White soy sauce is a paler, milder alternative to dark soy sauce, made with a higher proportion of wheat and little or no soybeans. It is often used to avoid darkening the color of a dish and to provide a subtler flavor.
Soy sauce is often thought of as a dark, salty condiment used in Asian cooking. While this may be true, varieties such as white soy sauce are paler and golden in color, with a milder flavor coming from a predominance of wheat, not soy. This results in a similar transmission of flavors – only it tastes milder without obscuring the recipe.
White soy sauce differs from regular soy sauce in very specific ways. Coloring is the easiest to distinguish, with black soy sauce deeply dark, and white soy sauce is often golden in color. Soy sauce is made from all soybeans or a blend of 80% soybeans and 20% wheat or equal parts soybeans and wheat. These ingredients are boiled or roasted, then combined with a starter mold which is later combined with salt and more water. All ingredients then undergo a lengthy fermentation process of four months or more.
White soy sauce, by contrast, will be either completely wheat or a blend of about 80% wheat and only 20% soy. According to the manufacturers of well-known Japanese white soybean brands such as Golden Tamari Sauce or Takumi White Soybean Sauce, it is probable that no soybeans are used in the production of white soybeans. Fermentation is often stopped after about three months to prevent the liquid from darkening and the flavor from intensifying too much.
The ratio of wheat to soybeans in this type of soy sauce depends on the manufacturer. Some recipes don’t use soybeans at all. Others may use a blend, even adding sugar for a subtle change in flavor profile. According to the White Soy Sauce Food Co. of Visalia, California, perhaps the most prized variety of white soy is called white gold tamari, as it does not undergo heat fermentation and combines salty and sweet overtones.
These are just a few of the many Asian sauces used in traditional Asian cooking. For a completely clear seasoning that doesn’t color a recipe, cooks could use a very light white soy or go a different direction along with fish sauce or tamarind paste. Just as traditional dark soy can be used in various recipes, from soups and sauces to marinades and dipping sauces, so can white soy, just without the darkening of the color of the dish and often a less salty and overpowering flavor.
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