The Savoury Wonder of Soy Sauce in Chinese Cuisine

Soy sauce. Every Asian culture from the Far East to Southeast Asia and the global diaspora uses this easy, versatile and savoury wonder. Just a spoonful or two is often enough to instantly uplift almost any dish. Enjoyed as a table condiment and a must-have pantry essential.

For Chinese cuisine, soy sauce is a culinary cornerstone that has flavoured royal delicacies and folk dishes alike for generations, deeply tied to agricultural traditions, communal dining culture and gastronomic refinement.

Every step in the process of making and using soy sauce is a meticulous art. Beginning at the cultivation, harvest and selection of soybeans, to the intricate brewing method, and tasteful application in Chinese cooking.

Soy sauce in Chinese Cuisine

As a whole, the central philosophy of Chinese cuisine can be summed up as accentuating the natural taste of ingredients with delicate seasonings and condiments. Every dish should be complete with pleasant flavours, lively colour and inviting aroma, to delight the senses, nourish the body and comfort the soul.

With that in mind, the role of soy sauce in Chinese cuisine is generally to lay the flavour foundation of a dish, and to give an appetising colour. Light soy sauce does the former, while dark soy sauce is used for the latter. As their names imply, light soy sauce has a light, runny texture, near-translucent brownish colour, and briny, savoury flavour. On the other hand, dark soy sauce is opaque with a bold dark hue, thick caramel-like texture and sweet-savoury flavour.

The sauces are also frequently accompanied by simple herbs and spices in Chinese cooking, such as ginger, garlic, onion, peppercorns, scallion and spring onions. All contributing to the overall splendour of a dish.

Let’s delve a little deeper into how light soy sauce and dark soy sauce is used to uplift some easy and tasty Chinese delights!

Chinese Steamed Fish

Chinese steam-cooking is about the mastery of concentrated heat, especially favoured to cook whole fish. The steaming tenderises the fish’s texture, releases the natural juices, and brings out the comforting savoury freshness; complimented by a savoury sauce mix. In which, the light soy sauce’s briny flavour blends seamlessly with Shaoxing-wine and sesame oil to brighten the fish’s flavour; resulting in an overall refreshing and wholesome taste.

Dong Po Rou Braised Pork Belly

Dong Po Rou is a legacy dish of Zhejiang cuisine, defined by its umami-rich flavour and tender, succulent taste. Here, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce serve as the seasoning core that melds with the caramel ingredients during the patient simmer, which develops the Dong Po Rou’s renowned savoury-sweet glaze that coats the braised pork belly with a glossy shine and tantalising colour.

Teochew Braised Duck

Teochew cuisine is a part of the Hokkien culinary tradition, with a taste profile that emphasizes rich, complex aromas and bold-flavoured sauces. In the iconic Teochew Braised Duck, dark soy sauce provides the sweet-savoury base that blends with the combined aromas of cinnamon, star anise, galangal and dried chillies. The mixture imbues its rich fragrance and flavour into the duck during the low-heat braising, to produce a hearty, tender bite with a deep, lingering taste.

Cantonese Sizzling Chicken

The Cantonese taste profile is centred around simple yet savoury-rich and warm, fresh flavours, exemplified in the classic Sizzling Chicken which name evokes the saucy sizzle during the claypot braising. Light soy sauce and dark soy sauce provide their savoury flavours and colour in the marinade blend, which develops into a savoury depth that melds perfectly into the tenderised chicken. Combined with warm aromatics for an umami and comforting taste.

Beef Chow Fun

Soy sauces are absolutely essential in Chinese stir-fries, as they can meld and blend easily in fast, high-heat cooking. Often serving as the marinade base for meats, as well as the seasoning sauce mix. In the celebrated street food darling Beef Chow Fun, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce give the soft flat rice noodles a sprightly colour and slurpy taste, while uplifting the beef’s meaty flavour with a savoury boost that pairs seamlessly with the refreshing bean sprouts and spring onions.

Cantonese Soy Sauce Fried Noodles

Chow Mien noodles have a mild floury taste on their own, and a thin springy texture that easily takes on the sauces they’re cooked with. Stir-frying softens the noodles, and allows for the blend of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and oyster sauce to work their savoury magic, creating a bold flavour depth and colour that make the simple stir-fried noodles a scrumptious street food staple.

Supreme Soy Sauce Fried Rice

Mixing and heating up a blend of light and dark soy sauces with Shaoxing Wine, oyster sauce, sugar and fish sauce produces the Chinese Supreme Soy Sauce, which contains layers of savoury-sweet flavour depth and umami-rich aroma, best suited for stir-fries. Perfect to elevate the humble omelette fried rice with Chinese sausage into an irresistible scrumptious treat.     

Add Soy Sauce to Your Pantry with Lee Kum Kee

As demonstrated above, soy sauce is a marvellous pantry staple to enrich your dishes, with ease of use and versatility to incorporate into various cooking methods. Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce and Premium Dark Soy Sauce is our recommended brand. Made from high quality non-GM soybeans, meticulously brewed in the traditional method with no preservatives nor added seasonings, Lee Kum Kee soy sauces always deliver consistent smooth and flavourful textures and pure savoury, umami flavours. Available at supermarkets and Asian grocers near you.