By Sri Owen
Published 1994
Kécap (whence the English word ketchup). The making of this sauce is a complex industrial process, involving fermentation with Aspergillus oryzae fungus and a period of soaking in brine, which is presumably what gives soy sauce its saltiness. In Britain, the best all-purpose soy sauce is probably Kikkoman, but other brands – Amoy, Pearl River Bridge, and so on – are very good. Some recipes distinguish between light (salty) and dark (‘sweet’) soy, though this is really a matter of degree of saltiness. Indonesian kécap manis, sweet soy, is thick and black. One reason for using light soy is that it does not colour the food, as dark soy is apt to do.
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