Off-the-Eaten Path Food Experience in Japan. "Meet the People and Places behind your Plates! "

Sunday 13 January 2019

How to make shoyu (soy sauce) at home

Soy sauce, called shoyu is one of the 5 key seasonings of washoku cuisine, along with sugar, salt, vinegar, and miso.

Please see the link below more about the production of soy sauce in Japan.
"Hishio no sato" a home of soy sauce, Shodo shima island

How to make soy sauce

They key to make shoyu (soy sauce) successfully is depending on koji malt (fermented soy beans and wheats).

Ingredients

wheat : soy bean = 1:1
water : soy bean = 1.1 : 1
salt 18% of total amount

To make sweeter shoyu (called usukuchi), increase the ratio of wheat more than soy, then, the taste and the color will be lighter. If you reduce wheat, the taste will be thicker and color will be darker (called koikuchi).

1. soak soy beans for one night


2. boil or steam halfway till the beans get soften

3. roast wheats

4. mill wheat after roasted

5. mix crushed wheat with tane koji (starter) and boiled soy beans

6. put in muro (temperature controlled room) for 3 days with the room temperature 36-38 Celsius degree.

after 3 days...

7. mix with salted water and leave it for one year. It needs to stir everyday for the first 1 week, and once a week in winter season, and everyday in summer time.

If you use soy sauce instead of water, it becomes saishikomi shoyu (second brewed shoyu).


8. filter by linen or cotton 


 After filtered soy sauce, the leftover also can be used for making "jiang" mixed with chili powder and rice koji.