presence of pathologies that do not allow such spicy variety on the menu. In the list of contraindications:

acute gastritis and peptic ulcer;
arthrosis, arthritis;
chronic kidney pathologies;
liver and gallbladder diseases;
gout;
hypertension;
previous strokes or heart attacks;
childhood;
individual intolerance to individual components.

Beneficial properties of the spicy additive

Of course, lovers of spicy cuisine are most concerned with the question of how soy sauce is beneficial for the body and in what form it is preferable to use it. It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally, because any product must be consumed in moderate portions. If you do not exceed the dosage, then the sauce will show all its positive properties, and it has many of them.

With rational use of a tasty dressing, the product will exhibit the following qualities:

as an antioxidant, it will help cleanse the body of toxins;
improves the condition of the nervous system;
will increase the performance of the cardiovascular system;
improves the condition of vascular walls;
will prevent cholesterol deposition;
will provide saturation of muscle tissue with protein.

The latter quality is especially important for athletes, since during intense physical activity, muscles intensively lose protein. Women during pregnancy are allowed to eat dishes with spicy dressing. By the way, soy sauce is an ideal replacement for ketchup and mayonnaise, and the content of tryptophan in the product, which is involved in the synthesis of serotonin, will help expectant mothers normalize sleep.

Doctors assure that the correct use of this valuable product can prevent the development of cancer. This fact has been confirmed by numerous studies.

But, in addition to being used in cooking, soybean sauce is often taken as the basis for folk recipes; it is used in cosmetology and in weight loss diets. But here it should be noted that if you want to quickly get rid of extra pounds, you should not pour too much seasoning into the plate. The permissible portion for an adult should not exceed 15 ml of aromatic product per day.

Although the natural soy product has a whole list of beneficial qualities, side effects cannot be ruled out.

Spicy sauce for sushi

The option for preparing Spicy soy sauce for rolls and sushi is slightly different from the previous recipe. The final product is mild with a hint of heat. It is suitable not only for “hot” lovers, but also for all categories of people.

Japanese mayonnaise - 30 gr.
soy sauce - 35 ml.
olive oil - 15 ml.
salt - 5 gr.
chili pepper - 3 pcs.
flying fish caviar - 45 gr.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, wash the chili peppers, dry them and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, wait until the product becomes soft and the peel is charred.
After this period, remove the skin, grind the chili in a blender to a porridge, add olive oil and crushed sea salt.
Combine mayonnaise and soy sauce into one mass, add the chili paste obtained earlier. Beat the mixture with two forks or a whisk, add flying fish caviar.
Pass the product through the blender again to make a porridge. Next, pour the sauce into a resealable container and refrigerate for 3.5-4 hours.

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