Soy Sauce Question
Fred Fowler III
I was in a Chinese market the other day, and was looking at the Soy
sauces... All of the normal grocery store things were there, like
Kikomann, etc...
But there were 200+ soy sauces with names like "Early Fish Soy" or
"Dark Night Soy" or "Light Happy Soy"
They are pretty cheap, about .99 cents for a bottle. Should I try
these? They are certainly direct from China, and seem well packaged.
Who knows the best Soy?
Cheers!
Freddie
K3
--
"Fred Fowler III" <fr...@fvfowler.com> wrote in message
news:203vat8766jgddusq...@4ax.com...
At 99-cents a bottle, I'm the type of guy who would buy about 7 bottles per
week and try all of them... shouldn't take you more than 200+ days/dollars
to find your favorite. I do the same with hot sauces (although diluting
many of them and using as a pest-control in the garden) -- try 'em all --
you're bound to find ~YOUR~ favorite! Please share your experience with
all of us.
As far as soy sauce that's available in everyone favorite supermarket... I
will never buy anything else other than the original Kikomann -- the other
stuff (LaChoy is a good example) is ~WAY, WAY, WAY~ too salty for me.
Have Fun!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Kendall F. Stratton III
Fort Fairfield, Maine USA
k...@maine.rr.com
http://home.maine.rr.com/k3
"Forbidden fruits create many jams"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
K3
"Fred Fowler III" <fr...@fvfowler.com> wrote in message
news:203vat8766jgddusq...@4ax.com...
Oh yeah... I'd probably collect 2 bottles of each (the one's you like)...
one to open/use and one to place on the shelf in the kitchen... I love
having stuff like this on display and handy to open when friends & family
visit.
Ross Reid
Kikkoman is Japanese style soy sauce and is quite different than
Chinese soy sauce.
Try some of the genuine Chinese soy sauces. I'm sure you'll find them
to your liking. One of my favourites is Pearl River Bridge brand,
available in both dark and light versions.
Ross.
John Galt
American cooking catsup is catsup. Heinz is way too sweet but it is still
catsup. This kind of thing doesn't hold true in Chinese cooking.
Jonquil F Swann
I also use the Pearl River Bridge brand of Mushroom Soy Sauce for all of
my cooking.
Just to add my 2cents.
JQ
Jack B
Think I have maybe six different styles of soy sauce.
But...
My "Culinary Dictionary" says "our commercially manufactured"
ketchup/catsup "is a sorry comedown" from "savory sauce or condiment,
Chinese in origin, made from a variety of foodstuffs, such as mushrooms,
anchovies, or oysters, pickled in brine..."
Wondering if anyone has more information about that?
--
Jack
wcollings
> Fred Fowler III wrote:
> > I was in a Chinese market the other day, and was looking at the Soy
> > sauces... All of the normal grocery store things were there, like
> > Kikomann, etc...
> >
> > But there were 200+ soy sauces with names like "Early Fish Soy" or
> > "Dark Night Soy" or "Light Happy Soy"
> >
> > They are pretty cheap, about .99 cents for a bottle. Should I try
> > these? They are certainly direct from China, and seem well packaged.
> >
> > Who knows the best Soy?
Here's a basic primer on soy sauces:
a) Japanese soy sauces and Chinese-style soy sauces are different products
and really shouldn't be used interchangeably. Use Japanese soy sauces
(Kikkoman, etc.) for Japanese cooking and Chinese-style soy sauces for
Chinese and SE Asian cooking. Thai, Korean, Taiwanese, Vietnamese,
Malaysian, and Chinese soy sauces are all of the same type and are
more-or-less interchangeable.
b) There are two main types of Chinese soy sauce -- light and dark. They are
used for different purposes. The "light" Chinese soy sauce is lighter in
color, tends not to color the food, and is used as the general all-purpose
marinade and seasoning in most dishes. The "dark" is darker and redder in
color, "sweeter" in taste, and used when you do want to color the food red.
