What's the Difference Between Light Soy Sauce & Dark Soy Sauce???
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- What's the Difference Between Light Soy Sauce & Dark Soy Sauce???
Light soy sauce or dark soy sauce?
Soy sauce is the backbone of Chinese and Asian cooking. It's distinctive soy flavour and saltiness make it a must have if you cook Asian. However there always seems to be confusion over which type of soy sauce to use and when. One of the most frequently asked questions I get is - do I use light soy sauce or dark soy sauce? And if you pop to your local Asian supermarket it's easy to see why.
There are whole aisles dedicated just to different types, brands and styles of soy sauce. The choice is bewildering and if you don't know what you're looking for the whole experience can be quite intimidating.
Well this video is aimed at helping people who are not sure which soy sauce to use. I explain step by step the differences between the main ones, when and how to use them. If you watch this video you'll never be be confused about soy sauce again!
Just to be clear, this is a guide to the main types of soy sauce and NOT a comparison of brands. And it is not sponsored by any condiment companies.
Although if anyone from Lee Kum Kee, Kikkoman, Amoy, Asiana etc is watching.... ;)
I hope this video helps anyone with a soy sauce related anxiety. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section - I do read them all.
Thanks for watching!
Michael
0:00 Soy Sauce Intro
0:18 Why people are confused by soy sauce
1:18 Introduction to light and dark soy sauce
1:38 When to use light soy sauce and why
2:24 When to use dark soy sauce and why
4:00 A closer look at light soy sauce
4:26 Light soy sauce taste test
5:06 A closer look at dark soy sauce
5:50 Dark soy sauce taste test
6:02 Birthday eggs
7:27 Tamari soy sauce - for people who are gluten intolerant or coeliacs
8:29 A closer took at tamari and taste test
9:02 Conclusion
11:43 How to store soy sauce 
Хобби
I knew all this, but I still thought you clarified the differences very well for beginner cooks!
Thank you @DrAlvinEng - I always try to make my videos work for everyone from complete beginners upwards. It's important to me that we get as many people cooking as possible :)
Great Video! Can't wait for the Intermediate and Advanced Guides;-)
Thanks Peter! Judging by the amount of soy sauces on the market, there might be quite a few videos in this series 😅
This was super helpful, thank you!! I’m definitely going to try dark soy sauce on my eggs tomorrow!
You’re welcome! Hope you like the eggs 😊
Amazing video. Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your kind words 😊❤️
Very informative. Many thanks!
You’re very welcome John! I’m glad it’s helped 😊
Very Helpful. Thank you.
That’s great! And you’re welcome! 😊
I'm Asian I've been using the same soy sauce that my mother past down. My head spins around when I go to the store to pick up a certain soy sauce that a recipe calls for. Your video has helped me so much in knowing the difference. Thank you!
Happy early Christmas ⛄
There’s so many types of soy sauce it can be very confusing! Glad this video has helped you 😊👍
This video is very good 😃😃 and I had no idea about soy sauce , this video helped me a lot to understand ☺️👍🙂
Thank you! I’m happy that it helped 😊
Thanks lau.very informative. Do you have any info on double dark soy sauce and its uses.???
You’re welcome! I’m going to make a series of videos to try to show what uses many of the different soy sauces have. Might be impossible to get through all of them but I’m going to give it a go. Double dark soy is defining the list though. Thanks for watching 😊👍
Thank you for explaining this. Gonna try & fix Lo Mein for my Autistic son this week and the recipe calls for both.
You’re welcome! Always happy to help. Please let me know how it goes - I hope he loves it 😊
Used the Dark Soy Sauce for teriyaki sauce and it was amazing. Though never thought about combining the two soy sauces together when cooking. I should try them together and see how it turns out.
I think that there’s a lot of room for experimenting with soy sauce. People are afraid of using them ‘wrong’ but as long as it ends up tasting nice, then rules are not so important.
Thanks for your feedback, Eddie 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you
You’re welcome! 😊
Hi 👋🏼 Is there a difference between Japanese Light Soy Sauce Vs Chinese Light Soy Sauce (and same for 🇯🇵 dark soy sauce vs 🇨🇳 dark soy sauce) or are they interchangeable?
Thanks for the video and happy new year 🎉!
Hey! Thanks for your question. Generally speaking Chinese soy sauces are saltier and stronger than Japanese ones. Japanese soy sauces are often more subtle, sweeter and less salty. There are many variations on both sides so it can be confusing. My advice would be to experiment and try different ones and find out which ones you prefer. It’s a personal taste decision and although people often might tell you that you have to use them in specific ways, the truth is that if you like it, it’s right (for you). I would still use the light soy sauces and the dark ones as I would normally use them but yes, it’s perfectly fine to interchange Chinese with Japanese sauces.
