mandarin: jiangyou
vietnamese: xi dau
soy sauce is the most famous of the many fermented-bean-sauces/pastes used in asian cooking. it's made by letting soybeans ferment (or brew), along with a few other ingredients, for a period of at least several months. then the product is filtered and bottled just for you!
some brief words of advice for when you buy soy sauce: get the naturally brewed/fermented kind of soy sauce (kikkoman and kimlan are good brands), and avoid the artificial imitation stuff (la choy is a bad brand). you can really taste the difference!
also, i just discovered that you can get wheat-free soy sauce (i found some in a whole foods supermarket) if you're cooking for people who can't eat wheat or gluten.
return to the veggie asia home page