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Arnold
Lara MChinese Soy Sauce
September 30th 2008 01:45
Light Soy Sauce
Soy sauce is arguably the most important ingredient in Chinese cooking and has been used as a condiment and in cooking for over 2,500 years (originating from the Zhou dynasty). Made from fermented soy beans, wheat flour, water, and salt, there are two main types of Chinese soy sauce - light and dark.
A popular Chinese brand of Dark Soy Sauce
As their names suggest, the light soy sauce aka 'sang chou/chow' is lighter in colour, less viscous, and saltier than its 'dark' counterpart. Due to these properties, light soy sauce is used a lot in cooking because it does not greatly affect the colour of the dish but manages to add a lot of flavour. It is also a popular dipping sauce on its own or with chopped chilli.
Dark or Old soy sauce in Chinese is a darker (brownish-black colour) and much thicker type of soy sauce that is aged longer and contains added molasses to give it its distinctive appearance and aroma. This type of soy sauce is used only in cooking 95% of the time because its real flavour - a bit sweet and less salty - only develops under heating and also because of its viscosity and to add colour and flavour to a dish.
Some dishes in Chinese cooking requires a mixture of both light and dark soy sauces so if you're serious about your Chinese food, make sure you're stocked up on both of these staple sauces.
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