Hope that helps. Happy New Year! 😊🎉🎊
For a Filipino like me, this soy sauce knowledge 101 will help me better understand how this condiment works in the kitchen. Especially I do love doing stir fries and the flagship "adobo"
Thank you for this insightful content ❤️
Hi Grace! You’re welcome. I’m glad it’s been useful for you. When I get a chance I’m going to review more soy sauces - there are so many now I think it’s worth getting to know them better.
Thanks again for watching and your feedback 😊🙏🙏🙏
Very nice explanation that what i was looking for Thank you.... Would you be kind to answer my question If you cook with soya sauce usually you do not add salt in the dishes right because very salty the light one ?
Hi you dont answer my question ?
Thank you - I’m glad you liked this video. With regards to adding salt I still add it but much less than if I wasn’t using soy sauce. The best advice I can give is to add a little of each and taste as you cook.
Hope that helps 😊
@@ChowWithLau thank you appreciated
Thank you! I now know how to look for soy sauce!!
You’re welcome Tony. Happy to help! 😊
So I would use light soy sauce in red wine or dark?
Very educative, thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your feedback😊
had a recipe call for light soy sauce, came here to find out they added the “light” for no reason, frustrating that… cheers for the video ;¬)
You’re welcome. When recipes list soy sauce, 9 times out of 10 they mean light. I always think it’s worth experimenting to see what works for you.
Thanks for watching 😊👍
New sub I love your confidence!!! I miss chinese good I can’t find anything better than that of China around lol be u hv help me 🔥🔥🥰
Hi Kiki! Thank you! I'm glad you like my presenting style. Have a lovely weekend! 😊
Can you have a vid about the difference of Soy sauce, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and other different types of sauces there is? Pleaseee.
Hi! Thanks for your request. I'll see what I can do :)
I use both but I find myself using dark more than light, I prefer the taste along with the lower sodium and the dark nature of it I think makes foods more appetizing to look at.
I use both too. I tend to use just enough light soy for saltiness and some dark for colour and the slightly sweeter soy flavour. Depends on what dish I’m cooking but it works as a general rule 😊
what kind of soy sauce used in maki soup when making a slurry soup?
I’m not sure exactly what kind of soup you’re talking about. However most of the recipes I know use light soy sauce. Hope that helps 👍
I bought a few different soy sauces recently, I remember them 30years ago tasting quite different….a lot more salty back then, they taste terrible nowadays it seems.
I don’t know if they’ve changed much over the years. However, I do know that different brands can taste very different. There are some brands I’ve tried that taste like salty water, and others that really have a nice soy flavour. It’s worth trying a few more to see what you like. My local Asian supermarket stocks dozens of different brands and types so I know it can get a bit confusing. My tip is to sample just light and dark soy sauces to start with until you find the one/s that suit you and then maybe explore more when you feel comfortable with it. Even I’ve barely scratched the surface so far 😅
thanks! i was at the shop today and i had no idea what to pick between light and dark soy sauce so i just went home in confusion loll
Bless you! The amount of different types and brands can be very confusing. General rule of thumb is to have a bottle of light soy sauce and a bottle of dark. Light soy sauce is for adding saltiness and soy flavour - when recipes just say ‘soy sauce’ 99 times out of 100 they mean light soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is not as salty, is a little bit sweeter and adds that rich, dark colour.
Hope this has all helped 😊
Which is the best soy sauce
Is soy sauce supposed to be fried in a hot wok and mixed with some veggies/sugar etc and then strained before use ? Or it's more commonly used just as salt alternative like pouring it on a ready to eat dish pretty much right from the bottle ?
There are a few ways soy sauce can be used depending on the recipes. Generally you don't have to fry it - most of my recipes involve adding a little light. soy sauce when making the sauce or using it in marinades. Hope that helps
@@ChowWithLau Thanks!
@@ExacoMvm You're welcome!
How much time do you leave the boiled egg in the soy sauce?
Hi Kathy, my ‘birthday eggs’ aren’t the marinated ones I think you mean, I just dip them in soy sauce and eat them - yum! However you’re right in that you can marinade eggs to turn them into soy sauce eggs - I would marinade them for 2-4 hours. Hope that helps 😊
I want to cook food from various Asian Countries. I don't like things to be salty. What would be good for me?
Hi Leslie, thanks for your question. Personally I’d still use soy sauce but keep it to a minimum. Soy isn’t just about the saltiness - it has a unique flavour that gives Asian food that distinctive taste.
