Soy Sauce

Made from fermented, protein-rich soy beans, this is the indispensable seasoning of the Chinese cuisine. There are two main kinds, the thick or dark and the thin or light. Thick soy sauce is darker in colour, thicker in consistency and less salty in taste than thin soy sauce. They are often used together in conjunction with salt, but since thick soy sauce gives a reddish-brown hue to food, do not use it to marinate or season ingredients when a light appearance is called for. A third kind is called mushroom soy sauce, which is thicker and richer than thick soy sauce and has a mushroom flavour. Soy sauces are usually sold in bottles, but they also come in cans.