tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695001.post116596703087649733..comments2023-04-04T01:44:53.223-05:00Comments on Seven Kinds of Soy Sauce: Cook's Illustrated does soy sauceWinslowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944041935554320704noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695001.post-46258918951946782332007-12-31T23:50:00.000-05:002007-12-31T23:50:00.000-05:00I found this old posting of soy sauce tastings you...I found this old posting of soy sauce tastings you might enjoy. I purchased both top rated soy sauces -- Kimlan 'I-Jen' and Kimlan 'Super Special Naturally Fermented', which should be easily found at an Asian market. Haven't tried them though as I'm waiting to use up the Pearl River Bridge I have. Both have quite a bit less sodium than your average soy sauce.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/spawn.php?fn=2&mid=283306" REL="nofollow">http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/spawn.php?fn=2&mid=283306</A><BR/><BR/>Here is another one that someone wrote about, but I haven't been able to find it.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.flickr.com/photos/akatayama/509536984" REL="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/akatayama/509536984</A><BR/><BR/>You also might enjoy watching the Japanese food show <A HREF="http://www.veoh.com/videos/v553657dqb59wKh?searchId=8606925309820274522&rank=8" REL="nofollow"><BR/>Dotchi no Ryouri Show</A> (luckily with English subtitles), which pits which ingredient makes the best ramen -- either salt or soy sauce. They then show how this 'best of the best' item is made. Very interesting. An hour long show, but you will only be able to view the first 5 minutes of the show. You need a free Veoh account to view the whole show.olaf675https://www.blogger.com/profile/12338969118523875197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695001.post-35736482430372876852007-01-19T10:03:00.000-05:002007-01-19T10:03:00.000-05:00Thanks for all the information on various sauces. ...Thanks for all the information on various sauces. Can't wait to try more soys!condiment_girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14793480062210660130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695001.post-13261198969491901292007-01-15T21:17:00.000-05:002007-01-15T21:17:00.000-05:00Hi Steve,
Thanks for the additional info. I've he...Hi Steve,<br /><br />Thanks for the additional info. I've heard a lot about Fuschia Dunlop but don't have any of her cookbooks; that is soon to be rectified, however. I do have Sichuan peppercorns; I was able to find a jar of ground peppercorns at the Asian supermarket (I haven't seen the whole ones yet). I'll have to give this recipe a try.Winslowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02326200267514512025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695001.post-80778013737407979322006-12-20T23:10:00.000-05:002006-12-20T23:10:00.000-05:00Regarding the Kung Pao Chicken recipe, the 'hot an...Regarding the Kung Pao Chicken recipe, the 'hot and numbing' Szechuan peppercorns are a necessity. I remove stems and seeds, toast them in a pan over medium heat until fragrant, grind them in a morter and pestle, use a fine wire strainer to sift out any husks and keep remaining powder in an airtight glass spice jar.<br /><br />If you use whole szechuan peppercorns you may have an unpleasant surprise while eating!<br /><br />You can get szechuan peppercorns from:<br />http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysszechuanpeppercorns.html<br />- or -<br />http://www.adrianascaravan.com<br />- or -<br />http://www.thecmccompany.com<br /><br />Fuchsia Dunlop recommends the last two dealers. I originally purchased some from Penzeys.<br /><br />Detailed information about szechuan peppercorns<br />can be found here: http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Zant_pip.html<br /><br />It is actually a dried berry of the prickly ash. The photo for 'fagara' or 'jiao' is what it looks like.<br /><br />I was able to get 4 oz for only $1.99 packaged by Lion Pavilion/Chengdu Shizilou Food Co Ltd at an Asian grocery store. Barbara Tropp's says in one of her cookbooks that you should be able to smell it through the plastic packaging (I can't). Since they are now processed to kill any possible citrus canker bacteria threat, this may have had an effect on the noticeable fragrance - or these aren't top quality. (I haven't used these yet.)<br /><br />Do your best to get ANY despite quality differences.<br /><br /><b>Use one-quarter teaspoon of szechuan peppercorn powder.</b><br /><br />Instead of scallions I use:<br />one-half green bell pepper sliced into strips<br />one-half sweet red bell pepper sliced into strips<br />one-quarter sweet (Vidalia/Walla Walla/Maui/Bermuda) onion sliced into strips<br /><br />Also, the sesame oil is of the toasted variety.<br /><br />I thought I read that Fuchsia Dunlop had some part in consulting with PF Chang's to create their menu.