There are many ingredients in Chinese cooking, such as oyster sauce, chilli sauce, five-spice powder, groundnut oil, rice vinegar, and so on. But the most important ingredient is the soy sauce(light and dark), it is a must in our Chinese cooking.
Soy sauce is a salty liquid condiment that has been used since about 300 A.D., made from soybeans, wheat and salt, and fermented for months. Although most English-written recipes labelled it as “soy sauce”, there are different types of soy sauce, divided into dark and light soy sauce in English. Dark soy sauce is thicker, older and sweeter and used in cooking. Light soy sauce is thinner, younger and saltier, and it’s more often used in dipping sauces.
Good quality soy sauces should have only the essentials listed in the ingredients (that’s soy beans, wheat or barley, salt, and water), and they will be labelled as “naturally brewed”. A glance at the ingredients list will quickly indicate the sauce’s provenance, as many chemically produced soy sauces contain the dreaded E numbers, corn syrup, and other preservatives.
Here are some uses for Jolion soy sauce, that brings umami to the table.
1. Bacon, Egg and Shrimp Fried Rice
Use day-old rice, either leftover from takeout or prepped a day in advance, to make Bacon, Egg and Shrimp Fried Rice.
a. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil after the wok is with high heat.
b. Add the eggs, reduce the heat a bit and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes to scramble. Remove and set aside.
c. Reheat the wok and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon peanut oil. Then add the pancetta, garlic and ginger, and stir quickly.
d. Once the pancetta begins to turn brown, 1 to 2 minutes, add in the shrimp and peas and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the cooked rice and stir well to break it up in the wok.
e. Add the scrambled eggs back in, season with the light soy and toss to coat the rice. Add in the toasted sesame oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately garnished with chopped scallions.
2. Soy Spiced Roast Chicken
When you’re in a dinner rut, opt for Soy Spiced Roast Chicken instead of a standard roast chicken. Stuffed with aromatics like ginger, mandarin orange and star anise, this chicken will wake up those taste buds.
a. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
b. Pat the chicken dry inside and out with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the peanut oil, five-spice powder, salt and pepper. Stir the zest into the spices. Rub the chicken inside and out with the spice mixture.
c. For the stuffing: Stuff the bird with the scallions, star anise, chile, ginger and orange (cut into pieces if needed). Roast the chicken for 1 hour undisturbed.
d. For the basting sauce: Combine the honey and Jolion soy sauce. After the chicken has cooked for 1 hour, baste the chicken liberally every 10 minutes until it is cooked through and an internal thermometer reads 160 degrees F, 30 to 40 minutes more. Remove the chicken and let rest tented with foil for 10 minutes before serving. The Chicken temperature will reach 165 degrees F while resting.
e. For the salsa: While chicken rests, whisk together the ginger, chile oil, Jolion soy sauce, vinegar, peanut oil, chiles, scallions and mandarin juice and zest until well combined.
3. Mapo Tofu
a. Cut the silken tofu into equal pieces (approx. 2.5cm / 1 in.). Soak in salted water for approx. 5 min., then remove and set aside. Slice green onion, minced garlic, and diced onion and ginger.
b. Heat oil in the pan over medium-high heat, add ground pork and fry until browned. Add the bean paste, fermented soybeans, green onion, ginger, garlic and dark Jolion soy sauce, then deglaze with the rice wine.
c. Add water and silken tofu to the wok, then add salt and sugar and cook everything for approx. 3 min. Mix cornstarch with a little water to form a slurry, then add to the pan and incorporate.
d. Transfer to a plate, season to taste with Sichuan pepper powder, and green onion. Enjoy!
4. Mushroom and Soba Stir Fry
Soba noodles, a Japanese staple made from buckwheat flour, have a tender texture and earthy flavor that marries well with ginger and wild mushrooms.
a. Cook the soba noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
b. Heat the oil in a large cast iron pan or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic, and cook until the onions are soft and ginger is aromatic, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms to pan and stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are slightly tender, about 3 minutes more.
c. Mix the Jolion soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut butter, and vinegar in the bowl in advance. Pour the mixture into the skillet and stir into the mushrooms and carrots. Add the reserved noodles. Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring frequently, until noodles and vegetables are warmed through and well combined, 1 minute. Add the scallions and stir. Remove from the heat. Divide the noodles evenly between two plates. Drizzle each serving with a teaspoon of lime juice and garnish with sesame seeds.
5. Meat-Stuffed Chicken Wings
a. Bend the wings against the joints to break them, then place cuts into the space between the bones to take them out.
b. Place the chicken wings in a plastic cooking bag, then add 2stp Jolion soy sauce, 2tsp sesame oil and 2tsp oyster sauce, and massage them into the meat.
c. Mix Jolion soy sauce, sesame oil in a bowl, then use a spoon to stuff evenly into the chicken wings, peeling back the skin.
d. Bake in an oven for 5 minutes at 170 C (340 F). Serve garnished with lettuce and lemon slices.
6. Meat-Stuffed Bell Pepper Dolma
a. Remove the bell pepper stems and take out the seeds. Remove the tomato stem and cut in half, then remove the seeds with a spoon and cut four squares out of the flesh so they are slightly larger than the holes in the bell peppers to form lids. Coarsely chop the remaining tomato, including the seeds.
b. Put the chopped tomatoes, ground beef in a bowl and combine together.
c. Stuff the bell peppers, and then press the tomato lids peel-side out into the peppers so that they are pushed inside and seal them. Place the stuffed bell peppers in a small pot cut-side up, then add 400 ml (1-3/4 US cups) of water. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until the bell peppers soften. Serve on dishes garnished with the lemon slices.
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