It is used somewhat less often, usually in glazed stir-fry sauces. Good
cookbooks will specify which to use in each recipe. There are additional
versions of dark soy sauces -- such as the Pearl River Bridge Mushroom
Soy -- which have extra flavors and provide an alternative to plain "dark"
soy sauce. As a general rule of thumb, the "light" soys tend to be somewhat
saltier than the dark.
You can tell the difference by shaking a bottle and looking at the foam.
"Light" soys produce a lighter tan foam. "Dark" soys produce a noticeably
red foam.
c) There is a type of soy sauce in Thai and other SE Asian cuisines called
"Dark", or "Thick", or "Heavy", or "Sweet". These are flavored with molasses
and are thick like a syrup and intensely sweet. These are not
interchangeable with any of the above, however they are excellent in dishes
that call specifically for them. I haven't seen any Chinese recipes that
call for these. I think they are limited to SE Asian cooking.
If your Asian market has 200 types of soy sauce, I would ask for their
guidance, keeping in mind the basic primer information above. I don't have
access to anywhere near that variety.
For a basic pantry Chinese style sauce, I tend to like the Kimlan products
from Taiwan. They make a Light, a Dark, and a generic export version which
seems to be about half-way in between. Pearl River Bridge Superior Light Soy
from mainland China is OK as a basic Chinese light soy sauce.
Soren Dayton
I could probably dig up a reference that indicates that catsup is
originally a fermented (pickled) fish product that hit England about
the same time as tomatoes and got confused there. I don't think that
it would be a terribly helpful reference beyond what I just said.
As in all things culinary, it's the Brit's fault.
Soren
Peter G. Aitken
"Soren Dayton" <day...@overx.com> wrote in message
news:86u24wd...@everest.overx.com...
I will add my small bit of knowledge to this thread. I know that the term
"ketchup" was originally applied to a variety of concentrated sweet/sour
sauces, with tomato being one type of ketchup. There were also onion,
mushroom, etc. ketchups. It is a recent phenomenon (a few decades?) for the
term "ketchup" to automatically mean tomato ketchup, at least in the US.
Peter G. Aitken
Jean B.
>
> John Galt wrote:
> >
> > I use Pearl River Bridge brand. Brands are vital in Chinese cooking. In
> > American cooking catsup is catsup. Heinz is way too sweet but it is still
> > catsup. This kind of thing doesn't hold true in Chinese cooking.
>
> Think I have maybe six different styles of soy sauce.
>
I was gonna say what on earth for and then realized that I have at
least five brands myself, soooooooooooo
Jean B.
Jean B.
>
> For a basic pantry Chinese style sauce, I tend to like the Kimlan products
> from Taiwan. They make a Light, a Dark, and a generic export version which
> seems to be about half-way in between. Pearl River Bridge Superior Light Soy
> from mainland China is OK as a basic Chinese light soy sauce.
Interesting. Usually Pearl River is the one that gets recommended.
Jean B.
Peter Dy
"Jean B." <jb...@rcn.com> wrote in message news:3AAFF882...@rcn.com...
Yeah, I think it's the best. Taiwanese soy sauces are too much like
Japanese -- they are sorta weak, lacking body. A little Pearl River Bridge
soy sauce on steamed whole fish is all you need. With Taiwanese brands, I
had to keep adding more and more. Not sure if Kimlan was the kind I was
using though.
Actually, all Pearl River Bridge products are excellent -- at least the ones
I've tried.
Peter
twinky1156
My understanding is that the word catsup or ketchup itself is Chinese in
origin. The transliteration is literally "ke-tchup," meaning the "juice of
the tomato" in cantonese (chinese). I grew up in a chinese household and had
wondered how the americans came up with the word that sounded so chinese! My
family referred to it as "ke(tomato) tchup(juice)". We used the americanized
ketchup sparingly in some wokked shrimp dishes but for most of my childhood
it was perfect with french fries :)
twinky1156
"Jack B" <ja...@bohnhoff.com> wrote in message
news:3AAFD7C3...@bohnhoff.com...
