Aya Nishimura

01 Soy Sauce

Appears in
Japanese Food Made Easy
Japanese Food Made Easy

By Aya Nishimura

Published 2020

  • About

Soy sauce is an essential component and one of the core seasoning elements in Japanese cuisine. It is made from fermented soybeans, wheat, salt, brine and koji, which is a mould culture that grows naturally on grain. The three major varieties of soy sauce are dark (koikuchi), light (usukuchi) and tamari.

Dark soy sauce is most commonly used in cooking and in sauces. Light soy sauce is lighter in colour, but it has a higher salt content. Therefore, it is used for seasoning clear broths and for dishes in which you want to retain the vibrant colour. Tamari does not contain wheat and is mainly used as a dipping sauce.