The Case For Seasoning Your Soy Sauce Before Serving

Soy sauce is a condiment worth keeping in your house. It's a delicious accent to noodles or meat marinades, and you can even add it to desserts. It contains less sodium than salt, making it a valuable substitute for those looking to lower their sodium levels. You can also make your dipping soy sauce extra tasty by seasoning it before serving.

While seasoning soy sauce is unnecessary during cooking, when you want the sharp umami bite to integrate into the dish (as you might with a dipping or finishing sauce), it can be helpful to temper, as it takes some of the punch out while balancing the flavors. Yes, it may require a little extra work, but the results are well worth the trouble.

To season your sauce, saute aromatics such as shallots, scallions, hot peppers, cilantro, lemongrass, or ginger. Once they soften, add water (or broth for extra oomph) and your soy sauce of choice before hitting the mixture with spices: maybe MSG or chicken bouillon, clove, Chinese five spice, sugar, pepper, and maybe a little chili paste if you want some kick. Strain out the aromatics and chill the mix before you use it.

For those who want to skip the cooking process but get similar results, seasoned soy sauce is actually one of 13 kinds of soy sauce that can be purchased in stores or online. There are three main different flavors to choose from when buying seasoned soy sauce: smoky, mushroom, and shrimp — though Lee Kum Kee also sells a seasoned soy sauce specifically for dumplings and one specifically for seafood.

Once you've got the basics of seasoning your soy sauce, the next step is to customize your seasonings based on the dish you're making. Beyond the aforementioned aromatics, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, fennel, green onion, and ginger are all spices that can amplify your soy sauce.

If you're cooking Korean food, you can try adding mirin and some kind of fruit such as green plum extract, apple and apple juice, or pears. Pair that with shiitake mushrooms, kombu, black pepper, and ginger for a sauce that is layered with flavor and perfect for stir-fries or dipping. 

For a Chinese seasoned soy sauce that will elevate pork and shrimp wontons, increase the sugar-to-soy sauce ratio and add cinnamon and bay leaves along with ginger, fennel, cloves, and black cardamom — or just use Chinese five spice powder. Cook the sauce until it has thickened before straining out everything but the liquid and storing it.