Chinese Sweet Soy Sauce Recipe: More Then Soy Sauce
Soy sauce is one of the key ingredients in Chinese cuisine. Like most Chinese home cooks, I have a fascination with soy sauce and experiment a lot with the flavors. Sweet soy sauce is one of my favorite variations. Besides the characteristic flavor of soy sauce, it contains a bold sweetness.
You can follow this Chinese sweet soy sauce recipe to make a rich soy sauce that will elevate your dishes. It also balances the saltiness of soy sauce, so you can use a generous amount of soy sauce in different recipes. Let me show you the details.
Table of Contents
Chinese Sweet Soy Sauce Recipe Overview
Even though the recipe is simple, it takes some time to be ready for use. Find the necessary information in the following chart.
| Course: Seasoning | Cuisine: Chinese | Difficulty: Medium | ||
| Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes | ||||
| Serving | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories | |
| Not applicable | 6 hours | 40 minutes | 45 kcal | |
Ingredients Needed for the Recipe
To make this sweet soy sauce, you need the following ingredients.
- Soy Sauce: 500g of light soy sauce
- Cardamom: 2 pods of Chinese black cardamom
- Star Anise: 2 pcs
- Fennel Seeds: 1 tsp
- Cinnamon: 2-3 sticks
- Bay Leaf: 3-4 pcs
- Sand Ginger: 1 tbsp
- Brown Sugar: 100g
- Rock Sugar: 50g
Chinese Sweet Soy Sauce Recipe: Step-By-Step Instructions
Making this sweet soy sauce is really simple. Just follow the steps below to get a rich soy sauce.
Step 1: Boil Water and Add Spices
Add 200g of water to a pot and let it boil. Then, add 2 Chinese black cardamom pods, 2 pcs of star anise, 1 tbsp of fennel seeds, 2-3 cinnamon sticks, 3-4 bay leaves, and 1 tbsp of sand ginger. Cook everything for about one minute.
You Can Also Try Chinese Soy Sauce Egg Recipe
Step 2: Add Soy Sauce and Sugar
Pour about 500g of light soy sauce, 100g of brown sugar, and 50g of rock sugar into the pot. Turn the heat to low and simmer the sauce for about 40 minutes.
Step 3: Check the Consistency
The sauce will be pretty thin at first. After boiling it, the sauce will be much thicker. Dip a spoon into the sauce and check if the sauce is sticky. If so, the sauce is done.
Step 4: Strain the Spices and Let the Sauce Rest
Run the sauce through a strainer and remove all the spices from the sauce. Then, let the sauce cool for at least 6 hours before you use it.
Nutrition Facts of the Recipe
To keep the calorie count of different dishes within limits, you should know the calories this recipe contains. One tbsp of sweet soy sauce will contain 45 calories. Besides, here are the essential nutrients of the recipe.
- Total Carbohydrates: 11g
- Protein: 1g
- Total Fat: 0.1g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 0g
- Total Dietary Fiber: 0.1g
- Total Sugar: 10g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 659mg
- Potassium: 354mg
- Calcium: 64mg
- Vitamin A: 11IU
- Vitamin C: 0mg
Do’s and Don’ts of the Recipe
You can still mess up this simple recipe if you don’t know the following tips. Check them out.
Do’s
- You must use water in the recipe. Otherwise, the final sauce will be too thick.
- Keep the heat low while simmering the sauce. Otherwise, the sauce will dry up before it absorbs all the flavors from the spices.
Don’ts
- Don’t touch the hot sauce to check its consistency. Drop it onto a slanted surface to determine the consistency.
- Don’t use strainers with large openings. They might allow the fennel seeds to pass through. Use a strainer with small openings.
Chinese Sweet Soy Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Add 200g of water to a pot and let it boil. Then, add 2 Chinese black cardamom pods, 2 pcs of star anise, 1 tbsp of fennel seeds, 2-3 cinnamon sticks, 3-4 bay leaves, and 1 tbsp of sand ginger. Cook everything for about one minute.
- Pour about 500g of light soy sauce, 100g of brown sugar, and 50g of rock sugar into the pot. Turn the heat to low and simmer the sauce for about 40 minutes.
- The sauce will be pretty thin at first. After boiling it, the sauce will be much thicker. Dip a spoon into the sauce and check if the sauce is sticky. If so, the sauce is done.
- Run the sauce through a strainer and remove all the spices from the sauce. Then, let the sauce cool for at least 6 hours before you use it.
FAQs
You should also check the answers to some common questions given below.
What are the differences between Chinese sweet soy sauce and regular soy sauce?
Regular soy sauce has an intense salty flavor. But this sweet soy sauce has a more balanced flavor profile. Besides being sweet, this soy sauce also contains fragrances from the spices used.
What’s the best ratio of sweeteners to soy sauce for a balanced flavor in this recipe?
It can vary depending on how sweet you want your soy sauce to be. In general, a 1:3 ratio of sweeteners to soy sauce can give you a balanced flavor. A 1:4 ratio will also be good. So, the amount of sweeteners for 500g of soy sauce will be about 125-170g.
Can I use sweet soy sauce in all dishes where I use regular soy sauce?
Not exactly. Some dishes have a spicy flavor profile and require regular soy sauce. If you make something with a combination of sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors, you can use sweet soy sauce there.
Is eating too much sweet soy sauce bad for health?
Yes. Sweet soy sauce contains a lot of sugar compared to other nutrients. So, regular intake of sweet soy sauce is bad for your health.
Conclusion
Sweet soy sauce is a sweeter and richer variation of regular soy sauce that you can use in a lot of stir-fried dishes. Even if you braise something, you can use this soy sauce to give the dish a rich color and bold flavors. As the sweetness balances the intensity of regular soy sauce, you will fall in love with this exquisite sauce.
Try this Chinese sweet soy sauce recipe at home and surprise everyone with this fragrant and flavorful sauce. Once you make it, you can store it in the refrigerator for a few weeks.
