Natural soy sauce is dark and light. The first passes a longer exposure, it is more dense, has a strong flavor, is most often used for cooking marinade for meat. Less salty than light. A light sauce is liquid, ideally suited for salads, as a seasoning for garnishes.
Soy sauce is rightly considered the "king" of Asian cuisine. Practically there is not a single dish that does not use it.
Technology of soy sauce production.
The technology of soy sauce production is quite simple. Soybeans are first evaporated, then roasted wheat is added, salt is added, packaged in packages and hung in the sun. In the bag there is a process of fermentation, as a result of which a soy sauce is formed. The process of natural fermentation takes more than a year. The resulting liquid is collected in a container, filtered and bottled.
Modern production of soy sauce has undergone some changes to keep pace with the growth of consumer demand. To accelerate the fermentation process tenfold, Aspergillius bacteria is added to the soybean and wheat mixture. Thus, the cooking time of soy sauce is reduced from one year to one month. Under the action of bacteria, soybean is split into protein and starch, forming sugar, which gives the sauce a slightly sweetish hue.
Disordered producers went even further, using the tricks of the chemical industry. They dilute soybean concentrate with water or boil soya with sulfuric or hydrochloric (!) Acid. When cooking acid, alkali and harmful substances are formed, which can not be removed from the product. Workers in such factories put their health in real danger, touching every day with harmful acids.
The wide availability of soy sauce, availability in any stores, quickly developed a strong consumer interest in this product. How to buy a quality sauce and choose a natural product among the variety of brands offered?
First of all do not buy sauce in the markets, for bottling. Choose only tested brands. Buy quality soy sauce only in reliable stores.
Pay attention to the packaging. Soy sauce is stored only in glass bottles. The bottle should be transparent so you can see its contents. The present soy sauce has a gentle light or dark brown color and is transparent.
Read the label! The composition should not be peanuts. Only soy, wheat, salt, vinegar and sugar. The protein content should be at least 7%. The sauce should be prepared by natural fermentation.
This soy sauce, made using traditional technologies, does not need preservatives and can be stored for several years.
The use of soy sauce.
Soy sauce contains a huge amount of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It is able to slow the aging of the body, improves blood circulation. Due to its ability to reduce the amount of free radicals, soy sauce is a good prevention of the development of cancerous tumors.
Soy contains the same amount of protein as meat. The high content of glutomins in soy sauce makes it possible to easily abandon salt.
Soy sauce in cooking.
From soy sauce you can cook any sauces: mushroom, shrimp, fish or mustard. It can also be used as a marinade for meat, fish, seafood.
Here are a few recipes using soy sauce.
Thai chicken
You will need 200 g of chicken breast, 2 cloves of garlic, 50 g of fresh coriander, 1 tablespoon of sesame, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, vegetable oil.
Peel the chicken from the skin, which you set aside. Chop finely chopped garlic, mix with coriander, sesame and soy sauce. Cut the skin in half, put pieces of meat into it, fix it with a toothpick. In the heated frying pan fry the envelopes.
Separately, mix half a tablespoon of sesame, a little soy sauce with honey. Fried chicken served with sauce.
Skewers of salmon.
You will need 400 g of fish fillets, 3 tablespoons of honey, 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, small chili.
Prepare the marinade by melting honey in soy sauce. Fille fish fillets in a bowl, pour a hot marinade. Put the pieces of salmon on the wooden skewers, put on the grill (you can in the oven). Bake for 10 minutes. Serve with rice.
Rice with egg and soy sauce.
You will need 200 grams of basmati rice, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 egg, green onions.
Fry the finely chopped onions in a heated frying pan, add the boiled rice, beat the egg, pour in the soy sauce. Fry for 5 minutes. Serve with fresh vegetables.
A tender chicken in soy sauce.
You will need 300 g of chicken fillet, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 200 g of fresh mushrooms, 1 sweet pepper, 2 finely chopped carrots, 1 onion.
Fry the finely chopped onions in butter, add chopped fillets. Add mushrooms, peppers and carrots. Fry for 20 minutes, add soy sauce before ready.