Korean Soy Sauce 한국 간장

Soy sauce (also called Soya Sauce) is one of the oldest condiments in the world. It is made from a fermented paste of boiled soybeans, wheat mixed with brine, and Aspergillus molds. Soy sauce is a traditional ingredient in East and Southeast Asian cuisines.

Most varieties of soy sauce are salty, earthy, brownish liquids intended to season food while cooking or as a condiment. There are many kinds of soy sauce, and they vary through different methods and durations of fermentation, different ratios of water, salt, and fermented soy, or through the addition of other ingredients.

Here in Korea, you can find different kinds of soy sauce. But there are mainly two major types in the market; and they are categorized by use -- Regular Soy Sauce 진간장 (Jin-Gan-Jang) and Soup Soy Sauce 국간장 (Guk-Gan-Jang).

The Regular Soy Sauce is widely use in Korea; while Soup Soy Sauce is distinctive to Korean cuisine. It is naturally brewed from soy for a very long period of time and is mainly use for soups and side dishes, where salt alone can not give the deep flavor. They are saltier than the regular soy sauce, translucent and lighter in color, thus they don’t affect the overall color of the broth.

Regular Soy Sauce, however, is a blended soy sauce, mixed with naturally brewed and is chemically processed, with a short fermentation period of 3-7 days; It is dark and cloudier in color, less salty, and a little sweet. 

Aside from the two main soy sauces, there’s also Tasty Soy Sauce 맛간장 (Mat-Gan-Jang), Low-Salt Soy Sauce 저염간장 (Jeo-yum-Gan-Jang), Brewed Soy Sauce 양조간장 (Yang-Jo-Gan-Jang), and Braising Soy Sauce 조림간장 (Jo-Rim-Gan-Jang); which are all use in various Korean dishes.

Tasty Soy Sauce, is made by boiling regular soy sauce, with the addition of other flavorful ingredients (garlic, lemon, sugar, rice wine, kelp, or mushrooms).

Low-Salt Soy Sauce, as the name implies, is low in salt. So, it's a healthier option to cut down the sodium.

Brewed Soy Sauce is a good quality soy sauce. It is naturally brewed from soy, about 6-month fermentation process.

Braising Soy Sauce is darker, and is usually use in recipes which calls for braising or simmering vegetables or meats in thick soup or sauces. It is mostly tempered with some water or other liquids, such as anchovy or kelp stock when cooking. Rice wine and vinegar, and red pepper flakes or fermented chilies are usually added with the jorim soy sauce in a recipe, depending on the main ingredient.

Below are some facts about Regular Soy Sauce and Soup Soy Sauce:

(photo grabbed from CrazyKoreanCooking.com)

Personally, I stock our kitchen cupboard up with different kinds of soy sauce because most recipes don’t specify the type of soy sauce to use, and they can vary wildly in flavor, texture, and appearance. But I always have both the regular and soup soy sauce on hand.

Some Koreans mix soy sauce with rice and a bit of butter for a quick breakfast.

If I don't have time to cook, I too, make this sometimes for my husband. But instead of the typical soy sauce-rice-butter recipe, I mix soy sauce with rice and sunny-side-up egg, splash a hint of sesame oil, and sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds. It's really good!^^