Jack B
Ke-tsiap — a spicy
pickled-fish condiment popular in
17th-century China — is
said to be the origin of the name
"ketchup." British seamen
brought the ke-tsiap home
and throughout the years
the formula was changed to
contain anything from
nuts to mushrooms.
twinky1156 wrote:
>
> Jack,
> My understanding is that the word catsup or ketchup itself is Chinese in
> origin. The transliteration is literally "ke-tchup," meaning the "juice of
> the tomato" in cantonese (chinese). I grew up in a chinese household and had
> wondered how the americans came up with the word that sounded so chinese! My
> family referred to it as "ke(tomato) tchup(juice)". We used the americanized
> ketchup sparingly in some wokked shrimp dishes but for most of my childhood
> it was perfect with french fries :)
> twinky1156
>
> "Jack B" <ja...@bohnhoff.com> wrote in message
> news:3AAFD7C3...@bohnhoff.com...
> > John Galt wrote:
> > > <snip>
> >
> > My "Culinary Dictionary" says "our commercially manufactured"
> > ketchup/catsup "is a sorry comedown" from "savory sauce or condiment,
> > Chinese in origin, made from a variety of foodstuffs, such as mushrooms,
> > anchovies, or oysters, pickled in brine..."
> >
> > Wondering if anyone has more information about that?
> >
> > --
> > Jack
Twinky, yeah... I see traces of ketchup in quite a few Chinese-ish recipes.
Epicurious.com dictionary says (among other things):
"[KEHCH-uhp, KACH-uhp] Ke-tsiap — a spicy pickled-fish condiment
popular in 17th-century China — is said to be the origin of the name
"ketchup." British seamen brought the ke-tsiap home and throughout the
years the formula was changed to contain anything from nuts to mushrooms."
--
Jack
wcollings
"Jean B." <jb...@rcn.com> wrote in message news:3AAFF882...@rcn.com...
> > For a basic pantry Chinese style sauce, I tend to like the Kimlan
Pearl River Bridge appears to have the widest distribution of the Chinese
brands For example, it is now available in supermarkets. I think this
probably accounts for the frequent recommendations.
I first tried the Kimlan brand based on a recommendation by the owner of my
local Asian market. They, of course, sell Pearl River Bridge as well. They
said that Kimlan was the preferred brand of their more knowledgeable
customers. It has a strong, bold, rich flavor. I currenly have Pearl River
Bridge in the cupboard as I haven't been to my Asian market in a while. I'd
say that either brand is perfectly good choice. If you can find either,
you'll be set.
Neither is anything like Japanese soy sauce. Like all good Chinese soys,
these are much sharper, saltier, and tangier than Japanese soy sauces. As I
understand it, soy sauce orginally came to Japan from China, but several
hundred years ago the methods for brewing it changed. The Japanese use more
wheat in their soy sauces, so the result is softer and mellower with
considerably less bite. Japanese cooking tends to use larger quantities of
soy sauce, so if you use a bolder Chinese brand in something like Tempura
dipping sauce, it will knock your head off.
BTW, for trying to decipher what is a light and a dark soy, the English
translation of LIGHT appears to be Sang Chau. DARK appears to be Lou Chau. I
can't figure out an ASCI representation of the Chinese characters!
Gary O.
Having been raised on Kikkoman, the brand that has caught my attention
lately as a good alternative is Kimlan. I've only had the opportunity
to try a special batch Kikkoman but once or twice in my life, and then
only as a child. This thread almost makes me want to go out and buy
several soy sauces.
Gary O.
trac...@pacbell.net
Jean B.
Gee, the vote is really in. I agree, Gary. I'll be looking at some
others when I make my journey.
Jean B.
Peter Dy
"Gary O." <trac...@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:qkOyOm4Rg4e+DP...@4ax.com...
[...]
> Having been raised on Kikkoman, the brand that has caught my attention
> lately as a good alternative is Kimlan.
