Making Soy Sauce At Home

mother of pearl · June 15, 2014

Hi Alex,

I just started a batch yesterday, my first one after reading all of this. I used comercially ground whole wheat flour mixed with home ground kamut, both raw, and I mixed them together.

Concurrently started a batch with brown rice flour, added a bit of koji, and layered the two batches together with a towel between them.

Also I started with fresh (from frozen) soybeans. I'll keep posting...

Have you started yet?

Logs N Lounges Wood · September 2, 2014

I have my first batch on the go, I am in South Africa(long very hot summer days). Spring is on the way and my first lot of cakes have moulded and busy drying for the brine. I will post pics soon. I am also growing my own soy beans that are non gmo and organic, but these wont be ready for a good while(my first batch is store bought) I want to do another batch in the mean time but this time I want to use rice flour(gluten free for my friends) what do you think will it work?

I also have chocolate wheat for beer brewing that I was think of another batch, The salt I plan to use is sea salt it seas more salty than the table salt should I use less? any ideas would be greatly received.

Logs N Lounges Wood · September 5, 2014

Hope people are still following this. Here is a pic of the lastest point where I am. The "cookies" are almost dry maybe in the next day or two I will place them in the brine solution. All my friends and family I have shown them to are disgusted with them lol

Please let me know what you think. I will add more pics as it progresses.

Can some one help me please I cant seem to add the pic? I have it saved on my desktop and dont know how to paste or add it here any help would be gratefuly recieved thanks in advance

Logs N Lounges Wood · September 6, 2014

Teething problems hopefully out the way with posting pics. one is a small scale of the "cookies" next is just after placing in the jar I will add more soon, they did have a funky smell while the mould set in but even after one day in the soak they smell kinda tastey ima

**Smithy** · September 7, 2014

Logs N Lounges Wood, do keep us posted on this project, please. It's intriguing!

Logs N Lounges Wood · September 7, 2014

I will keep you folks updated as things progress. I am also very interested to see how it turns out. Its been sitting in the sun for a few days now and as you can see the colour of the liquid had changed quite a bit. At the moment I am stirring the mix twice a day some of the cakes have sunk to the bottom I am guessing the rest will follow in time. The cakes are still quite solid but some are breaking of little bits with each stirring. The white stuff on the out side of the jar is salt from where it bubbles over from time to time, I wipe this off when I put it away at night.

Now I need to find some other containers to make other batches. I plan to do a gluten free batch using brown rice flour and another with some roasted wheat and some malt wheat. At the moment the days are very nice and sunny with temps reaching 26C which I believe is around 78.8F. Its only the start of springs so I expect the temps to climb. Does any one know if there is such a thing as to hot?

In a week or so I will be planting lots of gmo free soybeans to harvest to make my "own" sauce as this batch I had to buy from a health shop but could not find any non gmo,we are having a big problem with gmo foods and seeds in South Africa,in fact I grow most of my own organic non gmo food with hierloom seeds. My rabbits must be the most healthiest ones over here eating all fresh organic veg straight from my garden.

I will update this as much as I can with out making it to boring.

sambuckens · September 20, 2014

Hello!

I've also started to ferment my own soy sauce, but I seem to be having some trouble. About 2 weeks ago, on Sept. 7th, I mashed my cooked soybeans and unbleached whole wheat flour together (5 parts soybean : 3 parts wheat flour). I then rolled out the 'dough' and sliced it into patty disks and placed those into Ziploc bags. The patties were definitely moist, and I placed them in a warm, dark place in my closet.

Last week, I opened one bag to check on them and they were not moldy at all, but they had changed a darker brown color and stink horribly. They smell like smelly feet mixed with rotten milk and blue cheese. Today, I checked them out again, and I've found a few tiny spots of white mold on just a couple of patties. They continue to get darker grayish/brown, but I'm not seeing them covered in mold like pictures I've seen on this thread.

I then thought that the Ziploc bags weren't a good environment to be in. I kept the bags slightly open so that air could get in while moisture was still retained, but maybe this was a bad move. I've since placed them on paper plates and lightly covered them in plastic wrap to see if this will work. They're still very moist. You can see bits of the white mold in the image below:

What do you think I've done wrong to not see a lot of mold in 2 weeks!? Is the bacteria that is on them now a variety that has taken over, not allowing Aspergillus mold to grow? Please, please help me and give me some advice!

Thanks!

Edited September 20, 2014 by sambuckens (log)

Seitch · September 21, 2014

Sambuckens, I think the problem is the plastic bags you stored the patties in. The Aspergillus fungus comes from the ambient air. By sealing the patties in plastic, you prevented the Aspergillus from getting on the patties.

