Transform Your Cooking with Soy Sauce: Tips and Tricks

Did you know that it can also help create a butterscotch flavor in ice-cream or bring out the sweetness in a blueberry muffin? Naturally brewed soy sauce adds that delicious fifth taste, “umami”, which enhances flavor and adds balance and complexity to food. Here are some clever ways to add soy sauce to harness food’s true potential.

Easy poaching

For a low-fat meal, poach chicken in a mixture of soy sauce and water 1 cup soy sauce per liter of water. Add ginger, kaffir lime and lemongrass.

Top roast

Use soy sauce as a baste for ribs or a beef roast – it adds a rich taste and a deep mahogany color. Brush onto a chicken before and during roasting to add flavor and for even browning.

Japanese style

Combine soy sauce, honey and miso paste to make a sticky glaze for salmon fillets. Miso glaze also works well with eggplant, pork and tofu.

Take stock

Use soy sauce in stock instead of salt – it’s a great way to create more depth of flavor in soups, stews and casseroles.

Pump it up

For a tasty side, glaze wedges of pumpkin with a mixture of soy sauce and sweet chilly sauce. Bake until golden.

Great gravy

If you’re looking for a fast way to add rich flavor to your gravy, try stirring in a little soy sauce. Simply add 1/4 tsp. soy sauce for every 1/4 cup of water.

Golden idea

Pineapple is fabulous with savory flavors. Drizzle pineapple slices with a mixture of soy sauce and honey. Chargrill until golden and just warm.

Go nuts

For a tasty snack, toss unsalted cashew nuts with soy sauce and chilly powder. Roast until golden.

Cool treat

To bring out the butterscotch flavor in bought vanilla ice-cream, add 1 tsp soy sauce to L softened vanilla ice-cream and mix well, pour back into the container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.

Go for dough

Soy sauce complements the yeasty flavor of dough. Brush it on rolled pizza dough or bought pizza bases before topping and baking.

Saucy stuff

Add a splash of soy sauce when making a béchamel. Just a small amount lifts the nuttiness and creaminess of this classic white sauce.

Citrus burst

Combine marmalade and soy sauce and brush the mixture over chicken or lamb. Roast, basting with the mixture, until cooked through.

Choc star

Add 2 tsp. soy sauce to a chocolate brownie mixture before baking to intensify the flavors.

Burger bonus

Boost the flavor of burger patties by adding 1 tsp. soy sauce for every 100 g of beef mince.

Sweet boost

Enhance the sweet flavor of blueberry muffins, cakes and other desserts by adding 2-3 tsp soy sauce to the mixture.