Two new uber level Soy Sauces

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Blackhorse

Blackhorse

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Two new purchases of uber level Soy Sauce.

1. Ohsawa Nama Shoyu, Organic and Aged in 150 Year Cedar Kegs for Extra Flavor - Japanese Soy Sauce. 32 fl oz.

Nama Shoyu is known as Golden Tamari because of its beautiful honey color. Its fruity aroma and slightly sweet salty-yet-delicate flavor make it a great dipping and finishing sauce. Hand crafted in Aichi, Japan with locally grown ingredients and natural mineral water.

Ohsawa Nama Shoyu is fermented, or cultured, in the traditional way, in wooden barrels under the sun. The label boasts "living enzymes and beneficial organisms". Its mouthwatering umami taste brings out the best in food without darkening its color. Enjoy it on sushi, tofu, seafood, vegetables, even on fruit.

2. Yamaroku Shoyu Pure Artisan Dark Sweet Japanese Premium Gourmet. Barrel Aged 4 Year "Tsuru Bisiho". 18 fl oz.
  • Tsurubishio is the flagship series of soy sauce for Yamaroku and is aged the longest between 3-5 years. Served in an easy to open soy sauce dispenser glass container bottle.
  • Tsurubishio is characterized as having a rich mellow flavor and is recommended for use in sushi, sashimi, tofu, grilled fish and as a secret ingredient for original dishes. Use it as an ingredient to make Ponzu and Teriyaki sauce or in ramen bowls
  • The flavor of tsuru bishio is best described as having a deep, full rounded flavor containing a balanced taste of umami. Unique use with vanilla Ice cream gives it a caramel flavor.

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I'll have to check them out. I do like soy sauce and I also use it to make a Ginger Sauce for dipping meat and veggies in.
 
I appreciate this. They most certainly are not all created equal. I remember several years back helping make mushrooms at a holiday, and they told me to grab the soy sauce from the fridge. I tasted this Kikkoman off my finger. It was terrible. I'm sure it was the same stuff I had as a kid, but we didn't eat much Asian food when I was growing up. By coincidence, I was at a friend's house the next day messing with something, and they had some Japanese soy sauce that came in a bottle similar to a standard bottle of water. The point is that it wasn't anything expensive, but it was 10Xs tastier than the awful Kikkoman.

I'm trying to remember this stuff I bought maybe two years ago on recommendation from the Asian grocery store clerk. It was kind of a hefty jug, and it wasn't expensive either. I'm sure it isn't of the caliber of the two you're showing, but it was some nice stuff nonetheless.
 
Zeno - if it came from a gallon jug and was in an Asian grocery it might have been Yamasa Soy Sauce. They used to carry the flat sided 64oz jug at Fred Meyers (Kroger) but discontinued it when they came out with their own line. There are two basic sauce types for me…1. Finishing (dipping) and 2. Cooking (marinades & in recipes). Yamasa is my everything marinade. We did oven roasted chicken breasts and pork chops last night and used the Yamasa to soak the meat in prior to roasting. My wife got me a 4th of July special treat at the grocery last evening…some choice New York Strip Steaks. Those will be soaked in Yamasa before grilling.

Note prices:

1. Yamasa 32 fl oz $10
2. Ohsawa Nama Shoyu 32 fl oz $32
3. Yamaroku Shoyu "Tsuru Bisiho" 18 fl oz $27

Just added:

4. Pearl River Bridge (light soy) 60 fl oz. $12.50

Authentic made in Japan Soy Sauce costs about the same as decent Scotch!
 
