The trick is to gain some inspiration. The kitchen offers you a place where you can experience the cuisine of any country you like, without leaving your house! Fill your kitchen cupboards with new foods that you can get excited about: authentic, naturally brewed soy sauce (you’ll taste the difference), kimchi, sushi ingredients, yuzu jelly tea and much more.
It’s amazing what a humble bottle of soy sauce can do! Go forth and get some inspo…
How to cook using soy sauce?
Use as a glaze when cooking meat
A soy sauce glaze is cooked on the meat so that the sugars caramelise. The glaze encompasses all your senses: it’s sweet, umami and flavoursome, adding a wonderfully sticky texture, a rich, lustrous sheen and a mouth-watering aroma. It’s also really quick and easy to make. You probably enjoy soy-glazed Korean fried chicken and salmon when you’re dining out — there’s no reason why you can’t whip some up at home. It takes minutes. When you’re roasting a joint of meat and the meat is cooked, simply mix soy sauce with an equal amount of maple syrup or honey, brush it over the roasted joint and stick it back into the oven to allow the glaze to caramelise. If you have some more time to get creative (and we’re only talking 10 minutes) then add some ingredients to a pan and reduce them:
- Start by adding 4 tsp ginger, 4 tbsp garlic and 4 tsp sesame oil to a pan and heat for 30 seconds.
- Remove the pan from the heat to let the sauce cool and thicken.
- Then add 125ml soy sauce, 6 tbsp honey, 6 tbsp dark brown sugar, 2 tbsp oyster sauce and 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar.
- Return to the heat for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half.
- Brush the glaze over your roasted meat and return it to the oven so that the sauce caramelises.
Use to marinade food before cooking
Marinating your meat in soy sauce before cooking will make it so much tastier! And again, it doesn’t take much effort. You can either marinate the meat in soy sauce on its own, or you can add some other ingredients like garlic, vinegar and lemon zest. Only marinate your meat in soy sauce for about half an hour. Any longer, and the food will taste too salty. From salmon to pork chops, chicken or steak, they’ll all soak up the umami flavour from the soy sauce. The soy sauce will help to balance acidic flavours from the vinegar and lemon. Another great combo is soy sauce and coffee marinade for an extra juicy steak. Yes, really! Just mix soy sauce with a strong cup of coffee, some garlic and some brown sugar and marinade the steak before cooking. If you’re planning on frying, searing or sautéing the meat, then blot the meat dry with a paper towel to stop it from sticking.
Use for seasoning meals
Soy sauce is naturally salty, so it makes a great substitute for salt. In any situation where you’d add some salt — try shaking some soy sauce over the food instead. Bolognese sauce, chilli con carne, scrambled egg, shepherd’s pie, soups, chips, ramen noodles, Korean fried chicken — you name it, give it a try. When making your Sunday roast, brush your chicken with soy sauce before you pop it in the oven for a crispy finish, or add some soy sauce to the gravy. The bonus is that soy sauce doesn’t just add saltiness, it adds that deep, rich umami flavour. So we’d say that soy sauce beats salt for seasoning!
Use as a dipping sauce
Sushi soy sauce with a dash of wasabi is a famous combo: plan your own sushi-making session with a sushi at home kit to add some fun to dinnertime!
For a huge wow factor with low effort, you can also make a very tasty Korean dipping sauce using soy sauce. This dipping sauce works really well with Korean mandu (dumplings) and kimchi pancakes. It’s just a case of mixing some ingredients together:
- Mix 4 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp demerara sugar, 4 tbsp rice vinegar and 4 tbsp water in a bowl until the sugar dissolves.
- Mix in some optional ingredients: ½ tsp gochugaru (chilli flakes), ½ tsp sesame oil, ½ tsp garlic ½ tsp, ½ tsp chopped spring onion, ½ tsp roasted sesame seeds.
- Dip in your dumplings or pancakes!
Warning: this sauce is sweet, tangy and utterly addictive!
Use as a salad dressing
Have you got some salady bits in your fridge? Any veggies you can chop up? Or some cold leftover soba noodles? Soy sauce is the star ingredient in a salad dressing. If you usually mix up some olive oil and vinegar dressing, simply add a splash of soy sauce for a richer taste which tempers the vinegar. Alternatively, try our extra special recipe and mix together:
- 2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp ginger, chopped
- ½ small onion, chopped
Coconut aminos will also work as an alternative to soy sauce
Think of soy sauce as a handy flavour enhancer that you can add to most meals to enliven them. Soy sauce isn’t just used for sushi and stir-fries, but also for fusion food, for example, to marinade your Sunday roast, or add it to a Mexican fajita or Caribbean fried chicken sauce. There are endless ways to use soy sauce and we have only mentioned a fraction. Have fun exploring and invite friends and family over to enjoy the result!
FAQs
Kikkoman soy sauce makes a brilliant glaze for roasted or pan-fried meat, fish and vegetables. It adds shine as well as a deep, savoury flavour. Try mixing equal amounts with honey or maple syrup and brush it onto a joint of roasted meat then pop it back in the oven briefly to caramelise.
