Tons of recipes call for soy sauce because of how versatile soy sauce is since you can use soy sauce in so many recipes,
If you’ve ever seen the words “regular soy sauce.” you might be wondering exactly what that is. I looked up the facts, and here’s what I found!
What Is Regular Soy Sauce?
Regular soy sauce is the “normal” soy sauce that we most often see in stores, and most bottles that are only labeled as “soy sauce” are considered regular soy sauce. Typically, most regular soy sauces will have very salty and savory flavors with notes of sour and sweet tastes, but the exact taste will depend on the manufacturer.
Do you want to learn more interesting information about regular soy sauce? Keep reading to find out!
What Does Regular Soy Sauce Taste Like?
Regular soy sauce normally tastes very salty and savory with mild notes of sweetness and sourness.
However, the exact flavor of regular soy sauce will heavily depend on the brand since each manufacturer will have slightly different ingredients, processes, etc.
For instance, Kikkoman Naturally Brewed soy sauce tastes like regular soy sauce yet Kikkoman has a unique and distinct flavor from other brands of soy sauce.
Lee Kum Kee’s Premium Soy Sauce will also taste like a regular soy sauce, but Lee Kum Kee will taste like a Chinese-style soy sauce.
How Is Regular Soy Sauce Made?
Typically, regular soy sauce is created by using traditional and natural brewing methods, but the exact way regular soy sauce is prepared can vary based on the manufacturer.
Usually, to start the process, soybeans are soaked in water while the wheat gets roasted and crushed.
Next, the soybeans and wheat get mixed with a type of culturing mold then this mixture is left to develop for 2-3 days.
After the mixture develops, salt and water are added into the mixture then the mixture gets left to ferment inside a fermenting tank for around 5-8 months, but some brands may age their soy sauce for longer periods.
Enzymes that come from the culturing mold act upon the wheat and soybeans during the fermentation process to slowly break down the soybeans and wheat into amino acids.
Wheat contains starch, so the starch from the wheat turns into simple sugars that will then get fermented to become alcohol and lactic acid that’s naturally present in soy sauce.
Once the aging process is finished, the mixture gets put out onto cloth then pressed to separate the liquid.
When the liquid gets separated from the mixture, the liquid will get pasteurized to remove any bacteria.
After pasteurization is complete, the liquid will then get inspected and bottled, creating the soy sauce we know today.
How Do You Use Regular Soy Sauce?
Since regular soy sauce is considered a common or all-purpose soy sauce, regular soy sauce is very versatile and has many uses in the kitchen.
Therefore, you can use regular soy sauce as a dip, marinade, seasoning, coloring, and much more.
However, the exact times you can use regular soy sauce will depend on what recipe you want to follow.
For instance, regular soy sauce may now work well in recipes that call for light soy sauce because light soy sauce is mellow yet salty while regular soy sauce has a deeper color and taste.
Additionally, you can adjust your regular soy sauce to replace other soy sauces in recipes. For instance, you can add a bit of sugar to regular soy sauce to mimic dark soy sauce.
What Can I Substitute For Regular Soy Sauce?
You can use tamari soy sauce in place of regular soy sauce, especially if you are allergic or sensitive to gluten, for a gluten-free option.
However, tamari soy sauce has a less salty but very savory flavor in comparison to regular soy sauce, but tamari soy sauce can work as a quick replacement for regular soy sauce.
Moreover, you can use coconut or liquid aminos as a soy-free alternative to regular soy sauce since liquid aminos have a dark color with a salty and savory taste, but coconut aminos have a mildly sweet taste.
In many cases, dark soy sauce can easily replace regular soy sauce because they have a similar color and flavor profile.
However, you may need to add salt to your dark soy sauce if your dark soy sauce is sweet.
Does Regular Soy Sauce Go Bad?
Regular soy sauce can go bad if the soy sauce has been opened and improperly kept for over 2-3 years.
Moreover, you can tell that the soy sauce has gone bad if it has an almost unbearable smell or flavor.
However, while soy sauce does not technically spoil, soy sauce will lose some of its flavor and freshness once opened.
You can preserve your soy sauce by keeping unopened bottles in a dark and cool place while refrigerating opened bottles of soy sauce.
Is Regular Soy Sauce Better Than Other Soy Sauces?
Technically, regular soy sauce is not better than other soy sauces, but regular soy sauce is more versatile than the other kinds of soy sauces.
However, regular soy sauce is a good option to get if you don’t have any soy sauces in your kitchen since regular soy sauce can work with most recipes.
If you want to learn more about liquid aminos versus soy sauce, what is dark soy sauce, and the difference between tamari and soy sauce, take a look at our related articles.
Conclusion
Regular soy sauce is a common type of soy sauce found in most grocery stores, and regular soy sauce is usually dark brown with a salty and savory flavor.
Moreover, regular soy sauce is a very versatile soy sauce that you can use in most recipes that call for soy sauce.