Most people know about soy sauce since soy sauce is a popular ingredient, and soy sauce has tons of varieties made around the world.
You may be wondering about shoyu soy sauce and if it is the same as regular soy sauce. I checked out the facts, and here is what I have learned!
What Is Shoyu Soy Sauce?
Shoyu soy sauce is soy sauce, and the name “shoyu” comes from Japan because shoyu means soy. Shoyu is a name often used for soy sauces that are made in Japan, and shoyu soy sauces are often best for Japanese recipes. Typically, Japanese shoyu soy sauce is sweeter and darker than other soy sauces.
Do you wish to learn more facts about shoyu sauce? Then read the rest of the article to find out!
Shoyu Sauce
Shoyu sauce is soy sauce, and shoyu is a term often used to refer to Japanese-style and Japanese-made soy sauces because shoyu means soy in Japanese.
While soy sauce was invented in China, China brought soy sauce to Japan around 250 AD -710 AD.
Soy sauce quickly became popular in Japan, and the Japanese developed their own versions of soy sauce, coining the term “shoyu” sauce.
Whenever you see shoyu sauce, it will likely be a Japanese-style soy sauce, which has a slightly different taste and consistency to most other soy sauces.
Is Shoyu Sauce The Same As Soy Sauce?
Shoyu sauce is technically the same as soy sauce since shoyu is simply the Japanese word for soy, hence the name shoyu sauce.
Therefore, your bottle of shoyu sauce will be the same as many soy sauces, but shoyu sauce will likely be Japanese soy sauce.
Is Shoyu Sauce Japanese?
Shoyu sauce is Japanese because shoyu is a Japanese word, and most soy sauces that are called shoyu sauce mean that they are soy sauces made in Japan.
What Does Shoyu Sauce Taste Like?
Typically, shoyu has a mildly salty taste because the overall flavor of shoyu is meant to enhance other ingredients while cooking.
Moreover, shoyu sauces tend to be sweeter than other soy sauces, but shoyu sauce is still a savory condiment as well.
However, what the shoyu sauce will taste like will mostly depend on the brand and the exact type of shoyu sauce you get.
For instance, Kikkoman naturally brewed soy sauce is considered a shoyu sauce since Kikkoman is a Japanese brand, and Kikkoman has a distinctly salty and savory flavor with sweet and sour notes.
Another example is tamari, another popular type of soy sauce in Japan, that has a less salty yet very strong umami flavor because tamari contains a lot of soybeans and no wheat.
How Do You Use Shoyu Sauce?
Normally, you can use shoyu sauce as you would usually use soy sauce, which includes using shoyu sauce as a dip, a base for sauces, seasoning, coloring, marinades, and more.
However, the exact way you would shoyu sauce will greatly depend on the type of shoyu sauce you have.
For example, if you have Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce, this shoyu sauce will work in most Japanese recipes that call for soy sauce or shoyu sauce.
If you have tamari shoyu sauce, then you can use tamari as a seasoning for meats and soups, in marinades, or as a dip for sashimi and sushi.
What Can I Substitute For Shoyu Sauce?
In most cases, you can use regular soy sauce in place of shoyu sauce since shoyu sauce is Japanese soy sauce.
However, you may want to slightly tweak regular soy sauce to adjust it to make your regular soy sauce taste more like a Japanese shoyu sauce.
Moreover, you can use a dark soy sauce to replace shoyu sauce since a dark soy sauce has a similar color and flavor to most shoyu sauces.
Can I Use Shoyu Sauce Instead Of Chinese Soy Sauce?
You can use shoyu sauce instead of Chinese soy sauce if you are replacing regular or dark Chinese soy sauce since most shoyu sauces are similar to regular and dark Chinese soy sauces..
In most cases, you can use shoyu sauce to replace regular and dark Chinese soy sauce in an equal 1:1 ratio, but you may want to add a bit of salt to your shoyu sauce.
Can I Use Shoyu Sauce Instead Of Sweet Soy Sauce?
You may use shoyu sauce instead of sweet soy sauce, but you need to adjust the shoyu sauce first.
Shoyu sauce alone will not be a good substitute for sweet soy sauce because shoyu sauce is not as sweet nor thick as sweet soy sauce.
Add a bit of cornstarch and a good amount of sugar into the shoyu sauce to create a sweeter and thicker texture, mimicking sweet soy sauce.
Can I Use Shoyu Sauce Instead Of Light Soy Sauce?
Shoyu sauce is not an ideal replacement for light soy sauce because light soy sauce has a very different flavor profile and color than shoyu sauce.
For instance, most shoyu sauces have a very bold and deep savory flavor with a hint of sweetness whereas light soy sauce is more mellow with a saltier flavor.
Moreover, shoyu sauce is much darker than light soy sauce because shoyu sauce is typically dark brown to nearly black while light soy sauce is often golden brown.
Can I Use Shoyu Sauce Instead Of Dark Soy Sauce?
You can easily use shoyu sauce to replace dark soy sauce because most shoyu sauces are similar to dark soy sauces.
Normally, shoyu sauce is very dark brown, which is the same color as dark soy sauce. Plus, dark soy sauce and shoyu sauce both have salty and savory flavors with a bit of sweetness, making shoyu sauce an excellent substitute.
If you want to learn about when soy sauce packets go back, if soy sauce tenderizes meat, and how to use soy sauce in Vietnamese food, check out our related articles.
Conclusion
Shoyu sauce is soy sauce, and shoyu sauce is a name often used to refer to Japanese-style sauces.
Shoyu sauces are typically dark and bold, and shoyu sauce is very versatile in the kitchen because you can use it as a seasoning, marinade, dip, and more.