Gee, didn't someone say it is nothing like Japanese soy sauce? I'm sure
it's very good, but I don't think any respectable chef from the PRC would
use a Taiwanese soy sauce.
Peter
Yeff
> Having been raised on Kikkoman,
<snip>
After being stationed in Japan, Korea
and the Philippines, Kikkoman just
tastes weird to me. Not like I remember
at all.
La Choy seems the least queer to my
palate compared to my far east tour.
-Jeff B.
yeff at erols dot com
Heather
some little bowls with a good slug of soy in each. Taste 'em on some rice
and/or just spoon some up and see what you like. Pitch or donate the
rejects to friends and neighbors.
"Fred Fowler III" <fr...@fvfowler.com> wrote in message
news:203vat8766jgddusq...@4ax.com...
sd
<r124...@mediaone.net> wrote:
Beg to differ on this one. I can tell the difference between Heinz and
Hunts and "Y&B" (generic) ketchup. I happen to prefer Heinz. But I would
never characterize ketchup as all the same.
taxi...@dublin.com
I too like the Kimlan sauces (and some of their other
products). I prefer their light soy to Pearl River. The dark
Kimlan is something I use a lot of too. While I use mostly
Kimlan, I do prefer a certain Pearl River dark ( I don't
remember what they call it - it is VERY dark) for some uses
but because it is very intense I don't use it for everything.
Of course Kikkoman is always in the pantry as is Kikkoman
Teriyaki sauce which I find very useful. Then there is
Tamari......
Charlie
Curly Sue
Right on! Brands *do* matter for many things, although I don't use
enough ketchup in cooking (as opposed to a condiment) to have studied
the matter. OTOH, in the Sweet and Sour Pork recipe I posted, with 1
T ketchup in a larger volume of sauce with other flavorings, I wonder
whether the brand of soy sauce or ketchup would individually make a
difference.
Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!
sue at interport dotnet
mr_potter
>
>On Thu, 15 Mar 2001 03:45:21 -0600, sd <sd5...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>In article <W%Mr6.609$5Y4....@typhoon.mn.mediaone.net>, "John Galt"
>><r124...@mediaone.net> wrote:
>>
>>> I use Pearl River Bridge brand. Brands are vital in Chinese cooking. In
>>> American cooking catsup is catsup. Heinz is way too sweet but it is still
>>> catsup. This kind of thing doesn't hold true in Chinese cooking.
>>
>>Beg to differ on this one. I can tell the difference between Heinz and
>>Hunts and "Y&B" (generic) ketchup. I happen to prefer Heinz. But I would
>>never characterize ketchup as all the same.
>
>Right on! Brands *do* matter for many things, although I don't use
>enough ketchup in cooking (as opposed to a condiment) to have studied
>the matter. OTOH, in the Sweet and Sour Pork recipe >I posted,
Is this one of those "instant" type things that one "cooks" in a microwave??
Best
Greg
The Avocado Avenger
>I too like the Kimlan sauces (and some of their other
>products). I prefer their light soy to Pearl River. The dark
>Kimlan is something I use a lot of too.
I'd like to add a hearty "me too!" to the Kimlan list. The Kimlan I
found was a 'lower sodium' (har har) variety but the taste is excellent.
I never knew what I was missing when I used Kikkoman. And the La Choy soy
sauce? Just say NO.
Stacia * The Avocado Avenger * Life is a tale told by an idiot;
http://www.io.com/~stacia/ * Full of sound and fury,
There is no guacamole anywhere. * Signifying nothing.
Jean B.
Okay guys, I see I will have to add this to my list for my next trip
to Chinatown. What I'd REALLY like to find is some Thai tea and some
stuff to make bubble tea. Has anyone even imbibed the latter in
Boston's Chinatown?
Too bad my daughter, who is on vacation for the next two weeks,
probably doesn't want to be dragged there. The weather is fine for
such an excursion.
Jean B.
John Galt
> >In article <W%Mr6.609$5Y4....@typhoon.mn.mediaone.net>, "John Galt"
> ><r124...@mediaone.net> wrote:
> >
> >> I use Pearl River Bridge brand. Brands are vital in Chinese cooking.