<br /><br />Fuchsia Dunlop recommends Pearl River Bridge Superior Dark (and Light) soy sauces >for cooking< as their dark soy sauce is very thick and a wonderful coloring agent.<br /><br />I retasted the Yuasa soy sauce again, last night and noticed a wine-like characteristic (even though I'm not a wine drinker). Perhaps if you were talking about Scharffen-Berger chocolate, then I could relate....as it is complex and the best chocolate I've had :) I think my friends would appreciate it a lot more than I, since they eat sushi and sashimi on a regular basis, which I rarely ever do, though they use Kikkoman.<br /><br />Enjoy....olaf675https://www.blogger.com/profile/12338969118523875197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695001.post-69057938246603322502006-12-20T19:11:00.000-05:002006-12-20T19:11:00.000-05:00Thanks for all of the links. In the aftermath of t...Thanks for all of the links. In the aftermath of the <i>Cook's</i> article, I need to look at the soy sauces in the Asian supermarket with a new eye. With any luck, some of the ones you suggest might be there.<br /><br />In terms of soy sauce subtleties, I think it's just like wine. You cultivate the palate and learn more as you taste.<br /><br />The Pearl River Bridge dark soy sauce is just as you describe it: it almost paints the bottle when you shake it. I don't use it for general stir fries, but a lot of Chinese dishes call for x amount of light soy sauce and y amount of dark (or mushroom) soy. In a way, it's halfway on the spectrum between "regular" soy sauce and oyster sauce.<br /><br />I'll have to try that kung pao chicken. :)Winslowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02326200267514512025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695001.post-1166531870463251422006-12-19T07:37:00.000-05:002006-12-19T07:37:00.000-05:00Here are some links you may be interested in with ...Here are some links you may be interested in with regards to various soy sauces.... <BR/><BR/>I had seen several glowing reviews for Yuasa "Ohara Hisakichi Shoyu" from Japan (available here: http://www.yuasashoyu.com/eshop/item/100090.html ) for 1050 Japanese Yen (or around $9 US)<BR/><BR/>and here domestically http://mgrsti5395q.seamlesstech.biz/Templates/frmTemplateM.asp?CatalogID=440&Zoom=Yes&SubFolderId=0137<BR/><BR/>or here -- http://www.gratefulpalate.com/index.php?p=RSOYXX0010&parent=Page_47<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, they are offering it for $32.95, due to import costs. <BR/><BR/>Here are some reviews for it: http://www.forkandbottle.com/pantry/index.htm (near the bottom)<BR/><BR/>http://www.geezergourmet.com/spices_art9.html (this individual compares it to Kikkoman)<BR/><BR/>Luckily, I have a few friends in Japan and they were able to bring me a small bottle of it this past weekend. I'm still out on whether it's worth spending a small fortune to get it domestically, though my taste buds may not be trained enough to notice the subtleties between various soy sauces. <BR/><BR/>Here is another type by Yuasa that is highly recommended, but again, expensive domestically....<BR/><BR/>http://www.earthy.com/Yuasa_Mukashi_Shoyu_-_Dark_Soy_P813.cfm (720ml for $45!)<BR/><BR/>or http://www.earthy.com/Yuasa_Mukashi_Shoyu_-_Dark_Soy_P496.cfm (200ml for $25!) <BR/><BR/>Also available through this web site:<BR/><BR/>http://www.goodsfromjapan.com/product/product-list.php?cID=176&cName=Soy%20Sauce&pID=0&pName=Product-list <BR/><BR/>If you're interested, here is a history of soy sauce, shoyu and tamari.<BR/><BR/>http://www.thesoydailyclub.com/SFC/Fsoyfoods421.asp<BR/><BR/>and an article on soy sauce in Yuasa, Japan<BR/><BR/>http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=359&pID=993&pName=soy-sauce<BR/><BR/>and if you're really interested in a quite unique soy sauce (though not edible) try this....<BR/><BR/>http://www.boingboing.net/2006/07/27/soy_sauce_made_from_.html <BR/><BR/>Incidentally, here is Cooks Illustrated previous review of soy sauces from January/February 2000:<BR/><BR/>http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=28&bdc=336&ce=1<BR/><BR/>or PDF version http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/tasting/jf2000soy3.pdf<BR/><BR/>I was able to get the Eden Selected Shoyu Soy Sauce, but found it a bit salty. I hope to get the Lee Kee Kum and Ohsawa Nama Shoyu the next time I get to an Asian grocery. <BR/><BR/>I've been using Pearl River Bridge Superior Dark Soy Sauce for cooking (esp. Fuchsia Dunlop's wonderful Kung Pao Chicken (Gong Bao Ji Ding) -- http://www.leitesculinaria.com/recipes/cookbook/kung_pao.html) The Pearl River Bridge Dark Soy Sauce is so thick it coats the bottle and is pitch black (Not exactly the best tasting out of the bottle) and enjoy San-J Reduced Sodium Tamari Soy Sauce. <BR/><BR/>Hopefully, one of the web links will be of interest to you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com