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Soy sauce


Fat Guy

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Cook's did do a tasting a year or two ago. My magazines are at home so I don't have details but I believe the winning soy sauce was Eden Traditionally Brewed Tamari. They tasted the sauces both raw and cooked and found that sauces that tasted good in one state didn't necessarily taste good in the other. They found that sauces that had been aged the longest were generally best. And their winning selection wasn't the cheapest but isn't exactly expensive either. That's all I can remember.

The thing that had the partner huffing and puffing (for the most part he hates it when CI does "Asian" stuff) is that they tested their soyas by putting them plain on rice!!! Yikes. I have a vague memory of La Choy winning something, but it wasn't the soya testing.

regards,

trillium

edit:because I think faster then I type

Edited by trillium (log)
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Cook's did do a tasting a year or two ago. My magazines are at home so I don't have details but I believe the winning soy sauce was Eden Traditionally Brewed Tamari. They tasted the sauces both raw and cooked and found that sauces that tasted good in one state didn't necessarily taste good in the other. They found that sauces that had been aged the longest were generally best. And their winning selection wasn't the cheapest but isn't exactly expensive either. That's all I can remember.

The think that had the partner huffing and puffing (for the most part he hates it when CI does "Asian" stuff) is that they tested their soyas by putting them plain on rice!!! Yikes. I have a vague memory of La Choy winning something, but it wasn't the soya testing.

regards,

trillium

La Choy wins the booby prize! Perfect for canned chow mein left over from the 60's.

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Hatsu shibori means first pressing. (hatsu=first and shibori=pressing)

According to Kikkoman Japan they have 13 products in their line-up currently, here is the site but sorry it it is only in Japanese, clicking on the name will bring you a picture:

http://www.kikkoman.co.jp/products/lineup/index.html

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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I tried viewing the site with babelfish, but got stuff like:

The Kikkoman Corp. liquid bonito to put out

The liquid bonito it puts out, the 200ml

It puts out and it would like to make Japanese style cooking which is effective easily... with Kikkoman Corp. which can be answered the voice which is said securely distantly " the liquid bonito it puts out ".

With the powder to put out, it cannot put out, it was effective securely and with flavor of the dishes for the New Year, cooking rises increases SI tastily and.

Maybe you could give us a rough translation of the list of 13.

What I don't get is why Kikkoman seems so determined to hide the existence of these products from non-Japanese. I mean, wouldn't there be value added in promoting and selling these products? Is anybody at Kikkoman thinking this through, or are they too busy trying to make synthetic firefly juice?

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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I tried viewing the site with babelfish, but got stuff like:
The Kikkoman Corp. liquid bonito to put out

The liquid bonito it puts out, the 200ml

It puts out and it would like to make Japanese style cooking which is effective easily... with Kikkoman Corp. which can be answered the voice which is said securely distantly " the liquid bonito it puts out ".

With the powder to put out, it cannot put out, it was effective securely and with flavor of the dishes for the New Year, cooking rises increases SI tastily and.

Perhaps the problem stems from someone telling them that in the U.S. "putting out" is very popular.

:laugh:

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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IWhat I don't get is why Kikkoman seems so determined to hide the existence of these products from non-Japanese. I mean, wouldn't there be value added in promoting and selling these products? Is anybody at Kikkoman thinking this through, or are they too busy trying to make synthetic firefly juice?

As was "shown" by many studies conducted by the Japanese in the 1980s, non-Japanese use the wrong areas of the brain when speaking and so can never really learn to speak Japanese. Although those who can approximate it receive endless compliments on their efforts.

In the same way, perhaps Kikkoman feels that Western taste buds are arranged in the wrong order.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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I tried viewing the site with babelfish, but got stuff like:
The Kikkoman Corp. liquid bonito to put out

The liquid bonito it puts out, the 200ml

It puts out and it would like to make Japanese style cooking which is effective easily... with Kikkoman Corp. which can be answered the voice which is said securely distantly " the liquid bonito it puts out ".