How do you use soy sauce in cooking? ›
Kikkoman soy sauce makes a brilliant glaze for roasted or pan-fried meat, fish and vegetables. It adds shine as well as a deep, savoury flavour. Try mixing equal amounts with honey or maple syrup and brush it onto a joint of roasted meat then pop it back in the oven briefly to caramelise.
How do you make soy sauce taste better? ›
Add a dash of Maggi (a sauce with even more umami than soy), and pinches of white sugar, MSG (chicken bouillon or mushroom powder would also work), and white pepper to the soy concoction. Simmer for 5 minutes. These seasonings are customizable.
How much soy sauce per pound of meat? ›
Start with a small amount and taste as you go. Beefier burgers – Add about a tablespoon of soy sauce per pound of ground beef when you're making burger patties to enhance their mouthwatering meatiness.
Can I add soy sauce to my spaghetti? ›
"Soy sauce pasta is my go-to pasta dish whenever I'm craving something salty and sweet. You can add any vegetables you have in the fridge and easily make it a vegetarian version by adding tofu instead of steak.
Can you put soy sauce in a frying pan? ›
Tossing some vegetables in soy sauce, spices and cooking oil before roasting them will encourage better browning and give them an umami boost much like it does for meat. Try drizzling a bit of soy sauce into the pan when you're deglazing caramelized onions for a savoriness you need to taste to believe.
What soy sauce is best for cooking? ›
To put it simply, light soy sauce is used for seasoning and dark soy sauce is used for adding colour to dishes. Light soy sauce is golden brown in colour and rich in taste to add flavour during marinating and seasoning stage. It uplifts the flavour of any meat, noodles or rice dishes.
What flavor cancels out soy sauce? ›
Incorporate Lemon Juice, Vinegar or Sugar
Many cooks combat a salty dish with a splash of lemon juice or vinegar. You can also try mixing in a sweetener like white sugar, brown sugar, honey or agave syrup. The goal is to dilute the soy sauce and to create a harmonious blend of flavors.
When should you add soy sauce? ›
Use for seasoning meals
In any situation where you'd add some salt — try shaking some soy sauce over the food instead. Bolognese sauce, chilli con carne, scrambled egg, shepherd's pie, soups, chips, ramen noodles, Korean fried chicken — you name it, give it a try.
How do you make soy taste better? ›
There are countless ways to make traditional soy milk taste better. You can start by adding ingredients like vanilla, sweetener, or even chocolate. If you feel fancy and creative, you can add cinnamon and other spices that you think would complement the flavor of soy.
"Soy sauce can be a great alternative to salt for those with high blood pressure who need to reduce sodium intake," says Josh Redd, NMD, the founder of RedRiver Health and Wellness and author of "The Truth About Low Thyroid." Sodium levels can be improved further still by opting for a low sodium version of soy sauce, " ...
Should you add salt with soy sauce? ›
However, using soy sauce as a seasoning means you don't have to add extra salt to your food so your overall salt consumption should not increase. The easiest way to ensure that you don't add too much salt is to measure the amount of soy sauce and don't pour it freehand.
What does soaking meat in soy sauce do? ›
Soy sauce is a great replacement for or addition to salt when you're looking for an exceptional marinade. Soy sauce contains glutamic acid which reinforces the meat's flavor.
What to avoid in soy sauce? ›
Soy sauce also contains wheat, which some people may be allergic to. People who have celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder caused by eating gluten, should avoid soy sauce that has gluten. Most soy sauces contain wheat, but some brands produce gluten-free soy sauces.
What makes soy sauce taste better? ›
The better, more flavorful soy sauces are fermented longer, which allows the proteins in the soy (and wheat) to break down into the amino acids that lend the condiment its glutamate-rich content. Glutamates trigger the taste response we know as umami, or perception of savoriness.
Can I just add soy sauce to rice? ›
Add the rice to the pan and season with soy sauce and dark mushroom soy sauce. You can enjoy you fried rice as-is or with your favourite viand. Enjoy your fried rice while hot.
What is the main purpose of soy sauce? ›
With a deep reddish-brown and liquid-like appearance, soy sauce is used for enhancing the umami taste and adding color to the foods in the cuisines derived from various cultures. Soybeans together with wheat and brine are the starting materials for this food seasoning.
What taste does soy sauce add? ›
The taste of soy sauce is predominated by saltiness, followed by moderate umami, sweetness, and finally slight bitterness, which is hard to perceive due to the masking effect of other tastes. The overall flavor of soy sauce is a result of the balance and interaction among different taste components.
What food is used with soy sauce? ›
It makes a great marinade or can be splashed into stews or used in sauces for meat and vegetables. Use light soy sauce to flavour dishes without darkening them - when stir-frying vegetables or chicken, for instance. Use dark soy sauce to give colour to noodle dishes; its sweetness also makes it good as a dipping sauce.
What does soy sauce pair with? ›
Soy sauce is frequently paired with chicken as a marinade or part of a glaze. Soy sauce often accompanies fish dishes, such as tuna and salmon, and flavors pasta or noodle dishes. Honey and ginger are usually paired with soy sauce to enhance its flavor.
