What is DARK soy sauce?

[Mr_Dove]

I've started to cook alot of asian dishes. I've used regular soy sauce and light soy sauce (low sodium) but I have not yet tried dark soy sauce.

I have a recipe tonight but I don't have the dark soy that it calls for. Can anyone explain what the difference is? Is there something I can add to regular soy in order to make it taste more like dark soy sauce?

light soy = low sodium
regular soy
dark soy = ???

 

[Timothy]

From Wiki:
(Couldn't have said it better)

Dark and old soy sauce:

A darker and slightly thicker soy sauce, is aged longer, contains caramel, and may contain added molasses to give it its distinctive appearance. This variety is mainly used during cooking, since its flavour develops during heating. It has a richer, slightly sweeter, and less salty flavour than light soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is partly used to add color and flavour to a dish after cooking, but, as stated above, is more often used during the cooking process, rather than after.

 

[jennyema]

From Wiki:
(Couldn't have said it better)

Dark and old soy sauce:

A darker and slightly thicker soy sauce, is aged longer, contains caramel, and may contain added molasses to give it its distinctive appearance. This variety is mainly used during cooking, since its flavour develops during heating. It has a richer, slightly sweeter, and less salty flavour than light soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is partly used to add color and flavour to a dish after cooking, but, as stated above, is more often used during the cooking process, rather than after.

Thats exactly right.

 

[Mr_Dove]

I referred to my asian cookbook by Martin Yan (Yan can cook). It simply states that it was soysauce with molasses. I don't know if that is over-simplifying or not. Maybe I will try throwing some molasses into my recipe with the regular soy.

 

[spork]

It's not quite the same, but you can also reduce soy sauce with a bit of sugar in it over low heat by about a half, being careful not to burn.

 

[Zhizara]

I put it on my grocery list to try. Walmart has a lot of sauces in the Oriental section. Hopefully this one. It sounds good.

 

[Timothy]

I put it on my grocery list to try. Walmart has a lot of sauces in the Oriental section. Hopefully this one. It sounds good.

Be real careful with the amount you use. It darkens very, very well and can turn a dish into something that looks like mud.

One drop at a time....

 

[my2girls]

I add it to the thickening agent (cornstarch and water or broth) at the end of the cooking process. It gives a richer taste and more color than regular soy sauce.

 

[Zhizara]

Be real careful with the amount you use. It darkens very, very well and can turn a dish into something that looks like mud.

One drop at a time....

Thanks for the warning. I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Timothy]

Thanks for the warning. I'll keep it in mind.

You should have seen my first experience with it! I put a couple of good shakes into a noodle dish and the entire dish turned almost black. It was disgusting looking and tasted almost as bad as it looked. That one fed the trash can!

 

[CraigC]

The stuff we get at the asian market comes in a jar and is as thick as the molasses used in making it.

Do any of you use sweet soy sauce?

Craig

 

[jennyema]

The stuff we get at the asian market comes in a jar and is as thick as the molasses used in making it.

Do any of you use sweet soy sauce?

Craig

I use only health boy soy sauces and Kikkoman low sodium.

This is their dark soy sauce. Its thick and sweeter than regular.

To a lot of people dark sy sauce and sewwt soysauce are the same thing. But if you are referring to kecap manis, yes, I have some of that too.

 

[Zhizara]

From the descriptions, it sounds like it might taste like Hoisin sauce. Does it?

 

[Timothy]

From the descriptions, it sounds like it might taste like Hoisin sauce. Does it?

There are similarities to hoisin sauce. It's a lot saltier to me.

 

[jennyema]

From the descriptions, it sounds like it might taste like Hoisin sauce. Does it?

Not at all. It tastes like soy sauce with brown sugar in it.

 

[Zhizara]

Good! I like to use soy sauce with brown sugar.