I just wanted to put in a plug for the Kishibori Shoyu Soy Sauce I bought from deBragga last year. Just a few drops added as a finisher to meats or fish add a tremendous amount of complex flavor.
While I’m at it their Yuzu paste is also fantastic. And they’re having a sale on some of their steaks.
Jay,
Since you’re dressed in your Japanese outfit in your avatar, I read your post yesterday, and ordered a bottle of this on Amazon yesterday. It sounds great, but, frankly, the more I think about it, how do you use it? As a condiment? After cooking is done, but before serving? Please elaborate. I know when my wife sees the bottle and the cost, she’s going to ask…and I need some strategy to use it.
thanks…
These artisan soy sauces are so much tastier. Kikoman has one that you can get. Made in smaller batches to more rigorous standards. Not bad for a mass production company.
Best I have had however, like you Jay, are from the small guys in Japan. Just gorgeous.
How do YOU use them ,Don…I bought it…now I need to know why.
I use it as a condiment. I had originally used just a few drops on steak (after cooking) and the post was prompted by trying the same thing on some salmon.
Thanks…i love a good soy sauce flavor, but…this sounds like a new use. Maybe just the right thing to pep up an otherwise bland dish. I’ll see. It was impulsive, but…you sounded worth taking a shot. Something totally new.
Jay - thanks for the recommendation.
in a similar vein, this is off the charts:
Ooh, I’ll have to try that.
Do you use that in place of ipecac to induce vomiting?
The highest quality (sometimes referred to as “murasaki” or purple, though that’s an old-fashioned term and we sometimes get funny looks when we ask for it as gaijin) or otherwise “special” soy sauces in Japan, in my experience, are used for sashimi. Lesser shoyu for marinades, sauces, and other cooking applications. Light colored shoyu has particular uses as well, used particularly when you don’t want to color the food.
I’m not an expert - these are just some thing picked up along the way.
Forgive the slight thread drift. Vedge restaurant in Philadelphia serves a smoked soy sauce with various radishes that work as a remarkable vegan version of nigiri. The soy is delicious.
I’ve found some sources on-line but they aren’t cheap (and I am). Any experiences and/or recommendations? I assume that use would be similar to high quality shoyu.
So, Sarah, how would you use the stuff I ordered…that started this thread?
that makes sense - as all of these things, the simpler the presentation, the more you want a higher end version; olive oil, balsamico, etc.
stuart - get some really good tuna or beef and drizzle a few drops. also, this will sound a little nuts, but trust me; super high heat grilled watermelon slices.
i had to google it. are you not a fish sauce person?? umami bomb!!
Watermelon? I’ll give it a try.
Sorry, I thought I already had. I am not familiar with the exact product you and Jay have, but I use best quality shoyu for sashimi. Other very simple preps, as Yaacov suggests, make sense as well.
Fish sauce is fine. What annoys me is the newfound need to age or finish every conceivable liquid in a bourbon barrel.
oh! ha, marketing i guess. barrel aging works. in america, i assume bourbon barrels are plentiful.
actually, a quick googling shows they are damn cheap too.
Many years ago I read a story in Food Arts magazine about a special soy sauce made by Kikkoman’s for the royal family. I’d love to find it.