Stay away from plastic wrap. It keeps the patties moist but it is impervious to the fungal spores that need to land on the patties. Not sure what you can do at this point other than start over.

Next time, lay the patties on a woven bamboo mat and cover not with plastic wrap but with some leaves from unsprayed fruit trees or mulberry leaves if you have them. You will see good fungal growth in 3-4 days. Why do I say cover with leaves? Cause that's what the ancient Chinese texts say to do.

Good luck!

Logs N Lounges Wood · September 21, 2014

Glad to see others are also trying this. I agree with Seitch yeah the plastic bags are not a good idea. Sambuckens I feel for you as its a lot that goes into it maybe its not to late to get the mould to take. I put my cookies in a bamboo steamer and covered with material and wet kitchen towels(the paper kind). But my next batch I am going to try the mulberry leaves that Seitch mentioned. I have loads of them as spring has just started to make all the trees and bushes start to wake up from thier winter sleep. I have one big mulberry tree growing in my nieghbours yard and a small mulberry bush that I keep trimmed down in my front yard. Will be interesting to see how it turns out as last time I lined my streamer with wax paper so the mould did not mess it up. The wax paper stuck to the cakes really bad and when I tried to pull it of it was so wet and fragile it just broke and took ages to carefully take it all off.

Update on my batch I have been stirring once a day most of the cakes have broken up sinks to the bottom. I keep replacing the water level with brine solution of the same ratio as I started with. It is indoors to day as its been raining and looks like we will get more. I am going to make a "hat" for it so I can leave it out side and it will still breathe but no rain can get in. Its still fermenting away.

sambuckens · September 21, 2014

Thanks for the replies. If the mold hasn't taken hold, does anyone have any idea what bacteria is active on my patties? Again, they smell like funky blue cheese. They actually smell very similar to thai fish sauce.

Logs N Lounges Wood · September 21, 2014

That I have no idea about. My patties also smelt pretty bad when they where moulding. As for the jar at the moment it kind of smells like a mild brahok (not sure how its spelt)a Cambodian paste of fermented fish. I lived in Cambodia for a few years and could not get used to that smell. It was really foul smelling you could smell it from many houses down when they cooked with it. But in dishes it was really good alone it could kill a army lol Please keep us posted with your adventure. I will start a new batch with brown rice flour as soon as I can get my hands on a suitable vessel(I am rather tight I dont like to spend money if I can beg or borrow)

sambuckens · September 23, 2014

So I'm going to try another batch to get some mold on them this time, but I'm still going to ferment the 'failed' batch. I'm taking some inspiration from Korean style soy sauce and adding a few extra ingredients. I've researched and found that Koreans will add chilies (helps keep bad bacteria out) and charcoal (filters water). I've added some Japanese binchotan charcoal and some chilies from my garden. The chillies had actually gone bad and were covered in white mold, so I'm hoping that might make-up for not having moldy soy patties.

This picture was taken 2 days ago right when I put the ingredients into the salt water brine. The smell is still awful and makes me gag, but I'm going to stay optimistic. The smell is putrid, just like fish sauce. Is this endeavor worth continuing, or should I just rely on my new batch to redeem myself?

dcarch · September 23, 2014

Can any beans be used to make soy sauce?

dcarch

takadi · September 23, 2014

Don't hurt yourself Sambuckens!

Logs N Lounges Wood · September 26, 2014

Just a quick note on whats going on with my sauce. We have had some really hot days. I put a oven thermo next to the jar as I noticed at night when I brought it the jar was really warm. (still need to make a hat so I don't have to move it when there might be a chance of rain). During the peak of the day the thermo reaches just over 50C I think that is about 125F. In the shade its around 30C. I am still stirring once a day and have noticed as it warms up in the morning the sediment on the bottom very slowly rises like a lava lamp. It seems to follow the sun i am guessing the hottest/most active part of the jar. Also at night there is a dark line just above the sediment when it all settles. I am sure the liquid is getting darker its hard to tell by comparing the pictures as most have been taken in different places and light conditions. I will take some in a controlled repeatable setup ie same place and light source and see if any difference between the pics in a 10 period.

sambuckens · September 29, 2014

Hello again. So I've begun my 2nd attempt at soy sauce. Instead of trying to let wild mold inoculate the soy &wheat patties, I've bought some rice koji and mixed some with the patties. They are now covered in some lovely aspergillus mold, and the smell is actually fantastic. They smell like sweet, nutty fresh dough. Also, the bamboo steamers add an awesome accent smell. These have been molding for 5 days now, so I'm going to give them another day or two before drying. Another thing I was not expecting was how warm the stacks of bamboo steamers became while the mold was growing. It was easily 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in the steamers, and there was actually condensation on the underside of the bamboo lid. Weird, wild stuff...