In
> >> American cooking catsup is catsup. Heinz is way too sweet but it is
still
> >> catsup. This kind of thing doesn't hold true in Chinese cooking.
> >
> >Beg to differ on this one. I can tell the difference between Heinz and
> >Hunts and "Y&B" (generic) ketchup. I happen to prefer Heinz. But I would
> >never characterize ketchup as all the same.
<Linking is messed up. I can't find the the orignal message on my server.>
The point I was trying to make is that catsup is still identifiable as
catsup, and even Heinz is usable in a pinch. Not good, but usable.
I used to make Kung Pao chicken a lot. If I gave someone the recipe without
brand names they wouldn't even come close to what I made. Bean sauce, chili
sauce, sweet bean sauce and so on without a brand tell you virtually nothing
about what you are going to get.
If you use tomato puree instead of catsup you get an unrecognizable dish.
If you use Heinz, you simply get a bad meat loaf (or whatever.) There is
more to it than a main ingredient, tomato in one case and soy bean in the
other.
wcollings
"Jean B." <jb...@rcn.com> wrote in message news:3AB0F5A9...@rcn.com...
> Okay guys, I see I will have to add this to my list for my next trip
> to Chinatown. What I'd REALLY like to find is some Thai tea and some
> stuff to make bubble tea. Has anyone even imbibed the latter in
> Boston's Chinatown?
I wouldn't make a special trip to buy Kimlan over Pearl River Bridge. As I
say, I have Pearl River Bridge on the shelf right now. My daughter has been
cooking a Ming Tsai red roast pork recipe that uses a large bottle of soy
sauce, so we've been plowing through the stuff and Pearl is available in the
supermarket.
I have Thai tea on the shelf and occasionally make that wonderfully decadent
Thai ice tea loaded with sugar and cream like an orange milkshake! Thai tea
should be available in just about any Asian market, I would think.
Michael Edelman
possibilities. In Malaysia, ket-jap refers to a thick, sweetened soy
sauce.
In this country, the earliest ketchups were not tomato based, but oyster
based, which ties into the Chinese fish sauce theory. Walnut ketchups
also preceded the tomato concoction.
-- mike
---------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Edelman m...@spamcop.net
http://www.foldingkayaks.org (nomadics)
http://www.findascope.com (choosing a telescope)
Jean B.
Oh, I like prowling in Chinatown anyway. Too bad I ditch the car
though, as I usually end up pretty laden. I DO need to find some
relatively local source of Thai tea though. The Oriental stores
nearest to me (in Cambridge) are Japanese and Korean. Maybe someone
knows of one in that general area (and Arlington, Lexington,
Somerville, etc.) that covers more cuisines....
Many years ago, Joyce Chen has a store in Arlington, which was quite
useful. I gather more recently there was one in Concord. Perhaps I
am wrong in assuming the latter no longer exists.
Jean B.
aintli...@yup.com
<r124...@mediaone.net> wrote:
>If you use Heinz, you simply get a bad meat loaf (or whatever.)
Well, actually I don't. You might not like Heinz
ketchup, but I do (as do a lot of other people).
In fact, it's the only kind I'll buy.
ttfn,
jan
Curly Sue
<mr_potte...@newsranger.com> wrote:
>In article <3ab0bd0e...@news.rcn.com>, Curly Sue says...
>>Right on! Brands *do* matter for many things, although I don't use
>>enough ketchup in cooking (as opposed to a condiment) to have studied
>>the matter. OTOH, in the Sweet and Sour Pork recipe >I posted,
>
>Is this one of those "instant" type things that one "cooks" in a microwave??
Yes but you have to boil the pork first.
Check it out.
taxi...@dublin.com
"blake murphy" <bla...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:3ab1f0d3....@nntp.ix.netcom.com...
