Calorie content and chemical composition of soy sauce. Useful properties, harm and contraindications for use. How is it eaten? Recipes and interesting facts. Note! The benefits of soy sauce will be obvious to people who should not eat a lot of salt, as it may well replace it due to its unusual taste.
Contraindications and harm of soy sauce
Soy sauce can be harmful if it is made from inorganic fruits grown using hazardous chemicals. This is of great importance as beans have been increasingly cultivated with GMOs lately. At the same time, it has long been proven that genetically modified organisms increase the likelihood of developing oncology and cardiovascular diseases.
Sauces obtained by hydrolysis of soybean protein are dangerous to health, they usually contain many carcinogenic substances. No less threatening will be various preservatives, artificial colors, aromas and flavor enhancers.
When deciding on the use of the product, it should be borne in mind that during its preparation auxiliary ingredients are often used - acetic acid, sodium glutamate and benzoate, acidity regulator, sugar. Accordingly, it may be contraindicated for people with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, gastritis, colitis, stomach or intestinal ulcers in the acute stage.
Extremely careful to include the product in the diet for diseases of the kidneys, liver and heart due to the high sodium content. Its use is excluded after a heart attack and stroke, in the case of arthrosis and arthritis, cholecystitis and intestinal motility disorders.
Pregnant women and children should remove soy sauce from the menu, as it can lead to the development of allergies and cause diathesis. But if the child still wants it, then the spice can be diluted with clean water in proportions 1: 1. Moreover, in no case should it be consumed on an empty stomach, and even more so in the morning, as it increases acidity and irritates the walls of this organ.
Note! Even healthy people are advised not to abuse this tasty addition to various dishes, as in large quantities it can cause heartburn, nausea, and abdominal pain.
How is soy sauce prepared?
If you take a classic Japanese soy sauce recipe, then the beans are steamed, mixed with roasted wheat, poured with water, salt and sourdough are added there. After that, the mass is left under oppression for fermentation for several months or even years, the longer it stands, the more refined the taste and aroma of the seasoning will be. After the required period has expired, the mixture is filtered and boiled, and the resulting liquid is just that sauce.
The CIS has its own version of how to make soy sauce at home without koji fungus, since it is almost impossible to find it in Europe. To do this, soy (100 g) is boiled until cooked in salted water, mashed, mixed with the remaining broth (2 tablespoons), fatty butter (2 tablespoons) and wheat flour (1 tablespoon) … After combining all the ingredients, the container with them is placed on low heat and brought to a boil, stirring constantly. Then the resulting mass is cooled and served with your favorite dishes.
Acid hydrolysis technology is popular on an industrial scale. According to this method, soybeans are boiled in hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, after which alkali is added to quench the acid reaction.
An equally common method is to simply dilute the ready-made sauce concentrate obtained by natural fermentation or acid hydrolysis. And the worst thing here is that manufacturers, chasing profit, add a lot of third-party ingredients from themselves to it - what is only glutamate or sodium benzoate!
Important! On store shelves in Europe, you can most often find an unnatural product prepared without fermenting beans.
Soy Sauce Recipes
There are usually no difficulties with how soy sauce is eaten: it can be added to various marinades, salads, side dishes. This product is recommended for cooking noodles, noodles, pasta. It goes well with various cereals, especially rice. Also, it is almost always used when eating sushi and rolls. Squids, shrimps and other seafood are very tasty with them. Soy sauce can be a wonderful ingredient for all kinds of vegetable salads and roasting meats.
Here are some very popular soy sauce recipes:
- Noodles … For this dish, it is advisable to buy "Noodles", which will need only 200 g. Boil it as a whole in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, then discard in a colander and rinse with cold water. Then put on the stove and heat the wok well, add butter (2 tablespoons) and, melting it, fry finely chopped garlic (5 cloves). Then put the noodles there, pour in soy sauce (4 tablespoons), add bean sprouts (100 g) and green onions (50 g). Stir all this, salt, if necessary, simmer for 2-3 minutes under the lid and after turning off the heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds (2 tablespoons).
