Soy Sauce

Also indexed as: Shoyu, Tamari

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Preparation, uses, and tips

Soy sauce is a condiment, used sparingly to flavor dishes. Use it in stir-fried dishes, or to prepare marinades for meat or vegetables. It can also be used in place of salt in soups and stews.

Buying and storing tips

Commercial soy sauce is readily available in grocery stores in the condiment aisle or Asian food section. Tamari and shoyu are both sold in natural foods stores and in Asian markets, sometimes in bulk. Store any type of soy sauce at room temperature for up to a year.

Varieties

While true tamari or shoyu is an aged product, most of the commercial soy sauce sold in the United States is a nonfermented synthetic product made from defatted soybean meal and grains mixed with chemicals. Real aged tamari or shoyu has a different flavor than commercial, synthetic soy sauce. In Japan, synthetic soy sauce is not recognized by the government, which allows five different types of soy sauce to be labeled as shoyu. Among the synthetic brands, reduced-sodium soy sauce is available.

Nutrition Highlights

Soy sauce (made from soy and wheat), 1 Tbsp (15mL)
Calories: 9.4
Protein: 1.25g
Carbohydrate: 1.26g
Total Fat: 0.006g
Fiber: 0.13g