Getting to know your shoyu

• Let us show you sauce specifics

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

How we use shoyu in the Islands reveals a dividing line between Japanese cuisine and Hawai'i-style versions of it. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Tanaka isn't alone. Many of us in Hawai'i grew up loyal to a single brand of shoyu, obediently filling our table cruets only with that one. We also grew up splashing shoyu directly on everything from plain rice to scrambled eggs, just as salt and pepper are used at table in the Western tradition.

The way we use shoyu — most often plain or in highly sugared marinades — is among the most significant dividing lines between Hawai'i-style Japanese food and the cuisine and food customs of Japan.

Japanese don't douse their food with shoyu at the table, explains chef Hiroshi Fukui, who lived in Japan when he was a boy and demonstrates his understanding of East and West traditions in the dishes he creates at L'Uraku in Honolulu. And even today, when takeout foods, restaurant dining and convenience products are making inroads in Japan as in the West, Japanese diners know usukuchi and koikuchi from shiro and ponzu, and at home use a wide variety of shoyu blends as shortcuts, replacing homemade products, he said.

Stores such as Daiei, Marukai, Shirokiya and others that specialize in things Japanese offer adventurous Hawai'i cooks an opportunity to learn a lot more about an ingredient we tend to take for granted.

Admittedly, the terms and labels can be a challenge for those who don't understand or read Japanese. Even the pasted-on English-language labels offer only a few clues — an ingredient list and product name, but rarely a translation of descriptive terms, so that it's difficult to distinguish between hyperbole ("delicious sauce!") and information ("sweetened," "with broth," etc.)

Still, just a little background knowledge can help you navigate.

Important points:

Japanese vs. Chinese: The two are different types of sauces. In general, Chinese sauces are saltier and more densely flavored; a number are also thicker. Japanese sauces are clearer-tasting and more brightly flavored. Taste them side by side, as we did one day at L'Uraku, and you quickly notice the difference.

Natural vs. synthetic: Soy sauce is made from soybeans and roasted wheat inoculated with Aspergillus mold, mixed with brine to make a mash, then fermented, refined and pasteurized. Even with modern technology that speeds up the process, this takes time — eight to 18 months. Connoisseurs prefer sauces that use whole soy beans (marudaizu in Japanese) and sea salt and are labeled "naturally brewed." In contrast, synthetic sauces, widely available in the United States, use defatted soy meal instead of beans and substances that provoke the desired chemical reaction, as well as colored water, sugars and salt, not to mention preservatives.

Japanese types. In Japan, three broad types of shoyu are widely used and recognized.

Usukuchi — literally light mouth —Êis light shoyu — amber in color, clearer and thinner and saltier than darker varieties. (Light here does not mean less sodium.) In general in Japan, Fukui said, lighter flavors are associated with the northern Kansai region —Êthe Osaka, Kyoto area; usukuchi shoyu is favored there. Sometimes these shoyus also contain amazake (sweet rice alcohol).

Koikuchi is darker shoyu, with a deep reddish color and bright, slightly less-salty flavor. This is associated with the southern Kansai region. It is the widely used kitchen and table shoyu here and in Japan. Kikkoman standard is the best-known example of this style in this country. (But Kikkoman also makes a light or usukuchi-style shoyu that's available in stores that stock Japanese ingredients — don't confuse brand with variety.)

Tamari is a hearty, dark robust shoyu traditionally made with soybeans only, no wheat. Today, however, true tamari is hard to find even in Japan; most have at least a small proportion of wheat. Originally, tamari was merely a by-product of miso production, made from the liquid pressed from soybeans. Today, tamari is a product in its own right. Confusion persists about this product in the United States because an overzealous pioneer eager to wean the country from synthetic soy sauces introduced naturally brewed soy sauces under the name tamari during the natural foods movement of the 1960s. Some authorities say tamari is the most desirable to use with sashimi.

A fourth shoyu that is used for specialty dishes is shiro (white) shoyu, a nearly clear sauce made with fewer soybeans. It has a delicate flavor and is used for dishes where color is undesirable.

Shoyu and friends. If you visit a store such as Daiei or Marukai, you'll see lots of bottles full of liquids that look like shoyu but have odd names or descriptions on them — ama-kuchi (sweetened), uma-kuchi (from the term umami, referring to the widely known "fifth flavor" in Japan, a certain standard of deliciousness such as that created by the addition of monosodium glutamate — these products likely contain MSG or a similar flavor enhancer), shoyu dashi (with broth, usually of kelp or bonito) and so on. Ponzu is a blend of shoyu and citrus juices (not lemon, but several forms of Asian citrus not readily available here, including yuzu and other juices).

You might start by doing a little taste test: Buy both light and dark shoyu, tamari and shiro and whichever of the shoyu blends interest you. Taste them side by side, sipping from a spoon, then drizzled over rice or tofu; then use them in recipes with which you are familiar to see how the taste and color are affected.

Fukui explains that Japanese chefs choose the type of shoyu based on two factors: color and depth of flavor. If you're making a stewed meat dish and want a robust flavor and dark gloss, the obvious choices are koikuchi or tamari. For a light broth or when you're preparing vegetables and wish to retain their bright colors, use a shiro or a blend of usukuchi and shiro.

Let us show you sauce specifics

The best sauces are made with just four ingredients — whole soy beans, cracked wheat, mold spores and sea-salt brine — and aged slowly. Look for the words "naturally brewed."

• Usukuchi shoyu/light soy sauce: Literally, "light mouth." Amber-colored, clearer, thinner, saltier soy sauce.
• Koikuchi shoyu/standard soy sauce: Fermented longer, with deep reddish tones, somewhat heavier texture but less salty. Everyday sauce.
• Usujio shoyu/lite/low-sodium soy sauce: Literally, "light salt." Introduced because of health concerns, this has between 30 and 50 percent less sodium.
• Shoyu muen/saltless shoyu: Made from soybeans but no wheat; the brand most widely available here is Riken. Extremely expensive; off-putting flavor.
• Tamari: Hearty, dark, robust wheatless or low-wheat soy sauce.
• Shiro shoyu/white soy sauce: Clear, lightly flavored sauce used when color is undesirable.
• Shoyu blends: Ponzu (citrus-soy blend), amakuchi shoyu (sweetened soy sauce) and shoyu blended with dashi (kelp and/or bonito broth) and other flavoring ingredients; these have various uses as dipping, cooking sauces.

Sources: The Japan America Foundation, Kikkoman Soy Sauce, "At Home with Japanese Cooking" by Elizabeth Andoh (Alfred A. Knopf, 1980), "Japanese Cooking, A Simple Art" by Shizuo Tsuji (Kondansha, 1980), various Web sites.