Difference between light and dark soy sauce – Light soy sauce is saltier, thinner, and more “refreshing” than dark soy sauce. Light soy sauce is typically used for Cantonese-style stir fries and dipping sauce, such as sauce for sushi and fried tofu. Dark soy sauce is sweeter, thicker, and full-bodied compared to light soy sauce.
Dark soy sauce is typically used for adding color to a dish rather than for flavor. You are likely eating dark soy sauce in Northern Chinese stir fries or in Shanghai cooking with braised “red-cooked” meats.
NOTE : If a recipe calls for “soy sauce” without specifying which type, it is most likely to be light soy sauce. Pin.
What is dark soy sauce?
PSA: Beware of the mushroom dark soy sauce – We accidentally purchased a mushroom dark soy sauce once because the regular premium dark soy sauce from Lee Kum Kee was sold out. Alex ended up tossing the bottle once he discovered it tasted bitter and “like chemicals”.
What does light soy sauce taste like?
Light soy sauce (生抽) – When you see a Chinese recipe that asks for soy sauce, unless it very specifically states another type of soy sauce, it means “light soy sauce. ” Light soy sauce tastes salty, and it’s thin, light reddish brown in color and opaque.
- Light soy sauce is not the same thing as reduced-salt soy sauce or other products which may also carry labels such as “light” or “lite;
- ” Chinese and Taiwanese people usually use light soy sauce for dips, marinating ingredients, dressings and stir-fry food;
Light soy sauce is used for enhancing the flavor of any dish. But light soy sauce alone can be very strong and salty, but adding a little dark soy sauce can result in beautiful color and perfect seasoning.
Can I use light soy instead of dark soy?
The Soy Sauces – The two soy sauces used in soy sauce chow mein are dark and light. You can find both at your friendly Asian neighborhood grocery store and I’ve even started to see them pop up at mainstream grocery stores as well. First off, if you’re making this dish, or any other Chinese dish, you’ll want to be using Chinese soy sauce.
- You can definitely use whatever soy sauce you might have at home (even those little packets of Kikkoman that you get with sushi), but if you want an authentic tasting dish, source some Chinese soy sauce, it won’t disappoint you! Light soy sauce is light in color, almost a see through reddish brown, and thin in viscosity;
It’s salty and delightful and essential to Chinese cooking. It’s used for seasoning as well as for dipping. Dark soy sauce is thicker, darker, and slightly less salty then regular/light soy sauce. It’s almost black and has the look of soy sauce, but reduced.
- It is used for flavor, but mainly for adding that classic dark caramel color to dishes;
- The color comes from a longer fermentation of the soy bean and there’s a very mild minute sweetness to it as well;
- If you’re only going to buy one bottle, buy light soy sauce because it’s the more versatile of the two – light soy sauce is used in stir-fry, braising, soups, stews, and marinades;
If you don’t have dark soy, you won’t have the same coloring in your dishes, but generally, you’ll have a good approximation of flavor using light soy. We usually use Lee Kum Kee brand for both types of soy but growing up my mom also used Pearl River Bridge so we use both brands regularly around here. Soy Sauce Chow Mein with Beef Recipe serves 2-4 prep time: 10 minutes cook time: 10 minutes total time: 20 minutes.
What is Japanese dark soy sauce (koikuchi)?
Japanese Dark Soy Sauce – Japanese Dark Soy Sauce is also known as koikuchi ; this is more commonly used than the light sauce. This sauce has a deeper color although they have a less intense taste. It is thicker and richer than its lighter version and is less salty.
