Soy sauce: application and recipes

Until recently, in our country, no one knew what a soy sauce was. Its application on a large scale began only in the nineties of the last century.

Product Creation History

Homeland of soy sauce is China. The first mention of this product is found in the 2nd century BC. There are many assumptions about the reason for its creation. Someone talks about the lack of salt at that time and the desire of people to use it most economically. Others argue that this was due to the desire of ancient monks who, for religious purposes, tried to force people to eat only vegetarian food and completely abandon dairy and meat products. One way or another, it was then that a soy sauce unknown to anyone was unknown. Its use in food has become mandatory and quite familiar. Very soon this product crossed the borders of its country and began to spread rapidly around the world. Japanese were first to love the unusual sauce, and with the help of Dutch sailors they learned about it in many countries of Europe. Chefs happily used this unusual Asian seasoning to give a new taste to long-known dishes.

Technology of making sauce and its variety

Nowadays soy sauce is prepared in different ways. However, in any case, the technology of its production is associated with the process of fermenting a mixture of fried wheat and boiled beans in the presence of certain types of fungi and its subsequent fermentation and pasteurization. This is how real soy sauce is made. Its use in cooking has almost no limits for the exclusion of desserts. It is used as a piquant flavor additive to meat and fish dishes, as well as for the preparation of various dressings and marinades. In addition, it is used as a basis for the preparation of other sauces: mushroom, mustard, shrimp and others. Depending on the exposure and the duration of fermentation of the product and the area of its application, there are three types of soy sauce:

• light Coloured,
• dark,
• sweet.

Each of them has its own characteristic features in the recipe and cooking technology, and this in turn affects how the product is used. Take, for example, dark soy sauce. Its use is limited to meat dishes and all sorts of marinades. The reason is that this sauce is thick, concentrated, fragrant and almost not salty. The light type of the sauce is less aromatic, but more salty and therefore is used for making different salads. A sweet contains palm sugar and is able not only to decorate a dessert, but also favorably emphasize the taste of any meat or vegetable dish.

How to use soy sauce

Many people like soy sauce. The application, recipes and methods of its production are constantly expanding and improving. Adding lime, tomato paste, sesame oil or honey to it makes it possible to cook absolutely new sauces. And the use of cinnamon, ginger, anise, mustard or garlic as an additive gives the dishes a completely unique flavor. Soy sauce is able to make even the most unsightly plant a real delicacy. For example, the classic "teriyaki". It can easily be made at home by measuring the ingredients with tablespoons. To do this, you only need:

3 spoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 spoon of ginger ground and 3 spoons of Mirin wine (if it does not turn out, you can use sake, dry vermouth or any dessert wine).

Preparing teriyaki in one step:

1. In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients, mix, and then warm 6-8 minutes on low heat.

Teriyaki is ready. Now it only remains to cool it. This is best done in the refrigerator. After that, the fragrant mixture can be used as a dressing for all kinds of salads, as well as dishes from fish and various seafood. The main role in this piquant mass is played by soy sauce. The application, recipes and choice of products depend on additional ingredients.

Meat in spicy sauce

In Asian cuisine, meat dishes are given special attention. Among them, many different recipes are known, in which soy sauce is necessarily used. The application of this fragrant additive to meat can dramatically change its taste. Take, for example, a recipe for a piquant sweet and sour chicken. First you need to prepare the following products:

Half a kilogram of chicken fillet (or legs) 6 cloves of garlic, 130 grams of fried cashew nuts, tablespoon of starch, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, vegetable oil, salt, ground black pepper and a little green onion.

Preparation of the dish should be done like this:

1. Fillets (or legs) of chicken roll in starch, add salt, sprinkle with pepper, and then fry 5-6 minutes in oil on a hot frying pan.
2. Put the meat in a bowl and set aside, and in the same pan fry lightly for 30 seconds chopped garlic with chopped onions.
3. Put the meat again in a frying pan, add the sauce and half a cup of water. Stew for 1 minute, and then put the products still hot on a plate and sprinkle with onions and nuts.

Such a dish will be in harmony with the pasta.

Rice abundance

Where not to use soy sauce? Application with rice, for example, is not limited to only the "main course + garnish" combination. Both these components can be easily combined and get completely new recipes from already known products. For example, rice with vegetables. It will take:

250 grams of rice (it is better to take Basmati), 1 carrot, sweet bell pepper, onion and cucumber, a tablespoon of sunflower oil and soy sauce.

Process technology:

1. Rinse the rice for 10 minutes in boiling water, rinse and let stand under the lid for 10-15 minutes.
2. At this time, chopped onion fry in oil for 5 minutes.
3. Add the grated carrot and continue frying the same.
4. Then remove from heat and pour into the frying pan a couple of spoons of sauce.
5. Put rice, pepper, cucumber in a frying pan and mix well.

Now the dish can be eaten, and fans can pour it in a sauce sauce additionally.

A fragrant addition to dishes

Quite often in recent times there are recipes in which soy sauce is used. Application for sauces and dressings does not limit the scope of its use. Often it acts as a "dip-sauce", that is, a liquid into which the cooked product is dipped. Not a bad taste, you get a mixture made from the following products:

2 tablespoons of soy sauce white sauce and rice white vinegar, 1 spoonful of sugar and chili oil, 2-3 cloves of garlic, salt and ½ teaspoon of sodium glutamate.

How to cook this sauce? For this you need:

1. Pepper chili cut into thin rings and pass in a small amount of oil.
2. Transfer it to the bowl and add garlic crushed in the press.
3. Then alternately add the remaining ingredients and mix well. To taste add chili oil.

Now the ready sour-sweet-salted sauce can be served to fish, meat and all sorts of vegetables. It is equally good both hot and cold.

Where is soy sauce used?

In many countries, this unique product is called the real king among all the variety of sauces. And this is quite true. What is so good about soy sauce? The application in cooking it is quite extensive. This product can simultaneously perform four different functions:

• marinade,
• Refueling,
• component,
• Independent dish.

As a marinade, it not only gives a special flavor to the main product, but also greatly reduces the period of its preparation. And if you make special aromatic and flavor additives in the main recipe, then you can get many different unique filling stations. In addition, the use of soy sauce as an ingredient makes it possible to exclude salt from the formulation, and this helps make any dish more useful to the human body. As a separate dish, soy sauce will never be superfluous on the table. There is always a product for which it is simply necessary. You just need to carefully think through the menu and add a couple of strokes in time.