INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

While Americans are familiar with soy sauce, most aren't aware that
there are different types, nor do they understand how to use them.
China and Japan are the major producers of authentic soy sauce and
companies in each country make their own very different style of the
condiment. Within each major style, there are also light, dark, and
even "lite' soy sauces.  No matter the style, all soy sauce begins with
soybeans, wheat and  mold. A combination of roasted soybean meal and
ground wheat is  injected with aspergillus mold and left to develop for
several days.  The cultured meal is then mixed with brine and yeast and
transferred  to tanks where it ferments for anywhere from six months to
four  years, depending on the manufacturer. The liquids are then
drained  off, strained and bottled.  Japanese manufacturer use more
wheat than the Chinese to make their  soy sauce and this accounts for
its mellowere,. less salty flavor.  Dark soy, with its deep brown color
and soft, fruity aroma, is the  type used most often in Japan. Japanese
light soy spends less time in  fermentation tanks and is paler, with a
milder flavor than the dark.  Cooks from southwestern Japan, wher the
cuisine is very light and  delicate, favor it because it adds flavor
but not color.  Chines-style soy sauces are generally saltier nad have
a much stronger  flavor than the sweeter, mellower Japanese soy sauces.
The Chinese  sauces range from very thickm dark, paste-like mixtures to
some that  are quite thin and lightly colored. A bit of molasses gives
their  dark soy a slightly sweet flavor. The Chines also make mushroom
soy  sauce, which is dark soy sauce flavored with straw mushrooms.  In
both countries, light soy sauces are saltier than dark. An easy  way to
distinguish between the two is to shake the bottle. Dark soy  sauce
will coat the sides of the bottle; the more watery light soy  won't.
Tamari sauce is made much the same way as soy sauce is but without
wheat. Some find its flavor unpleasantly metallic. Reduced-sodium soy
sauces are just an excuse for health food store to charge ridiculous
prices. If you're sensitive to sodium, you'll get more flavor by
simply diluting a good-quality soy sauce with water, broth, or wine
than by buying a more expensive "lite" product which has little taste.
Avoid artificially produced soy sauces that are invading grocery
shelves. Unlike Japanese or chinese companies that brew their soy
sauce according to the centuries-old process, American manufactureres
often take shortcuts, mixing soy protein with water, corn syrup, salt
and caramel color to produce a harsh, salty liquids that has none of
the complexity and richness of a good-quality soy sauce. To be sure
you're getting authentic brands, look for the words "naturally  brewed"
on the label.  The deep color and strong sweet-salty taste of Chinese
dark soy sauce  is well paired with hearty foods that won't be
overwhelmed by its  powerful color and flavor. Meats and "red-cooked"
dishes, in which  foods are braised slowly to develop an appetizing
reddish brown  color, are good choices for dark soy sauce. Light
Chinese soy sauce  is well matched with more subtly flavored foods,
such as seafood,  vegetables and poultry dishes. Use it, too, for
dipping sauces and  marinades. While Chines-style soy sauces are
indispensable in some  traditional recioes, they're certainly not to
everyone's taste, and  they'll overwhelm the flavor of subtler Japanese
and Southeast Asian  dishes. Mushroom soy sauce, often used to flavor
meat or vegetable  stir-fries, is delicious, but its flavor is quite
potent. Use it  sparingly.  Japanese dark soy sauce is the most
versatile for Western dishes as  well as for traditional Asian food.
Kikkoman is a good all-purpose  soy sauce. Made by a Japanese company
in Wisconsin, this  Japanese-style soy sauce has a well-rounded,
complex flavor with a  slightly sweet aftertaste. Recommended for all
types of cooking.  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at
www.synapse.com/~gemini

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