A Guide to Taiwanese Soy Sauce
Just like coffee and wine, soy sauce is a reflection of its terroir; the types of soy sauce out there run the gamut. We’ve put together this resource to help you pick out exactly what you need.
Table of Contents
all-purpose
This is the soy sauce or soy paste you reach for the most—the one you use in stir fries, marinades, and more.
Traditional Firewood Soy Sauce
umami, bright, anisette
A soy sauce made from a blend of soybeans and wheat, with mirin and licorice. Complements Chinese 5-spice.
Traditional Firewood Soy Paste
umami, bright, anisette
Made with black soybeans, thickened with glutinous rice flour. Contains mirin and licorice for a warm, anise-like flavor.
Spicy Soy Paste
Bell pepper, molasses, with a kick
A spicy and sweet soy paste that gets its heat from powdered heaven-facing chilis.
Run Bing 潤餅
Firewood Soy Paste
A customary dish made during Qing Ming Jie, Run Bing is assembled with fillings like cilantro and sweet peanut powder.
Dong Po Pork 東坡肉
FIREWOOD SOY SAUCE & AMBER RIVER
This melty, jiggly, soy sauce-braised pork belly will be the star of any dinner table.
vat bottom soy sauce
salty, fragrant, full
A high-salinity soy sauce from the bottom of the fermenting vat. Use these soy sauces in soy-braises to season and to deepen the color, but measure out less than usual.
CARAMELIZED SOY SAUCE
Hickory syrup, toast, port wine
Made from two kinds of Taiwanese sugar—one for its caramel scent and the other for its soft sweetness. Pair it with other soy sauces for flavor and color. Because of its sweetness, Yu Ding Xing also recommends it for dipping sashimi.
Lu Rou Fan 滷肉飯
Vat Bottom Soy Sauce
Lu Rou Fan, or braised pork over rice, is almost as much of a staple in Taiwanese cuisine as rice itself. Ok, that's a stretch but the point is, it's foundational.
Three-Cup Chicken 三杯雞
Vat Bottom Soy Sauce
The “three” in three-cup chicken refers to soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine. Basil headlines this salty and garlicky dish.
FINISHING
Think of this soy sauce or soy paste as the cherry-on-top for your dish. Its flavor shines straight out the bottle, so you can use it as a finisher or a dip.
AMBER RIVER SOY SAUCE
umami, mellow, with chocolate and barnyard undertones
Made from high-protein Tainan #5 black soybeans grown in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
AMBER RIVER SOY SAUCE (SUGAR FREE)
umami, mellow, with chocolate and barnyard undertones
For those looking to reduce sugar intake, this is a sugar-free version of our Amber River Soy Sauce.
Pineapple Soy Sauce
briny, bright, vegetal and light
Made from black soybeans fermented with locally grown pineapple, renowned for its sweetness and rich flavor.
Soy Paste with Glutinous Rice Grains
sweet, salty, umami, chocolatey
Fermented from single-origin Taiwanese black soybeans and thickened with glutinous rice.
Miso Soy Paste
sweet, salty, umami
A soy paste with with a deeply umami and sweet soy flavor.
Steamed Fish
Amber River Soy Sauce
Amber River Soy Sauce is the perfect accompaniment to delicate steamed fish.
Steamed Egg 蒸蛋羹
Amber River Soy Sauce
A perfectly silken steamed egg with chili crisp, scallion, and cilantro is a delightful experience.
Soy Paste
This is a uniquely Taiwanese ingredient made by cooking soy sauce with a starch like glutinous rice to give it body, then lightly sweetening it. Versatile in nature, it can be a dip, drizzle, glaze, stir fry sauce, baking ingredient, and more. Sky's the limit here.
Traditional Firewood Soy Paste
umami, bright, anisette
Made with black soybeans, thickened with glutinous rice flour. Contains mirin and licorice.
SOY PASTE WITH GLUTINOUS RICE
sweet, salty, umami, chocolatey
A 450-day aged soy sauce thickened with glutinous rice.
miso soy paste
sweet, salty, umami
A blend of miso and single-origin soy paste made from Taiwan-grown black soybeans.
SPICY SOY PASTE
Bell pepper, molasses, with a kick
Gets its heat from powdered heaven-facing chilis and umami boost from tomato.
Red Oil Wontons 紅油抄手
MISO SOY PASTE
The slippery, soft wonton wrappers with velvety pork filling make for a beautiful contrast to a spicy, sour, and tangy sauce.
Basque Cheesecake 巴斯克乳酪蛋糕
SOY PASTE WITH GLUTINOUS RICE
This recipe is from our soy sauce brewer Ozzy Hsieh. It's tart, caramel-y, and complex.
Where is Your Soy Sauce From?
Our Taiwanese soy sauces and soy pastes are handmade by Yu Ding Xing 御鼎興, a family-run brewery in Xi Luo, Taiwan that has been operating since 1947. You can learn more about their history in our documentary.
More Things to Check Out, Because We Love Yu Ding Xing
黑豆油: Everything I Know About Taiwanese Soy Sauce, Part One
