All-Purpose Savory Soy Sauce Base
Transform Bland Soy Sauce into a Flavorful Base: The Ultimate Savory Soy Sauce Recipe
Are you stuck with a bottle of soy sauce that lacks depth? Transform it into a rich and delicious ‘All-Purpose Savory Soy Sauce Base’ with this incredible recipe. This homemade sauce adds an umami boost to all your stir-fries and braised dishes, making them tastier than ever. It’s an economical way to elevate your cooking by utilizing leftover vegetables and dried seafood from your fridge. Let’s unlock the secret to a deeply flavorful sauce!
Ingredients
- Bland Soy Sauce 3L (use low-sodium soup soy sauce or regular soy sauce)
- Water 1L
- Mirin 300ml (or cooking wine, soju) – helps with preservation
- Scallions 1.5 stalks (cut into large pieces)
- Carrot a small amount (about 1/4, cut into large pieces)
- Dried Kelp 5 pieces (approx. 5x5cm)
- Dried Anchovies for broth 1 handful (heads and innards removed)
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms 1 handful
- Whole Peppercorns 1 Tbsp
- Onion 1 (washed thoroughly, peel on, cut into large pieces)
- Whole Garlic 30 cloves (peel on)
- Peperoncino 5 (or dried chili peppers, chili seeds can be used)
- Apple 1 (cored and cut into large pieces, optional)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
In a large, deep pot, prepare all the aromatics and ingredients that will infuse the savory soy sauce with flavor. Add 1.5 large pieces of scallions, about 1/4 carrot cut into large chunks, 30 whole garlic cloves, 1 onion (washed thoroughly with peel on, cut into large pieces), 1 apple (cored and cut into large pieces, omit if unavailable), a handful of dried anchovies for broth (heads and innards removed), 5 pieces of dried kelp, a handful of dried shiitake mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorns, and 5 peperoncino peppers (or dried chilies, or chili seeds). Feel free to use up any leftover vegetable scraps from your fridge for extra aroma – like clean scallion roots or onion peels! Finally, pour in 3L of the bland soy sauce, 1L of water, and 300ml of mirin (or cooking wine/soju) which acts as a preservative.
Step 2
Cover the pot loosely, leaving a slight gap for steam to escape. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and let it boil for 1 minute. Then, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 30 minutes, allowing the flavors from the ingredients to fully infuse into the soy sauce.
Step 3
After simmering on low heat for 30 minutes, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool completely in the pot for 1 hour. This resting period allows the flavors to deepen further. Once cooled, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove all the solids; discard the solids. Pour the strained savory soy sauce into clean, airtight containers. Once completely cooled, refrigerate. Properly stored, this homemade savory soy sauce base can last for up to 6 months. This versatile sauce is perfect for enhancing all sorts of stir-fries, braised dishes, and even soups!
Step 4
Making this savory soy sauce base from scratch and stocking my refrigerator feels like a real accomplishment, like I’ve become a culinary treasure keeper! I recently also made homemade fermented soybean paste (doenjang) and basic soy sauce (ganjang), and I plan to share how to make homemade doenjang next year. A great sauce is truly the foundation of delicious cooking!