Logs N Lounges Wood · September 29, 2014

Wow looks really good cant wait to see how this turns out. I have not found any one that sells koji over here and to import any here is a huge pain and very costly, we have had a postal strike since June and no idea of when it might end. any thing that is imported here that tax is half of the item and to get it securely delivered means a courier company and then its hard to get the seller to put the value on.For now I will have to go really old school and take what wild yeast lands on my cookies. I will try my luck asking around the asian markets maybe some body might have a lead. I really like how its moulding looks different. I am really interested in how you say the smell is good. Wish you all the best and cant wait to see how it turned out.

sambuckens · September 29, 2014

In reference to you not being able to find koji for sale, I might have a solution. If there are any homebrew supply stores anywhere nearby, they usually sell sake making ingredients

The kit shown here contains aspergillus oryzae spores that you can use to inoculate stuff.

Logs N Lounges Wood · September 29, 2014

Thanks for the advice I am looking into it. I have also been home brewing here for a while and in the UK and I have never come a across something like that here(that's way too foreing for most people to try here lol ) When I lived in the uk the brew shops were really good as for the ones here they seem very basic and only catering for local taste and demand(which I understand) Sushi is a relatively new "popular" fad here, most of my friends eat it but when they see how I make real soy sauce they wont ever try it never mind kimchi. I will keep searching and see what I i can find or wait till some one visits or I move back to the UK(not the same heat and summer as here) Where abouts in the world are you? My non gmo soy beans will be planted very soon in between my strawberry pop corn that is just starting to show them selves. I want the popcorn to get a head start before the the soy adds is magic nitro, The summer rains are trying to start here. I am at 1600m above sea level

Edited September 29, 2014 by Logs N Lounges Wood (log)

sambuckens · September 29, 2014

I live in Boston, MA so it's fairly easy to get my hands on brewing equipment or things from asian markets. If I get any other ideas or sources, I'll let you know.

Logs N Lounges Wood · September 30, 2014

Thank you any ideas will be greatly received, I might know a friend that has family coming over around xmas. I will see if they might be willing to bring some over for me. That will still give me 5 months of really good hot all round weather. During the winter months it does get very cold during the night and morning but still plenty of sun and can get some really hot hours during the day. Its not unheard of to dress like a eskimo in the morning wear a short sleeved shirt during the day get a sunburn and hide by the log fire at night during winter. I am going to start my next batch with brown rice flour very soon just waiting for the mulberry leaves to get bigger, I would rather pick and wash a few big ones than do a load of small ones. Slightly off topic but I saw last night on a food/cooking show on Loas that they make a tea from the silk worm droppings. I never saw that when I visited. The kids over here this time of year have them as pets I might get a handfull from one of the kids next door and try it out :huh: They said it was like a green tea.

bionut · October 10, 2014

Hello,

this is my first post on this forum

I want to make my own soy sauce because, as a student, i find the good soy sauces in the stores pretty expensive. I could buy very cheap soy sauce in plastic canisters up to 20 liters from some chinese stores, deep in the "china town", but many of them doesn't have english labels on them and i am afraid for my health. Most probably they are chemicaly made in a very short time... The sad part is that a lot of chinese restaurant buy their sauces from them...

How does the soy sauce made without koji-kin spores taste? Can you tell that it's something wrong with it, or it is similar with the original thing?

I could buy koji kin for sake but i need to order online, and it cost about 15-20 euros. Too expensive having in mind that it is possible that something goes wrong in the fermentation process.

I plan to give it a try next week, after i will put my hands on some soy beans from the country side. The sun is shy this time of the year, but i saw a video about traditional shoyu making where they kept the soy-brine slury inside, so i want to try and see what happens.

PS: sorry for my bad english, isn't my native language.

Edited October 10, 2014 by bionut (log)

**Smithy** · October 13, 2014

Welcome to eGullet, bionut. I hope someone can answer your question. Please let us know how it works for you if you try to make your own without the koji-kin.

Logs N Lounges Wood · October 17, 2014

Bad news on my second batch of brown rice flour cookies(gluten free). Everything was going well they where sitting nicely doing what they where meant too. I checked today only to see that I forgot to replace the towel over the steamer that stops the bugs getting in. I opened it up to see tiny little flies maybe fruit flies all over them any to my horror laid little pupae type things all over them :angry: So I threw them away. In the mean time the other batch is still sunning away nice and happly will add pics soon.