> On 15 Mar 2001 10:08:45 GMT, <taxi...@dublin.com> wrote:
> <snip>
> >Of course Kikkoman is always in the pantry as is Kikkoman
> >Teriyaki sauce which I find very useful. Then there is
> >Tamari......
> >
> >Charlie
> >
own
> teriaki (adapted from something someone - nancy? - posted
here on
> rfc):
>
I do that too. Not too different from yours. I'll put my
changes under your ingredients. I don't use it as a marinade
as much as I use it for a cooking sauce. Makes a great stirfry
sauce and is good with fried rice too.
> teriaki sauce:
>
> 1/3 cup soy (i use kikkoman)
>
> 2 tbs mirin
I use Scotch Whisky. Learned this from the elderly Chinese
grandmother of a friend .
>
> 2 1/2 tbs cider vinegar
>
I use rice vinegar
> 2 tbs brownulated sugar
>
I use 3 tbs of dark molasses
> 1 1/2 tbs chopped ginger root
>
I grate it.
> 1 tsp chopped garlic (i use the nasty stuff from the jar)
>
I use 2 cloves minced
> 1/2 tsp sesame seeds (would probably be better toasted, but
i'm too
> lazy)
>
I don't use the sesame seeds but I do top the finished dish
with toasted sesame oil when appropriate.
> * * * *
>
> in a small saucepan, mix ingredients together and bring to a
boil.
> lower heat and simmer gently for around 10 minutes. strain,
put into
> a bottle and keep refrigerated. should last approximately
forever,
> unless you like it, as i do.
>
I just mix it together. No precooking - it will get cooked
with the other ingredients when making the dish. Left over
sauce?
Charlie
blake murphy
>Teriyaki sauce which I find very useful. Then there is
>Tamari......
>
>Charlie
>
teriaki (adapted from something someone - nancy? - posted here on
rfc):
teriaki sauce:
1/3 cup soy (i use kikkoman)
2 tbs mirin
2 1/2 tbs cider vinegar
2 tbs brownulated sugar
1 1/2 tbs chopped ginger root
1 tsp chopped garlic (i use the nasty stuff from the jar)
1/2 tsp sesame seeds (would probably be better toasted, but i'm too
lazy)
* * * *
taxi...@dublin.com
"John Galt" <r124...@mediaone.net> wrote in message
news:Fx7s6.912$h14....@typhoon.mn.mediaone.net...
<huge snips>
> catsup, and even Heinz is usable in a pinch. Not good, but
usable.
Yea! I'm not alone!
Charlie
blake murphy
wrote:
>
>c) There is a type of soy sauce in Thai and other SE Asian cuisines called
>"Dark", or "Thick", or "Heavy", or "Sweet". These are flavored with molasses
>and are thick like a syrup and intensely sweet. These are not
>interchangeable with any of the above, however they are excellent in dishes
>that call specifically for them. I haven't seen any Chinese recipes that
>call for these. I think they are limited to SE Asian cooking.
>
i use this stuff when broiling hamburgers. ~one hour before cooking,
smear the burger lightly with sweet soy, then grind black pepper on
and sprinkle lawry's seasoned salt on. pat lightly. turn and repeat.
your pal,
blake
blake murphy
wrote:
>Ketchup may well be Chinese in origin, but there are other nearby
>possibilities. In Malaysia, ket-jap refers to a thick, sweetened soy
>sauce.
>
>In this country, the earliest ketchups were not tomato based, but oyster
>based, which ties into the Chinese fish sauce theory. Walnut ketchups
>also preceded the tomato concoction.
>
>-- mike
it seems to me i've seen cranberry ketchup as well.
your pal,
blake
art simon
Differences in sweetness are critical. Some time ago, some company
decided to market a ketchup made with (gack) pineapple vinegar.
It was, well, *different*. Many of the applications you would normally
expect ketchup to work, suddenly didn't!
I have found that, in many cases, a bit (teaspoon?) of Heinz ketchup
added to a gravy or sauce or soup adds just that little extra
something, sort of like that tablespoon of prepared mustard added
to a pot of baked beans.
