This collection showcases the breadth of fermented soy condiment traditions in Taiwan, all by Yu Ding Xing, a family-owned operation that has been hand brewing soy sauces since 1947.

The bundle includes earthy and salty fermented black beans, a byproduct of soy sauce brewing that is commonly used to flavor Taiwanese home cooking.

We also curated three soy sauces that each serve a distinct purpose: a Taiwanese-style soy sauce whose funky and chocolate-y flavors shine straight out the bottle; an intense high-salinity soy sauce great for brines; and an all-purpose Japanese-style soy sauce with notes of licorice.

Finally, we couldn't leave out soy paste, a uniquely Taiwanese ingredient made by thickening soy sauce with starches such as glutinous rice flour. Try out a licorice-scented soy paste that we like as a dip for danbing (egg crepe) or a marinade component, as well as a soy paste with whole glutinous rice grains that we enjoy as a glaze or a stir-fry sauce.

Contents:

• Fermented Black Beans are a byproduct of soy sauce production. These savory black bean nuggets are extracted and immediately packaged to preserve their softness and moisture. Use them to make dishes like mapo tofu or clams with black bean sauce.


• Amber River Soy Sauce is a 450-day-aged Taiwanese-style soy sauce made traditionally using single-origin Taiwanese black soybeans. The result is a mellow, chocolate-y brew, whose shine right out the bottle drizzled over steamed fish or paired with sashimi.


• Vat Bottom Soy Sauce is a gluten-free soy sauce extracted from the bottom of the earthenware fermenting vats; it is light in viscosity, but heavily concentrated in salinity, fragrance, and flavor. Measure out less than you would with a regular soy sauce. We like it in soups and stocks, or as a base for lu wei brine.


• Firewood Soy Sauce is prepared in the traditions of China and Japan, made with a blend of soybeans and wheat, as well as mirin and licorice. This all-purpose soy sauce adds warm, anisette depth to everything from the braise for lu rou fan to a dressing over steamed egg.


• Firewood Soy Paste is an all-purpose soy paste made by thickening a black soybean-based soy sauce with glutinous rice flour. It also contains mirin and licorice for an anise-like flavor, making it suitable as a dip for danbing, a marinade ingredient, or even a savory-sweet addition to pound cake.


• Soy Paste with Glutinous Rice Grains is a sweet and umami soy paste made by thickening Yu Ding Xing's 450-day-aged soy sauce with glutinous rice, leaving the rice grains intact for texture. Use as a dip, a glaze for barbecue, or a sauce for stir-fries.

Tasting Notes and Usage

Fermented Black Beans: salty, funky, and umami, with notes of chocolate
Use them to make dishes like mapo tofu, clams with black bean sauce, or black bean tofu.

Amber River Soy Sauce: salty, umami, mellow, with chocolate and barnyard undertones
Use it as a finishing soy sauce, drizzled over light dishes like steamed egg or steamed fish.

Vat Bottom Soy Sauce: salty, fragrant, full
Use it to flavor stocks or brines, as in lu wei 滷味. Because this is a high-salinity soy sauce, measure out less than usual.

Firewood Soy Sauce: umami, bright, anisette
Use it as an all-purpose soy sauce for cooking.

Firewood Soy Paste: umami, bright, anisette
Use it as a dip, a marinade, or even a savory-sweet addition to pound cake.

Soy Paste with Glutinous Rice Grains: sweet, salty, umami, with chocolate undertones
Use it as a dip, a glaze for barbecue, a sauce for stir fries, or even a dressing for steamed vegetables.

Ingredients and Instructions

Fermented Black Beans: non-GMO black soybeans, Australian sea salt

Amber River Soy Sauce: water, single origin Taiwanese black soy beans, sea salt, sugar

Vat Bottom Soy Sauce: water, non-GMO black soybeans, sea salt, sugar

Firewood Soy Sauce: water, non-GMO black soybeans, non-GMO yellow soybeans, non-GMO wheat, sea salt, sugar, mirin, licorice, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, alanine

Firewood Soy Paste: water, non-GMO black soybeans, glutinous rice flour, licorice, sea salt, sugar, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, xantham gum, alanine

Soy Paste with Glutinous Rice Grains: water, single-origin non-GMO Taiwanese black beans, rice, sea salt, sugar

Note: The Traditional Firewood Range is Yu Ding Xing's mid-grade range of soy sauces and pastes and does contain added flavoring, unlike their other offerings. These additives are derived naturally from the fermentation of tapioca starch, and interact with the natural glutamates present in the soy sauce to create a flavor that is distinctly Taiwan. We are comfortable with these ingredients, and even though not required to declare them in the ingredients list, we do. Read more about our these ingredients here.

About Yu Ding Xing

Yu Ding Xing 御鼎興 is a family-run brewery in Xi Luo, Taiwan that has been operating since 1947. They hand make all their soy sauces and soy pastes the traditional way, using earthenware vats, many of which have been in use for decades. You can learn more about their history in our documentary Time, Terroir, Taiwan.

Specifications and Dimensions