Soy sauce is a really popular kitchen staple and won’t be new to most people. It should be in any home cook’s pantry as the possibilities for using it are endless. It’s easy to find it at most grocery stores, however, you’re likely to find only big-brand soy sauces, like Kikkoman or Yamasa. There’s nothing wrong with using those, but there are artisanal soy sauces that have a much superior flavor and aren’t full of added ingredients like preservatives, sugar, or flavorings. Luckily, many Asian grocery stores have a selection of smaller brand artisanal or handcrafted soy sauce that you can’t find elsewhere.
You’ll taste the difference immediately, and many of these smaller brands are family-run brewers that take time and pride in perfecting the fermentation process. For artisanal soy sauces, the fermentation process is slower (sometimes up to a year compared to, say, Kikkoman’s 6-month brewing process), allowing the flavor of the soy sauce to deepen and develop over time. This produces a soy sauce with a complex taste and more powerful umami, compared to the sharp hit of one-note saltiness of the more commercial brands. They may be slightly higher priced, but they’ll be worth every penny. If you don’t know where to start, try Kishibori Shoyu artisan soy sauce or the Haku Smoked Shoyu.