With the powder to put out, it cannot put out, it was effective securely and with flavor of the dishes for the New Year, cooking rises increases SI tastily and.

Maybe you could give us a rough translation of the list of 13.

What I don't get is why Kikkoman seems so determined to hide the existence of these products from non-Japanese. I mean, wouldn't there be value added in promoting and selling these products? Is anybody at Kikkoman thinking this through, or are they too busy trying to make synthetic firefly juice?

My guess is they have some sort of marketing or distribution agreement here in the US with a third party. I know my grocer has a hard time keeping the imported products on his shelves. They are also relatively expensive when he does have them. I think the imported products would sell like hotcakes in the local supermarket if they were available.

PJ

"Epater les bourgeois."

--Lester Bangs via Bruce Sterling

(Dori Bangs)

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Man they really hide the stuff on that site. Turns out the sushi/sashimi soy soy sauce is a U.S.-made product:

http://www.kikkoman-usa.com/_pages/consume...tion2=newsauces

I'm not sure I buy the third-party argument. Kikkoman has a huge operation here in the U.S. Maybe they're just not aware that there's a market for varieties of soy sauce. But when you think about it, it should be obvious. I bet there's a million gallons of unused soy sauce sitting around in people's cabinets. Well, if you could get each person to buy three kinds of soy sauce, you could make that three million gallons. And you could package it in "variety packs" of three or five bottles, perhaps with a free cruet. I'd buy it.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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IWhat I don't get is why Kikkoman seems so determined to hide the existence of these products from non-Japanese. I mean, wouldn't there be value added in promoting and selling these products? Is anybody at Kikkoman thinking this through, or are they too busy trying to make synthetic firefly juice?

As was "shown" by many studies conducted by the Japanese in the 1980s, non-Japanese use the wrong areas of the brain when speaking and so can never really learn to speak Japanese. Although those who can approximate it receive endless compliments on their efforts.

In the same way, perhaps Kikkoman feels that Western taste buds are arranged in the wrong order.

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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Okay, I finally found the page on the Japan site where they list the soy sauces. The translations from Babelfish have been very helpful. For example, here's a product called:

the mouth it does thin

I assume this is a lighter-in-color soy sauce.

It meaning that color is trained thin, utilizing the color of the material, taste is mellow. Using in the cooked food, and the like SI it rises increases in cooking to which color is difficult to be attached, is beautiful and. Being to be raising it can season salinity securely even at the small quantity.

You have a choice of two packaging options:

1.8 liter handy pet 

1 liter man pack 

Always tough to choose between the handy pet and the man pack. No wonder they don't want Americans to have this stuff.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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Ok here goes

rough translation of the 13 soy sauces on Kikkoman Japan website, in order od appearance:

1. Plain old soy sauce, says that it is the Kikkoman standard and is used around the world

2.Maroyaka "mellow" soy sauce, says that it does have the salt bite (or strong salt taste), it doesn't specify less salt and is a good all-purpose

3. Aged soy sauce, doesn't mentioned how long it is aged for but says it has the best color, smell and umami and is best used for dipping or pouring over foods

4.special marudaizu "whole bean" soy sauce, 100% whole beans are used in the making (if the soy doesn't say marudaizu, then it probably uses bean pieces that maybe left overs of something else), special meaning that it is a rank above regular. (This is the one I use most frequently :biggrin: )

5.marudaizu shikomi soy sauce (NEW), this is the standard of the marudaizu types 100% whole beans but not special :blink:

6.low-salt special marudaizu soy sauce, 1/2 the salt of special marudaizu (#4)

7.low salt soy sauce, 1/2 the salt of the regular (plain old) soy sauce (#1)

8.special organic soy sauce, made from organic beans and wheat

9.usukuchi "light" soy sauce, light in color but with a higher salt content then regular soy, should be used more sparingly

10. sashimi soy sauce, mix of marudaizu soy, mirin and dashi specially made for dipping sashimi

11.dashi shoyu, mix of soy, mirin and dashi, good for simmered foods (nimono), teriyaki and don-mono (donburi style dishes); doesn't specify how it is different from (#10), since they have the same ingredients, maybe different proportions?