I had a hunch I had it saved on an Amazon wish list. It was Pearl River Bridge light soy sauce. This is for nearly the 2 quart size, and I'm pretty sure I paid $5 for a quart, but it was the same jug scaled down. I used to make stir fry a lot, and I always had homemade Ming Tsai's kung pao sauce on hand. I seemed to go through a lot of soy sauce back then. I should note that after buying it, I ran into it by name in a few recipes and on "best Chinese soy sauce" lists. Despite the price, it seems to be of solid value. Not saying it is the best...but, you know...if you want something better than the standard, there you go.

https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-River-...a112b&pd_rd_wg=FnUvo&pd_rd_i=B0046D10BU&psc=1
Kung Pao Sauce
  • 1 tablespoons minced garlic.
  • 2 tablespoon minced ginger.
  • 1 tablespoons sambal oelek.
  • 1/3 naturally brewed dark soy sauce.
  • 1 tablespoons light brown sugar.
  • 1/8 cup naturally brewed rice vinegar.
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water for a slurry.
 
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One jug ‘O Pearl River Bridge on the way. Soy Sauce essentially lasts forever…longer if you refrigerate it. So there’s no question it’ll be used. Never had a Chinese one either. Thanks. Looking forward to it.

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If you care to do so, I'd love to know how it compares to the soys you like. I've never delved into soys. Right now, I'm in the blasphemic process of having a bottle of Bragg's Aminos.
 
I should line ‘em all up and do my rice test. I take a teaspoon and put a rounded bunch of rice on it…so the amount of rice on top is the same shape as the lower part. So just put a blob of rice on a spoon, right? Dip the tip of the rice spoon into the sauce so that the sauce is sucked up into the rice a bit. The whole point is to get SOME sauce but not to flood it. Then put the whole thing in your mouth (just the rice). You get a good sense of the flavor instead of a big salt blast.
 
I buy Pearl River Bridge dark, mushroom flavoured. It's about $10.00 for a half gallon at Restaurant Depot.
10193_pearl_ridge_muhroom_soy_nutrition.jpg

I see they have it at Amazon.
 
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I don't think I've ever had the mushroom soy, and I do like mushrooms. Sometimes...and maybe too often...my brain turns off because the "keep it simple, stupid" mantra is loud. I also have a preference for 2-way speakers.
 
Zeno Marx said:
I don't think I've ever had the mushroom soy, and I do like mushrooms.
Click to expand...
In the Pearl River Bridge dark, it seems to lend both an intensity of flavor and much heavier viscosity. When making stir frys, I like to add a couple of drops of Vietnamese nuoc mam or preferably, if I have some on hand, Red Boat Fish Sauce.
 
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Last night, insomnia + youtube algorithm + coincidence. I'm always on the watch for simple, least clean up, and inexpensive recipes. I love Asian food and watch videos all the time. I've never heard of this professional Chinese cook, nor their youtube channel. In this neat little video, they use both Pearl River Bridge light and dark soy. They give a quick explanation between the two and offer a quick history lesson of soy. They explain mein noodles. Share some technique in the process. This is a recipe that seems like it could be modified a lot of ways.

*with the maybe hundreds of Asian food videos and TV shows I've watched, I don't think I've ever seen anyone steam the noodles. Could be poor memory, but I really don't remember it, and I would think I'd remember it because of always chasing the different noodle textures in cuisine. Seems like common sense now that I've seen it, but I know for certain I've never steamed egg noodles. And he says right near the end that you could use instant ramen noodles in this recipe. In a pinch, how cool is that?

 
We have Pearl River Bridge Dark for table use, but for cooking and marinades we use Sempio Jin Gold S. When I first bought the Sempio the Korean proprietor told me I wouldn't like it - "too strong" - so I had to get some. It's a commodity condiment but wife and I love it. And it is a great icebreaker when you need Korean language skills but your vocabulary is limited.
 
I’ve used very little of it so far. I’d consider it a decent basic sauce. My go to for cooking and all else except as a finishing sauce is still Yamasa brand. The other ones I mentioned are pretty expensive and an acquired taste. For marinating, splashing into stir fry, etc. I still go for the Yamasa…not low sodium or lite or mushroom…the straight organic stuff.

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Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for it. I swear I've seen that in a giant bottle that looked like a tall water bottle and crinkled when you picked it up because of the very thin plastic they use.
 
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