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 much soy sauce should I add to a stir fry? ›
Add the Sauce
For a basic stir fry, you'll want about 3 tablespoons of sauce. Most of the liquid will cook off, leaving you with just the flavors. If you'll be serving the stir fry over rice or other grains, you'll want about 1/3 cup of sauce and may want to thicken it up with a bit of cornstarch or flour.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What cancels out too much 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.
Is one tablespoon of soy sauce too much? ›
Just 1 tablespoon of soy sauce contains nearly 40% of the daily recommended 2,300 milligrams of sodium. Salt is a nutrient that our body needs to function. But too much of it can increase blood pressure and lead to heart disease and stroke.
Can you use Kikkoman soy sauce for cooking? ›
UNLEASH THE UMAMI FLAVOUR!
Kikkoman Soy Sauce adds that certain something to every dish, both during cooking and on the plate. With its full-bodied aroma, it is equally at home in Asian food as in cuisines the world over.
"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.
Can soy sauce go bad? ›
Soy sauce typically has a long shelf life, but if it has expired, it may have lost its flavor and color, and it may have a rancid or sour smell. Consuming expired soy sauce can potentially cause food poisoning or other health problems, especially if it has been stored improperly or exposed to heat or light.
Why do you put vinegar in soy sauce? ›
In Asian cooking, vinegar is often used to cut saltiness from soy sauce or other ingredients. For me, balsamic vinegar has the perfect mix of sweetness, acidity, and body to combine with the brown sugar and soy sauce here.
Can I use Worcestershire sauce instead of soy sauce? ›
Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce can be substituted in equal ratios, thanks to Worcestershire's salty, umami flavors made from vinegar, anchovies, alliums, and seasoning.
What is soy sauce mainly used for? ›
Soy sauce can be added directly to food, and is used as a dip or salt flavor in cooking. It is often eaten with rice, noodles, and sushi or sashimi, or can also be mixed with ground wasabi for dipping. Bottles of soy sauce for the salty seasoning of various foods are common on restaurant tables in many countries.
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.
How much soy sauce to use? ›
The right measure while cooking
When you use soy sauce in cooking, the amount you use depends on the flavour you want to achieve. Professional chefs and experienced cooks simply add a few splashes of soy sauce and then adjust the flavour to taste.
