The Simple Way To Cut Back The Saltiness Of Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is a very versatile kitchen ingredient. While many think of this condiment as a component of Asian dishes, it can be used for so much more, such as soups, sauces, and vegetables. Adding a splash of soy sauce is an easy way to kick up the flavor of many kitchen creations.

However, it's easy to add too much soy sauce, resulting in a much too salty dish. There's a delicate balance between not adding enough flavor and ending up with way too much sodium. The former will leave the end result bland and disappointing, and the latter could render the food unpalatable.

There's an easy way to stretch the flavor of this element while making it less salty, depending on the soy sauce variety you're using. The simplest way is to dilute the soy sauce with a bit of water. This makes it easier to taste the salt level before adding the soy sauce to the dish, giving you greater control over the result.

The aforementioned method of diluting with a bit of water works best for light soy sauce. This is the most common variety. For dark soy sauce, in addition to adding water, add a bit of brown sugar to mask some of the salty taste.

For many, the solution is low-sodium, or lite, soy sauce — not to be confused with light versus dark as described above. This is a contested topic in the culinary community. Cookbook author Grace Young, via Washington Post, noted that in the past, low-sodium soy sauce was not a good option in terms of flavor. However, in recent years, some of these varieties have improved and are now acceptable substitutes for full-sodium light soy sauce. She also recommended adding coconut aminos to lite soy sauce if necessary to enhance the flavor.

Given these options, there are a variety of ways to reduce the salty taste of soy sauce. Be sure to double-check the label when purchasing or diluting your flavoring so you know you're doing it the correct way so as not to adversely affect the taste. If you decide to try a lite version, give it a taste to see if the flavor is as you intend it to be before adding it to your dish.

Reducing the saltiness of soy sauce doesn't just save the end result from tasting too overpowering; it's also healthier. One tablespoon of soy sauce typically contains about 878 milligrams of sodium, which is 38% of the recommended daily maximum value. In addition to being mindful about how much soy sauce is going into the dish based on how many servings it will end up being, diluting the salt content of soy sauce is another good way to reduce sodium intake, as it can stretch the flavor while allowing you to use less of this ingredient.

A little soy sauce goes a long way. Not only does this condiment have a salty taste that can be overpowering, but it contains a significant amount of sodium. To control the taste and sodium level in your dish, the easiest methods are to dilute the soy sauce or switch to a lite version. Next time you utilize this flavoring to add some extra umami to your dish, you can avoid stress and uncertainty knowing you can taste how diluted your soy sauce is before adding it to your food or serving it as a dipping sauce.