How to Love Soy Sauce, A Staple of Chinese Cuisine
Contributed by: chefhu
The reputation of Chinese cuisine has languished. Long ago the epicenter of the culinary world, Chinese cuisine no longer seems to garner the same respect as its international counterparts. While I believe opinions will eventually change, I think the initiative falls upon us. We, as diners, need to learn more about the foundations of Chinese cuisine. And what more basic element is there than soy sauce?
Many mistakenly believe that soy sauce is simply the Chinese equivalent of salt. But the truth is that the controlled use of soy sauce is a key aspect in Chinese cuisine. Different types, depending on their age and production methods, are suitable for different applications. Some are sweet, some salty; some are better for cooking while others are best appreciated lightly dipped into.
In the interest of brevity, here is a horribly inadequate abbreviation of the soy sauce making process: take the soy beans, cook them. Depending on the type of soy sauce, you may or may not add wheat. Add spores. Allow it to ferment and funkify. Press out juice. Filter and pasteurize. Bottle. Not very sexy, eh? But when it goes from bean to bottle there are a billion processes I've glossed over which contribute to the creation of the umami, mouth-watering wonder that is soy sauce.
As is often the case, the handmade artisanal stuff is the best. Slower brewing time and prolonged aging in a barrel allow a greater depth and breadth of flavor esters, amino acids, and assorted proteins to develop, something that caramel food coloring and hydrolyzed soy protein can never truly mimic. Really good soy has a floral mushroom note in aroma, and the flavor carries a lasting rich roundness that goes far beyond simply salty.
Such quality doesn't come cheap. At the restaurant, we ...
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