I think you’ve got a few options - use less soy sauce as I already said, or you could use dark soy sauce instead of light because it has a slightly sweeter flavour and is also less salty. Or you could go for the low sodium soy sauces which are also less salty.
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any further questions 😊
Could I plz know some organic soy sauce brands available in China
Soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans.... It's all organic, lady.
Am trying to buy dark sauce here in Philippines not sure were...
You should be able to buy it in most supermarkets. There will probably be lots of different types but look just for ‘dark soy sauce’.
Hope that helps 😊
@chow with lau How could you tell us about the eggs and not show us how you dip it and eat it?! That would be a hit!
I'm not sure the world is ready for that 😅
hi... what soy sauce is used in making chinese fried rice? the one with sprout beans and shrimp kind of friend rice. its usually dark color fried rice.
and is there any brand you can recommend? thank you.
I would use a combination of light soy sauce for the classic soy flavour and seasoning and a little dark soy sauce for the dark colour. My method would be to always predominantly use light soy and less dark. For example if you're using 1 tbsp of light soy sauce, use 1/2 tbsp of dark soy sauce. My favourite soy sauce brand is Lee Kum Kee (I'm not sponsored by them). Always good flavour and not just saltiness. Hope that helps and thank you for your question 😊
@@ChowWithLau
thank you so much for posting this informative video, and for taking time answering my question.
this will help me. 🙂
@@zhaiyoong271 You’re welcome! I’m glad this has been useful. I love answering questions and interacting with people it’s why I make videos 😊
I tried something like that for fried rice, it ruined the rice :D Because I used to see Asians pouring like ~150ml of soy sauce into single portion of noodles so I tried like ~100ml into 200g ( weight before boiling ) of rice w/ veggies, ~250g salmon and scallions and everything started to taste like a pure salt as if I've had mixed the rice in a 1kg of sea salt. I basically just tried to pour just enough to make the rice a bit brown/golden.
@@ExacoMvm 100ml of soy sauce is a huge amount. There are very few recipes that need that much soy sauce and that much would make any dish very salty indeed! 1/2 - 1 tbsp of soy sauce per recipe is usually enough. If you're not sure you can add a little, taste it and adjust as you find necessary. With soy sauce a little can go a long way. Hope that helps
The British seem to have green peas with every meal. Some add brown sauce like HB or A1 to make the flavor more interesting. Peas with just some soy sauce is better.
Yeah, peas are a staple vegetable here in the Uk. I like them plain as they can be quite sweet when fresh (never tinned) or with a little butter 😊
For ramen which soy sauce should i use?
Hi - if you’re using the ramen that comes with seasoning packets I wouldn’t use any soy sauce as the seasoning packets have plenty of salt in them. If you’re making your own broth then I would use light soy sauce.
Hope that helps 😊
@@ChowWithLau thank you so much for your help😃
@@anime_sekai92 You’re welcome! 👍😊
you could have mentioned that tamari soy sauce is gluten free. Please remind me of what I can do to emulate dark soy sauce. Thanks.
I spoke too soon! Thank you, thank you.
@@SueHutton Lol! You didn’t think I’d forgotten about you, did you? You were uppermost on my mind when I did the tamari section 😊
Can I add water to dark soy sauce to make it lighter??
Thanks for your question. If you do that it will dilute the flavour too much. Light and dark soy sauce are different in taste as well as colour. It’s probably best to get light soy sauce if you haven’t got any at the moment.
Hope that helps 😊
I had this really really really salty soy sauce with sushi, and it just changed my sushi experience for worse...I never want to bump into it ever again
I feel for you! Nothing worse than bad soy sauce. If you can try out a few and see which you prefer.
Please don’t let that experience put you off soy sauce or sushi
Is Kikkoman Soy Sauce light or dark?
Hi Pat, it's basically a light soy sauce. Good for general chinese cooking, marinades, dipping sauces and flavour to food. Hope that helps :)
@@ChowWithLau thanks. I really enjoy your videos. Keep it up
@@patcasserly1024 You're welcome! And thank you - I really enjoy making them. Hopefully that shows through :)
There's the green and red kikkoman, what's the difference?
@@ChowWithLauif is light, then why is called soy sauce and not light soy sauce.. I’m talking about the kikkoman.. isn’t it soy sauce, dark soy sauce and dark soy sauce? Because in your video you said is two
Will you please recommend a dark soy sauce that’s thick , salty and will actually stay on my rice instead of falling to the bottom of the plate/bowl? Most soy sauces are watery and fall to the bottom of the bowl. Thank you
Hi Grace, thanks for your question. Maybe try a dark soy sauce. It’s thicker and won’t just disappear. Use it sparingly to start with to avoid making your rice too salty.
