Sweet soy sauce is a thick and sweet soy sauce that is usually served as an ingredient and seasoning for Indonesian foods. If you can't find this flavoring at the grocery store or don't want to buy a large bottle of soy sauce, then you can make your own version of soy sauce using a stovetop or microwave.
Ingredients
Makes 2 cups of soy sauce (500 ml)
- 1 cup (250 ml) soy sauce
- 1 cup (250 ml) brown sugar, palm sugar or molasses
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
- 2.5 cm ginger or galangal (optional)
- 1 clove of garlic (optional)
- 1 anise (optional)
Step
Method 1 of 4: Part One: Preparation
Step 1. Choose a sweetener
Granulated sugar lacks the flavor needed for this recipe. Therefore, the best choice of sweetener is brown sugar, palm sugar or molasses.
- Palm sugar (also known as Indonesian palm sugar, gula jawa, or brown sugar) is the most authentic ingredient but is more difficult to find in grocery stores. This sugar is the recommended option and you can use it in either liquid or granulated form.
- Brown sugar or molasses are good substitutes for palm sugar, so you can use whatever sugar you like or is available. You can even mix the sugar in by adding 1/2 cup (125 ml) of brown sugar and 1/2 cup (125 ml) molasses sugar.
Step 2. Consider adding other flavoring options
You can make sweet soy sauce using just soy sauce, water and sugar. However, you can add additional spices to enhance the taste and make the soy sauce look more authentic.
- Note that this recipe recommends a combination of ginger (or galangal), garlic, and anise.
- Other condiments options include fresh curry leaves, cinnamon and red chili.
Step 3. Prepare the seasoning you want
Peel and grate the ginger. Chop or mash the garlic.
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin of the ginger or galangal. After peeling the vegetables, place them on the surface of the grater to slice them into large slices.
- In addition, you can cut ginger or galangal into slices that have a thickness of 6 mm.
- Quickly mash the garlic using a cutting board or the wide side of a kitchen knife. Peel the skin of the garlic and mash or chop it with a sharp, fine knife.
Step 4. Prepare a bowl of ice water
Fill a large bowl with cold water and place six ice cubes in it. Leave the bowl of ice water for a few moments.
- Note that this step is only performed if you are cooking on the stove. You don't need to prepare iced water if you plan to cook using microwaves.
- Choose a bowl large enough to hold the pot you would use if you were cooking on the stove rather than microwave cooking.
- Fill half a bowl with water and ice. Do not fill the bowl completely.
- Place the bowl near the stove.
Method 2 of 4: Part Two: Stove Cooking Method
Step 1. Mix sugar and water in a saucepan
Stir the two ingredients together in a small, thick saucepan.
Step 2. Heat the pan until the sugar is dissolved
Place the pot on the stove and set the heat to medium-high. Bring the ingredients to a boil and stir occasionally as the temperature increases.
- By stirring the mixture as the temperature increases, it will make the heat distribution even and make the sugar dissolve faster.
- Scrape off any sugar or syrup stuck to the edges of the pan. Press the sticking parts into the hot mixture.
Step 3. Cook until the syrup darkens
Stop stirring the mixture when the water reaches the boiling point. Cook the syrup for 5 to 10 minutes or until the syrup turns brown.
Open the lid of the pot when the syrup boils
Step 4. Place the pan in the ice water
Remove the pan from the surface of the stove and place the bottom surface of the pan in the ice water for 30 seconds.
- After resting for 30 seconds, remove the pan from the ice water and place it on a heat-resistant surface.
- Placing the bottom surface of the pan in ice water will stop the cooking process and prevent the syrup from getting hotter than it should.
- Don't let the ice water get into the syrup pan.
Step 5. Add soy sauce and seasoning
Place the soy sauce, ginger, garlic and aniseed in a half-cooled syrup pan. Stir the ingredients gently to mix them.