- Rice … Soak it (long, 1 glass) in water and let sit for one hour. At this time, peel the onions (2 pcs.) And carrots (1 pc.), Chop them and fry in vegetable oil. Then boil the cereals in salted water, combine with vegetables, pour soy sauce (2 tablespoons), sprinkle with black pepper and salt, add chicken broth (200 ml) and vegetable oil (100 ml). Simmer this mixture, covered, for 20 minutes, then sprinkle with chopped tofu.
- Chicken breast … Rinse it (500 g), rub with salt and marinate with lemon juice (50 ml), soy sauce (30 ml) and red wine (50 ml). After 30 minutes, put the meat in a hot frying pan, having previously poured vegetable oil there, and fry for 20 minutes, turning occasionally. When it is golden brown, fold it in a colander and drain. The breast can be prepared in another way - baked in the oven, wrapped in foil. The finished dish is best served with the same rice or noodles.
- Udon … Boil these noodles (400 g) in salted water and drain through a colander. After that, peel and fry sweet peppers (1 pc.), White onions (2 pcs.), Carrots (1 pc.) In vegetable oil. Do the same with pork, which will need no more than 200 g. Then combine the meat with vegetables, pour soy sauce (4 tablespoons) and apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon), sprinkle with black pepper and salt over taste. Next, heat the pre-cooked noodles in butter, pour over the gravy, sprinkle with chuka seaweed (200 g), tofu cheese (150 g) and sesame seeds (2 tablespoons).
- Eggplant … Wash vegetables (4 pcs.), Peel and cut into slices. Then rub them with salt and garlic, fry in vegetable oil and use a slotted spoon to place on a plate. Then combine soy sauce (3 tablespoons), red wine (2 tablespoons), honey (2 tablespoons). Pour this composition over the eggplant in a frying pan, pass one onion separately and add it to the vegetables. Simmer them, covered, for 10 minutes over low heat. As a result, you will have a great side dish for udon and chicken breast.
- Shrimps … Boil them (350 g) in salted water, put in a colander and drain. Then peel, chop and fry the garlic (6 cloves). Add soy sauce (2 tablespoons), tabasco (1 tablespoon), honey (2 tablespoons), vegetable oil (2 tablespoons). Pour the shrimp into the prepared gravy and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. To make them steamed well, cook the seafood covered.
Interesting facts about soy sauce
King Louis XIV called this product "black gold". In Europe, it became popular around the 18th century, first Japanese-made seasoning was imported here, and after 100 years it was supplanted by the Chinese.
Soy sauce is one of the ingredients in Japanese teriyaki sauce, which is added to meat and fish. In the land of the rising sun, he is known as shoyu. Some of its species can contain up to 50% wheat. It has several popular varieties - koikuchi, tamari, shiro, saishikomi, usukuchi.
Soy sauce is sold both in bulk and in bottles. It can be packaged in both glass and plastic containers. If the seasoning is of good quality, then there should be no sediment at the bottom. Its shelf life is on average 1-2 years.
Soy sauce can be used to replace salt. But at the same time, you will not eat much of it, as it tastes too harsh and increases thirst.
Here is a table with countries where the product is produced in large volumes:
| A place | Country |
| 1 | China |
| 2 | Japan |
| 3 | Vietnam |
| 4 | USA |
| 5 | Brazil |
In Eastern Europe, their own production of "spices" is also practiced, but mainly beans imported from abroad are used for this, since their cultivation is not yet as common here as in Asia.
Watch the video about soy sauce:
Soy sauce is most often associated with sushi, noodles and other Asian dishes, but in fact, its scope is much wider. You can experiment with it almost endlessly, the main thing is not to overdo it, since its taste is still very specific and if you abuse the product, you can simply spoil the dishes.