Hope that helps 😊
Is China Lily light or dark 04:32
@@DebraPrince-g9l I’m afraid I don’t know as I don’t think China Lily is available in the UK.
I had a look online and it looks like it’s one of those ‘all purpose’ soy sauces. I think it’s closer to light soy sauce.
I have no idea of the quality, though.
Hope that helps 😊
I have never been intimidated by a shelf full of soy sauce
It’s quite a sight isn’t it?
I prefer San J gold label wheat free organic Tamari 😊
I haven't tried many tamari sauces yet so thanks for the tip :)
Can u cook something using dark soy sauce?..even simple dish only so we can cook too 😊
Hi Ellen, I don’t have a recipe that just uses dark soy sauce. However you can use dark soy sauce whenever a recipe calls for light soy sauce. The taste is slightly different as dark soy sauce is very slightly sweeter but it’s actually very nice. The main reason why we use dark soy sauce less than light soy sauce is because it makes the food look darker. I don’t mind this and in a lot of dishes like chow mein and many other noodle dishes, I actually prefer using dark soy sauce in those recipes.
Hope that helps 😊
i dont get it. almost every chinese recipe calls for both. why are there no bottles of "medium" soy sauce then? light and dark mixed basically. it makes no sense to me. also whats sold as "dark" soy sauce around here has no change in viscosity to the "light" stuff
I totally understand your confusion. In my experience, light soy sauce is always your default choice. It adds saltiness and soy flavour. Dark soy sauce is added for colour and a very subtle sweetness. Where recipes call for both this allows you to create the ratio that suits you the best. For example in my black bean recipes I use a little more dark soy sauce because I like the darker colour it gives my sauce. And in egg fried rice I don’t use dark soy at all because I like the lighter, golden colour the light soy gives it. A medium sauce is probably available - if you go to bigger Chinese supermarkets there are so many I’m sure you’d find one that fits that description.
If your dark soy sauce is as thin as a light one then I’d question the quality of the dark soy. A good quality dark sauce, although not thick like syrup, is noticeably thicker than any light soy sauce.
Thank you for an excellent question and I hope this has helped 😊👍
@@ChowWithLau thank you so much for the insight. i will try sourcing other soy sauce brands then. maybe the supermarket stuff we get here is trash. do you have general recommendations for certain brands that are available outside of asia?
@@ijuvatar You’re welcome my friend! I like Lee Kum Kee soy sauces, they’re always good abd you can get them in most supermarkets. Not too expensive either 😊
Wow I enjoyed. But when we need dark soy sauce Basically ??
Glad you liked the video! Generally you use light soy sauce for flavour and seasoning and use dark soy sauce for darker colour and a slightly sweeter, less salty taste.
For example when I’m making chow mein I use light soy sauce mostly but add a little dark soy sauce at the end to make the noodles darker and to add a little more flavour.
Hope that helps.
Happy New Year 😊🎉🎊
@@ChowWithLau omg! It’s 1year old vedio! Still you are replying!! You are dedicated. Thanks a lot. Happy new year.. Keep it up..
@@member_of_jinhit_entertainment You’re welcome! I still find it amazing that people watch my videos and if they spend the time to comment then that’s even more awesome! I love answering comments so I always try to whenever I can 😊
my mum uses dark soy sauce in egg too
Yessssss!!! 👍🫶❤️
I Buy only natural brew soy sauce. Not chemical ones added chemicals.
Natural brewed is definitely much better 👍
What about sweet and salty soy sauce ? Dark sauce is another name of sweet sauce ?
It’s confusing isn’t it?
Firstly, all soy sauces are salty but some are more salty than others. Light soy sauce is the ‘standard’ one and is great for most recipes.
Dark soy sauce is very slightly sweet and richer in flavour. There are sweeter soy sauces out there.
My advice is to start off with light soy sauce and dark soy sauce and when you get to know them, then you can experiment with different types.
There so many types out there that if you just buy random varieties it’s very easy to lose your way.
I’m planning to try different types soon and making some videos about them, so watch out for those
Hope this has helped 😊
I'm an Indian and we pride ourselves on "Indo-chinese" food, especially in the Northeast of India. Lee Kum Kee light and dark premium + Tamari if you need it. End of story.
I’m inclined to agree with you. That’s pretty much what’s in my kitchen at all times (although I don’t use tamari). However I’m curious as to what other types are actually like so I may well trial a few and make a video with the results.
Thanks for your feedback 👍😊
Try spraying dark soy sauce for a Stir fry
Striffy?
I will give the egg a go
Hope you enjoy it 😊
how about actually holding the bottles up next time mate.
Will do 👍