Do this carefully as you add the other ingredients to the pan. Even if the syrup has partially cooled, it can burn your skin when splashed against your skin's surface
Step 6. Put the pot back on the stove
Cook the ingredients on high-medium heat. Boil the ingredients but don't let them boil completely.
Stir the mixture occasionally as the temperature increases
Step 7. Squeeze gently
Lower the temperature and allow the mixture to simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the pan when the mixture boils.
- At that time, stir the mixture occasionally.
Step 8. Remove the mixture from the stove
Remove the pan from the stove and place it on a heat-resistant surface. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature until the soy sauce reaches room temperature.
- Cover the pot with an upturned plate or cover with a napkin when the soy sauce cools. Covering the pan will prevent dust and debris from getting into the soy sauce pan.
- When cooked on the stove, the finished sweet soy sauce should form like thick syrup. The soy sauce will also thicken as it cools.
Method 3 of 4: Part Three: Microwave Cooking Method
Step 1. Mix sugar, water and soy sauce in a microwave-proof bowl
Stir until the mixture is even.
The bowl must hold at least 4 cups (1L), although the capacity of the bowl is almost twice the amount of ingredients required at room temperature. The remaining space will prevent the soy sauce from escaping the bowl as the temperature heats up
Step 2. Heat the microwaves on medium heat for 30 to 40 seconds
Set the microwave to 50 percent power and place the sugar mixture in it. Cook with the bowl open for 30 to 40 seconds, or until the sugar begins to melt.
- At this stage, do not allow the sugar to completely melt.
- If you are using molasses instead of brown sugar, then you need to remember that the molasses will appear thinner than they were before heating.
Step 3. Add the spices
Place the ginger, garlic and aniseed into the hot mixture. Stir the ingredients until the newly added ingredients are well mixed.
Do it carefully. The ingredients in the bowl are hot and can cause your skin to burn if splashed on the skin's surface
Step 4. Microwave for 10 to 20 seconds
Place the bowl back in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds on medium power (50 percent).
After the second round, the soy sauce should be watery and no more lumps of sugar can be seen. However, there may be sugar granules floating on the surface of the syrup
Step 5. Stir well
Remove the mixture from the bowl and stir using a spoon or stirrer. Keep stirring until all the sugar is dissolved.
- All the sugar should be dissolved. This includes large sugar globules and small sugar granules.
- If the sugar doesn't dissolve after you've stirred it for 60 to 90 seconds, place it back in the microwave and cook for another 10 to 20 seconds on medium power before stirring again.
- Since the syrup won't reach a boiling point when you microwave it, the sweet soy sauce won't appear too thick if you cook it this way. However, the taste of the soy sauce will remain the same and will remain slightly thickened as it cools.
Method 4 of 4: Part Four: Storage and Use
Step 1. Strain the solid ingredients
Pour the sweet soy sauce through a sieve or sieve with a wide slit. The thick, sticky syrup will take some time to pass through the sieve, but eventually the real soy sauce will pass through the rest of the sieve.
- Solid ingredients like anise, garlic and ginger will stick to the sieve.
- Also, you can remove solid ingredients with a fork or spoon instead of sifting through them.
Step 2. Pour into a glass jar
Pour the filtered soy sauce into a non-reactive, non-porous jar with a lid. Glass jars are usually good for storing soy sauce.
If you plan to store the soy sauce for more than a week, then you should ensure that the container is sterile by washing it in hot water before using it
Step 3. Put it in the refrigerator for one night before using it
Close the lid and place the soy sauce in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
- Simmering the soy sauce for a certain amount of time will give the soy sauce a chance to soften. The taste will also be perfectly blended and there will be no flavor that dominates the other flavors.
- After placing it in the refrigerator, the soy sauce is ready to use.
Step 4. Place the remaining soy sauce in the refrigerator or freezer
If you don't use all of the soy sauce, then you can cover it and place it in the refrigerator for a maximum of two to four weeks.