12. dashi shoyu light color, mix of marudaizu soy and mirin, good fro simmered foods, nabe and oden

13.Kokyu Kappo soy sauce, translates directly as "high quality" "Japanese style" soy sauce, says that it is based on the type of soy popular during the Edo period

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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By the way, here's the info I have on the bottle I bought from Wegmans:

The product name is "Hatsu-Shibori Shoyu Premium Soy Sauce." The descriptor is "Traditionally Brewed Island Soy Sauce, Cold Pressed." The manufacturer is "Marukin Chuyu Co., Ltd., Kagawa Pref., Japan." On the bottle it says:

"Shodo Island -- The Source for Shoyu. Awash in sunlight and carved by the sea, Japan's Shodo Island has been a source of high quality salt since ancient times. Masters of the art of brewing fine soy sauce have practiced their craft here since the late 1500s. Now, with a unique process that preserves the very essence of freshness -- the natural enzymes that give soy sauce its character -- we bring you our Shodo Island cold-pressed soy sauce. Enjoy its rich aroma and full-bodied flavor with all of your favorite dishes."

Go here and click on "seasoning": http://www.marukin-chuyu.com/profile/engli...ish/profile.htm

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was sent out looking for Chinese "heavy" soy sauce today, and had no luck. At Kam Man Foods, in NYC's Chinatown, I could find thick, light, dark, black, double-black, but no heavy. I've tried doing some web searches to find out more about this mystery sauce, but have had no luck. Anyone know what it is and where I can find some?

On a side note, I bought some of the thick sauce, thinking that was it (I was wrong). Anyone know what I can use it for? It has a lot of molasses in it, apparently.

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I was sent out looking for Chinese "heavy" soy sauce today, and had no luck. At Kam Man Foods, in NYC's Chinatown, I could find thick, light, dark, black, double-black, but no heavy. I've tried doing some web searches to find out more about this mystery sauce, but have had no luck. Anyone know what it is and where I can find some?

On a side note, I bought some of the thick sauce, thinking that was it (I was wrong). Anyone know what I can use it for? It has a lot of molasses in it, apparently.

I've never heard of 'heavy' soy. My guess is that it may be dark soy and that the person sending you may have been mistaken. If so, you might want to try Amoy Golden Label dark. It has just a touch of molasses flavor, but nothing remotely like the thick soy.

How are you intending to use it?

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I've never heard of 'heavy' soy. My guess is that it may be dark soy and that the person sending you may have been mistaken. If so, you might want to try Amoy Golden Label dark. It has just a touch of molasses flavor, but nothing remotely like the thick soy.

How are you intending to use it?

I actually have no idea how it's to be used. All I know is that it's supposed to sink to the bottom of whatever it's being cooked in, and the lighter soy sauces don't do this. I'll get the Amoy Golden Label dark and see if that works.

Now - anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do with the big jar of thick soy sauce I bought? It looks interesting...

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Now - anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do with the big jar of thick soy sauce I bought? It looks interesting...

Lacquer baby back ribs with it.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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I recently acquired a cookbook by Kenneth Lo, the book is of British origin, first published in '74. In it he describes three types of soy sauce, light, dark and heavy. He further describes the taste of the the heavy variety as "not unlike Marmite, but with a more universal palatability."

I'd guess he's referring to a really dark or black soy and not something more mysterious.

The book also gave me another name for one of my favorite Chinese recipes. Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, or Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce, or the new one, Shrimp with Egg Sauce. The recipe was spot on so I will need to investigate this book further.

PJ

"Epater les bourgeois."

--Lester Bangs via Bruce Sterling

(Dori Bangs)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I dropped using soy sauce due to the high sodium content and replaced it with liquid amino (high nutrients, very little sodium). It easily passes as soy sauce a must try you can find this item in your local health food shop.

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Here is an online article by "Captain Japan" on a tour of the Kikkoman factory. Includes stuff on the imperial brew, goyogura.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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