The desire to replace soy sauce in the kitchen can have various reasons. Some fear the impact of soy on health – soy is a plant containing a large amount of estrogens unfavorable for men’s health, mainly derived from GMO crops. Others fear the excessive amount of salt in this product, looking for additives and spices with a similar taste, but without the harmful salt for hypertensive patients. The third group of people is looking for the intense umami taste typical for Asian dishes, however, they do not like the aftertaste of soy sauce. The reason can also be a soy allergy. There are many ways to replace soy sauce – what to replace soy sauce with, however, depends on the goal we set ourselves. Therefore, the proposed methods are sometimes opposite.
Soy sauce substitute – what are the alternatives?
In Chinese cuisine, no table salt is used: instead of salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, or fish sauce are added to dishes. The most obvious substitute for soy sauce in hot Asian dishes we prepare is simply – salt. Instead of soy sauce, it can be used in almost any Chinese dish, without obvious taste losses. In most Chinese dishes, fish sauce or oyster sauce will also work – this is a very good solution for anyone who is allergic to soy or fears GMOs. The English cuisine’s Worcestershire sauce (if you don’t have it in your kitchen, check out our suggestions – Worcestershire sauce – what to replace with?) and Marmite spice also have a similar taste.
What to replace soy sauce with for sushi?
Greater difficulty arises when we use soy sauce not as an ingredient, but as a standalone addition to dishes. This is also a common way soy sauce is used – what to replace it as an addition to sushi, rice, or Asian noodles seems therefore a difficult problem to solve. Oyster sauce and fish sauce have too intense a taste, while the broth is too thin.
However, there is a soy sauce substitute that is easy to prepare at home, which will also work as an addition to sushi. For this purpose, prepare a very intense beef broth with the addition of dried mushrooms. This broth needs to be evaporated to remove at least half of the water – if it is still too thin, it can be thickened further with potato flour. Molasses or thick caramel will give it an intense dark color. You can add a bit of vinegar to taste.
What instead of soy sauce if we want to reduce the amount of salt in dishes?
Soy sauce contains large amounts of salt, which is unhealthy for people with hypertension. Often, however, we do not want to give up its taste. A good solution in this situation is miso paste. It is produced similarly to soy sauce, but this substitute contains much less salt.
It is worth choosing dark miso paste, which has a more intense taste. If we wonder what to use instead of soy sauce in a low-sodium diet, yeast extract is also a solution. It is completely devoid of salt, but its taste is similar.
Soy sauce substitute with umami taste
Soy sauce can also be replaced with any ingredient that has a clear umami taste. Such additives include especially mushroom broths. In many dishes, a substitute for soy sauce from European cuisine will also work – a spice like Maggi, and even ordinary broth cubes. The main source of umami taste in them is sodium glutamate. This additive unjustly has a bad reputation – it is completely safe for health. It can also be purchased in its pure form in many Asian food stores.
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