How to make soy sauce less salty? (3 Ways how)
In this article, we will answer the question “How to make soy sauce less salty?”, and how to lower the salt in Chinese cooking?
How to make soy sauce less salty?
Soy sauce is naturally salty due to fermentation. If you do not like it to be too salty, you can try the following options.
- Switching the brand
- Buying a milder soy sauce
- Altering the composition of soy sauce by adding some other ingredients ingredients
The following table might help you buy the perfect soy sauce that suits your taste preferences.
| Type of Soy Sauce | Description |
| Low Sodium Soy Sauce | Has a mild salty flavor, perfect for dipping |
| Regular Soy Sauce | Versatile, used for both cooking and sauces |
| High Sodium Soy Sauce | Too salty, only used for cooking |
| Mixed Soy Sauce | Has mixed flavors like lemon and vinegar |
| Spiced Soy Sauce | Contains spices like salt, pepper, chili, onions, or cayenne pepper. |
| Brewed Soy Sauce | Made by traditional methods, has a balanced flavor profile |
| Chemically Processed Soy Sauce | Mass-manufactured has a sharp and strong taste and flavor. |
Why is soy sauce paired with sushi?
Apart from the fact that sushi originated in Japan and soy sauce is a very popular and frequently used condiment, soy sauce in sushi serves another purpose. The salty soy sauce added to sushi helps to enhance its flavor profile.
This is especially true for sushi that is made using raw or fresh ingredients only. Besides, the natural umami flavor in soy sauce especially in the traditionally fermented soy sauce is the main flavor of the sushi.
How to chose your soy sauce?
Opting for regular or high sodium soy sauce to make sushi will ruin the delicate flavor of the sushi. The same applies to the chemically processed soy sauce because It has a pungent flavor and high salt content.
Now we are left with brewed, spiced, mixed, and low sodium soy sauce. The connoisseurs or purists will naturally go for the brewed soy sauce to enjoy the delicate and authentic flavor of the sushi.
For a change or adventure, you can try making sushi with mixed and spiced soy sauce. They do not add too much salt to the dish while making the flavor profile of the dish interesting.
Other FAQs about Sauces which you may be interested in.
Can you eat sausages 2 days after the use-by date?
How long can pasta sauce last in the fridge?
How long does chili garlic sauce last?
How to lower the salt in Chinese cooking?
Chinese dishes use a lot of salt that can make the otherwise healthy food very unhealthy. Use the following tips to reduce the salt in Chinese cooking.
- Use a low-sodium alternative such as that offered by Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee. the salt in these alternatives may still be too high for individuals on a sodium-restricted diet. But It controls the sodium content of the dish to a great extent.
- Make your own soy sauce using molasses, reduced-sodium beef broth, and vinegar. It gives you a lot more control over the composition, flavor, and sodium level of your soy sauce.
- Using dry sherry or dry white wine instead of rice cooking wine will help lower the salt levels. Rice cooking wine has added salt and alcohol to extend its shelf-life.
- Instead of adding salt for flavor, add mixed spices like the five-spice powder or curry powder and chili powder. They add a lot of flavors and do not increase sodium levels.
- Using a low-sodium chicken or beef broth for your recipe will lower the salt constant of the finished product. Alternatively, you can make your own broth at home and control sodium levels. Stored in an air-tight container, the homemade broth will stay fresh for 3 months in the fridge.
- If a recipe calls for nuts like peanuts or cashews, avoid using the salted ones. Unsalted nuts will add a lot more nutritional value to the food while also lowering the sodium levels.
- Use fresh or frozen vegetables instead of their canned counterparts. Canned vegetables are submerged in brine to extend their shelf-life like canned peas. Thus they have a high salt content.
- If you have to use canned vegetable, make sure you wash them thoroughly before adding to your dish.
What is low sodium soy sauce?
If you remove 40% salt from the regular Soy Sauce during brewing, you are left with low-sodium Soy Sauce. A tsp of low sodium Soy Sauce has only 600mg of sodium as compared to the 1000mg of sodium in a tsp of regular Soy Sauce.
Low-sodium soy sauce can either by Chinese or Japanese. Low sodium Soy Sauce can be used to braise meat or make a sauce.
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “How to make soy sauce less salty?”, and how to lower the salt in Chinese cooking?
References
https://www.thespruceeats.com/using-less-salt-in-chinese-cooking-694623
Soy Sauce Too Salty? Here’s an Easy Fix
