Soy sauce is an ingredient that is popular in many Asian cuisines, especially Chinese recipes because soy sauce adds wonderful flavors and colors to various recipes.
However, you may be wondering what brand of soy sauce Chinese restaurants use. I looked up the facts for you, and here is what I found out!
What Brand Of Soy Sauce Do Chinese Restaurants Use?
Most Chinese restaurants use Lee Kum Kee, Pearl River Bridge, and Koon Chun soy sauce, but you may also find Kimlan soy sauce in certain restaurants. These brands are very popular and easy to find in most grocery stores, so many Chinese restaurants will make use of them in their restaurants.
Keep in mind that different people may tell you different brands of soy sauce, and they will often tell you the brands that they used growing up.
However, these are some common brands that many Chinese restaurants use for soy sauce.
Are you wondering why these brands are popular in Chinese restaurants? Keep on reading to find out!
1. Lee Kum Kee
Lee Kum Kee is one of the most popular brands for Chinese condiments, especially soy sauce, and you can find Lee Kum Kee soy sauce in many grocery stores or online.
Moreover, Lee Kum Kee is the most “traditional” and easily accessible Chinese soy sauce brand that you can get if you want a more authentic flavor in your recipes.
Additionally, Lee Kum Kee has a variety of soy sauces that you can choose from, such as light soy sauce and dark soy sauce.
For instance, Lee Kum Kee’s light soy sauce is a good option if your Chinese recipe calls for seasoning since light soy sauce is the most commonly used soy sauce in Chinese recipes.
However, Lee Kum Kee also has regular and dark soy sauce that is suited for coloring, stronger flavors, and dips, just like Chinese restaurants use them for.
2. Pearl River Bridge
Pearl River Bridge is another popular soy sauce brand that lots of Chinese restaurants opt for, making Pearl River Bridge soy sauce an excellent addition to your kitchen.
Like Lee Kum Kee, Pearl River Bridge has many variations of soy sauce such as light and dark soy sauce.
Additionally, the Pearl River Bridge brand is also created in China, but most restaurants may prefer to use Lee Kum Kee over Pearl River Bridge.
Moreover, the Premium Label and Gold Label Pearl River Bridge soy sauces tend to taste better than the regular ones because Gold Label Pearl River Bridge soy sauces have been aged longer.
3. Koon Chun
Like the other brands, Koon Chun is a good soy sauce with many variants, such as Double Black Soy Sauce and Thin Soy Sauce, allowing you to choose the best one for your needs.
Koon Chun has a complex flavor, making Koon Chun soy sauce an excellent choice if you want to add lots of flavor to your recipe.
4. Kimlan
Kimlan soy sauce is another excellent option for soy sauce from Chinese restaurants, especially if you want a soy sauce with lots of savory flavors.
While Kimlan soy sauce still has salty notes, Kimlan regular soy sauce is not as salty as other brands, but Kimlan has the savoriness that people love.
Is It Important To Use Chinese Soy Sauce?
In most recipes, it is important to use Chinese soy sauce, especially if you are following a Chinese recipe.
Each culture and brand has slightly different ways of making soy sauce, meaning that the final product will taste, look, and feel different.
Therefore, it would be best to use a Chinese brand of soy sauce whenever you make a Chinese recipe that needs soy sauce.
Additionally, it is important to note that most Chinese recipes will require light soy sauce.
If the recipe doesn’t say what type of soy sauce is used and it will be used as a seasoning, the recipe likely needs light soy sauce.
However, you can use other types of soy sauce for Chinese recipes, but you may not get the exact taste that you were expecting from your recipe.
Can I Use Kikkoman Soy Sauce For Chinese Recipes?
You can use Kikkoman soy sauce for Chinese recipes, but you may not have the same authentic flavor that you would get from a Chinese restaurant.
Kikkoman soy sauce is a Japanese type of soy sauce, and while Kikkoman may have some similarities with Chinese soy sauces, Kikkoman has a more distinct flavor than most Chinese soy sauces.
Kikkoman regular soy sauce still has a slightly different flavor profile than regular Chinese soy sauce, and Kikkoman may overpower your recipe if you are not careful.
Take a look at our related articles to learn if soy sauce is Chinese, the best soy sauces for fried rice, and light soy sauce versus dark soy sauce.
Conclusion
If you think something is missing in your Chinese dish, then you may need to opt for soy sauce brands that Chinese restaurants use.
Thankfully, you can try out any of the brands listed above to enhance your Chinese recipes and achieve a more authentic flavor.