Very salty and strong, Korean soup soy sauce is not just for soup, as the name might suggest; it’s also good for seasoning stews, meat, seafood, and vegetables. It’s very different from the commercial soy sauce you’re used to. That darker and sweeter soy sauce was invented in China and introduced to Korea through Japan (Koreans call it jin-ganjang). It is good as a dipping sauce or a light flavoring agent, but it’s not robust enough to flavor a whole pot of soup—and it’s too dark for that anyway. Korean soup soy sauce has a richer, more savory flavor. It is light in color, and it doesn’t change the color of a broth much. I’ve never found a commercially made version that satisfied me, so I don’t use it: I substitute fish sauce if I don’t have homemade. This recipe is a by-product of Fermented Soybean Paste. All you have to do is boil the liquid left in the jar after the bean blocks have fermented. It’s a simple step, but it does require attentiveness: Do it wrong, and the soy sauce will have an off flavor and eventually attract mold.
Makes about 7½ quarts
INGREDIENTS:
Strained liquid from Fermented Soybean Paste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Fill two 4-quart glass jars or one 8-quart jar (or use any number of jars as long as the total will hold 8 quarts) with boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. Pour the water out and let containers air-dry.
- Place a folded piece of cheesecloth in a strainer set over a large bowl. Strain the liquid, leaving any solids behind. Transfer the clear soy sauce to a large heavy pot, cover, and heat over medium-high heat until it begins to boil, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and boil for 15 to 20 minutes to sterilize the sauce without boiling too much of it away. Remove the lid and cool the sauce thoroughly.
- Transfer the sauce to the sterilized glass jars. The soup soy sauce will keep indefinitely at room temperature.
