Condiment
Soy sauce
Also called light soy sauce, shoyu, ganjang
A fermented seasoning liquid of soybeans, usually with wheat, plus salt and time. Japanese shoyu, Korean ganjang and Chinese light soy are not identical.
Origin
China, then everywhere soy was fermented. Many Western supermarket bottles are Japanese-style all-purpose shoyu.
Flavour
Salty first, then roasted, malty and savoury. Chemically hydrolysed sauce smells harsh, like a burnt stock cube.
How it is made
Soy and usually wheat are inoculated with koji, mashed with brine and aged. Naturally brewed labels matter; the shortcut method skips the ageing and tastes like it.
How to use it
Season in layers: a little during cooking, a little at the end, because boiling drives off aroma and leaves only salt. For adobo, soy plus vinegar is the sauce, and the balance matters more than the brand. Light soy is the default for seasoning; dark soy will turn a dish mahogany and sweet if you pour as if it were light. Tamari is a wheat-free-ish stand-in with a rounder taste. If the brand is very salty, hold extra salt and fish sauce until you taste.
Storage
A cool cupboard is fine. It will not spoil quickly, but it does go dull.
Recipes using it
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