All-Purpose Flavor Soy Sauce
All-Purpose Flavor Soy Sauce
How to Make a Versatile Flavor Soy Sauce that Elevates Your Cooking (Kim Jin-ok’s Cooking is Good)
Hello everyone! This is Kim Jin-ok. Today, I’ll share a recipe for an ‘All-Purpose Flavor Soy Sauce’ that will elevate the taste of almost any dish it’s added to! Many flavor soy sauce recipes include sugar, corn syrup, or fruits like apples and pears for sweetness. While this type of sweetened soy sauce is great for braised or stir-fried dishes, it can be tricky to use in stews, soups, or seasoned vegetable dishes. I’ve created a recipe without any added sweetness, focusing solely on ‘umami’ for maximum versatility. This means it can be used in almost every dish! However, for clear soups or stews, you might want to add fish sauce for seasoning. Let’s get started!
Ingredients- 1L Soy Sauce (Yangjo Ganjang)
- 800ml Soup Soy Sauce (Guk Ganjang)
- 1800ml Water
- 500ml Mirin (Rice Wine for Cooking)
- 2 pieces Dried Kelp (approx. 10x10cm each)
- 1 generous handful Dried Anchovies for broth
- 1 Onion
- 1/2 Carrot (or 1/3 Daikon Radish)
- 1.5 Leeks
- 30 cloves Garlic
- 3 slices Ginger (similar size to garlic cloves)
- 3 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp Whole Peppercorns
- 3 Dried Chilies (can substitute with Cheongyang peppers for more heat)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s gather all the ingredients for our all-purpose flavor soy sauce. You will need: 1 liter of Soy Sauce (Yangjo Ganjang), 800ml of Soup Soy Sauce (Guk Ganjang), 1800ml of water, 500ml of Mirin (rice wine for cooking), 2 pieces of dried kelp (about 10x10cm each), a generous handful of dried anchovies for broth, 1 medium-sized onion, half a carrot (or one-third of a daikon radish), 1.5 leeks, 30 cloves of garlic, 3 slices of ginger (about the size of the garlic cloves), 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorns, and 3 dried chilies (you can use Cheongyang peppers if you prefer it spicier).
Step 2
Now, take a large pot that can hold all these ingredients. Place all the prepared ingredients into this pot. You can place the anchovies and kelp in a sieve if you prefer, but it’s also fine to add them directly.
Step 3
Place the pot with all the ingredients onto the stove and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it starts boiling vigorously, maintain the high heat for just 1 minute. Then, reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot slightly, leaving a small gap for steam to escape, and let it simmer gently for 30 minutes. After simmering for 30 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the flavor soy sauce to cool down completely. Once cooled, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the solids. Transfer the clear sauce into a clean bottle and store it in the refrigerator. This homemade flavor soy sauce will stay fresh and delicious in the fridge for about 6 months.
