I buy soya sauce and flavour it five ways: with sake, mirin, sugar, kombu and bonito flakes.
— Renowned Japanese chef, best known as Iron Chief on the original Japanese ‘Iron Chef’ show and ‘Iron Chef America’, Masaharu Morimoto.
LAST Friday afternoon, I was enjoying a bowl of vegetarian noodles in a coffee shop when a young man brought out an interesting bowl of food and sat at the table next to mine.
The young man was a helper at the vegetarian food stall I frequented. A while ago, he was busy frying vegetarian noodles for customers. Now, he decided to take a break from his busy schedule and eat his lunch.
I was attracted by the yellow colour food on top of the rice in his bowl and wondered what it was.
“Chicken nuggets?” I asked myself.
“And what is the black colour sauce on the rice?”
Although I had frequently the stall many times, I had never spoken to the young man before.
That afternoon, I broke my silence and asked him, “What are you eating?”
“Chicken curry,” he replied with a smile on his face. So the yellow colour food on top of the rice was potatoes, not chicken nuggets.
“And what about that dark colour sauce on the rice?”
“Oh, that’s soya sauce. I love soya sauce. I always put a lot of it on my food,” he told me.
I laughed at his reply. Immediately, I thought of my six-year-old grandson Raidon who loved to eat omelettes with soya sauce. One of his favourite meals, especially on a Sunday, is plain rice with omelettes and soya sauce.
I learn that some of my colleagues’ kids also love plain rice with omelettes and soya sauce.
I also love plain rice with omelettes and soya sauce. Indeed, one of the comfort food in Malaysia is a simple dish of plain rice, a fried egg and a drizzle of sweet soy sauce.
Omelettes are versatile, quick dishes made by whisking eggs and frying them in oil. Sometimes, I also fry my omelettes with basil leaves or tomatoes and eat them with, of course, soya sauce.
When I was young, my family — and my best friend’s family — used to eat porridge with fried anchovies and soya sauce, not only for breakfast but also for lunch or dinner.
In a Malaysian household, soya sauce is considered more than just a condiment; it is the ‘liquid spice’ that provides umami, colour and depth to almost every dish.
Soya sauce acts as a primary flavouring agent in stir-fries, a dip for poached chicken and a marinade for meals. It is also the base for dipping sauces often paired with chilli padi, creating the essential salty-spicy combination found at many Malaysian tables.
‘Jambu air’ (water apple, rose apple or watery rose apple) is currently in season in Kuching. This tropical fruit, typically red, pink or green, belongs to the ‘Syzygium” genus and is known for its juicy, crisp texture.
A classic simple dip for the fruit is the Spicy Soya Dip which is made by first pounding 1-2 hot chilli padi and 1 tsp shrimp paste (‘belacan’) and adding 3 tbsp soya sauce to the mixture.
The dip can also be used for the ‘kedondong’ (ambarella), another tropical fruit characterised by its green, crunchy texture and sour/tangy taste when young.
Soya sauce originated in China over 2,000 years ago, evolving from fermented meat pastes to soya bean-based pastes.
These pastes were initially used to make expensive salt last longer
The technique spread to Japan in the 7th century where it evolved into shoyu, the term broadly given to Japanese style soya sauces made from fermented soya beans, wheat, salt and water.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, soya sauce transformed from a household item to a commercial product.
It was introduced to Europe in the 1700s and production began in the United States in the early 1900s.
There are actually many types and brands of soya sauce in Sarawak. One of my friends, who’s a good cook, buys different types and brands for their tastes.
Light/Regular Soya Sauce is used for general seasoning, stir-frying and marinades while Dark Soya Sauce is crucial for adding dark colour and a rich, savoury or slightly sweet flavour to dishes. Meanwhile, Sweet Soya Sauce is highly used, especially in Malay cooking and for dipping.
For ages, I have been buying just the Tong Nam Dark Soya Sauce for cooking and for dipping. Maybe, it’s time for me to try other brands of soya sauce and experiment with them in my cooking. Perhaps, I will later share with you what I discover.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at adelinel888@gmail.com.