No acounting for tastes, of course.
A-
blake murphy
i buy heinz.
your pal,
blake
blake murphy
>
>"blake murphy" <bla...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
>news:3ab1f0d3....@nntp.ix.netcom.com...
>> On 15 Mar 2001 10:08:45 GMT, <taxi...@dublin.com> wrote:
>> <snip>
>> >Of course Kikkoman is always in the pantry as is Kikkoman
>> >Teriyaki sauce which I find very useful. Then there is
>> >Tamari......
>> >
>> >Charlie
>> >
>> ...or, if you're a cheap bastard like me, you can make your
>own
>> teriaki (adapted from something someone - nancy? - posted
>here on
>> rfc):
>>
>I do that too. Not too different from yours. I'll put my
>changes under your ingredients. I don't use it as a marinade
>as much as I use it for a cooking sauce. Makes a great stirfry
>sauce and is good with fried rice too.
<snip>
i usually use mine in cooking other stuff, too. i think it's good for
marinating pork strips in before stir-frying.
your pal,
blake
blake murphy
now *that* is strange...
your pal,
blake
blake murphy
wrote:
<snip>
>Having been raised on Kikkoman, the brand that has caught my attention
>to try a special batch Kikkoman but once or twice in my life, and then
>only as a child. This thread almost makes me want to go out and buy
>several soy sauces.
>
>Gary O.
>trac...@pacbell.net
why not, it's cheaper than booze.
your pal,
blake
Cowdrey
"Soren Dayton" <day...@overx.com> wrote in message
news:86u24wd...@everest.overx.com...
> I could probably dig up a reference that indicates that catsup is
> originally a fermented (pickled) fish product that hit England about
> the same time as tomatoes and got confused there. I don't think that
> it would be a terribly helpful reference beyond what I just said.
>
> As in all things culinary, it's the Brit's fault.
>
> Soren
>
>
Horrible Brit recipe:
Mushroom Ketchup
To each peck of mushrooms:
1/2 lb salt;
To each quart of mushroom liquor:
1/4 oz cayenne
1/2 oz allspice
1/2 oz ginger
2 blades pounded mace
Choose mature open field mushrooms (I've used the brown ones, which are
really small Portabellos). They must be dry so wipe or brush them. Layer the
mushrooms in a deep dish, alternately with a sprinkling of salt. Allow to
sit for a few hours, breaking up the mushrooms as the salt begins to extract
the juice. Refrigerate for 3 days, stirring and mashing once in a while. At
the end of this period, measure the volume and add the spices without
straining the liquor. Transfer to a double boiler, cover, and simmer for 3
hours. Transfer to a clean saucepan and simmer gently for 1/2 hour.
Refrigerate overnight. Strain into a second container (I use a cheesecloth
lined sieve); do not squeeze the mushrooms. Transfer to bottles adding a
few drops of brandy to each.
This is a Mrs. Beeton recipe from the mid-19th century. I've made it and
find it a great addition to beef-based soups, gravies and stews. It's great
in a steak and kidney pie too. I did once find it commercially bottled
(from UK) and it was a perfectly acceptable product.
I can find no reference to the Brits making tomato ketchup! The Dutch,
apparently brought it to Europe and the Victorian Brits seem to have used
everything *but* tomatoes to make it.
Robin (Horrible Brit)
rwarren43
everyday, for not buying all of what they had. I've been to every store in
town and haven't found this brand yet.
I'm not sure about the spelling, but I think it's something like Kyushu, or
something close. I used it on steaks, pork, chicken, everything, even fish.
It wasn't as salty as Kikkoman, and I really loved the flavor...
The Trinker
Bob Norton wrote:
> The best soy sauces by far are from Fukien province but you very rarely can
> find them in the U.S. Not much is exported due to the high domestic demand
> for them in China.
Bob, you forgot the words "Chinese" in that description.
Japanese soy sauce is *different* than Chinese, not superior
or inferior. Just not as suited for Chinese cooking, and
vice versa.
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