Two bottles of soy sauce can look similar on a shop shelf but do very different jobs in a dish. If you are following a Chinese recipe, knowing when to use light soy sauce and when to use dark soy sauce will help you get both the flavour and colour you want.
The simple rule: use light soy sauce to season, and dark soy sauce to deepen the colour. You can use them together.
|
Light soy sauce |
Dark soy sauce |
| Also called |
生抽 (shēng chōu)
|
老抽 (lǎo chōu)
|
| Appearance |
Lighter brown and relatively thin |
Deep brown and often thicker |
| Best for |
Everyday seasoning |
Darker colour and a richer finish |
| Try it in |
Stir-fries, marinades, dipping sauces |
Braised dishes, fried noodles, fried rice |
When should you use light soy sauce?
Reach for light soy sauce when a dish needs savoury seasoning but you want its ingredients to remain visible. It is useful in a quick vegetable stir-fry, a meat marinade or a dipping sauce.
Despite its name, “light” does not mean reduced sodium. It refers to the sauce’s appearance compared with dark soy sauce. If you are comparing salt content, look at the nutrition information on each bottle.
When should you use dark soy sauce?
Dark soy sauce is useful when colour is part of the dish. A small amount can give braised chicken, pork or noodles a deeper brown finish. Add it gradually: you can darken a dish easily, but you cannot take the colour back out.
Dark soy sauces vary. Some have a touch of sweetness, while products labelled sweet dark soy sauce may taste considerably sweeter. Check the label before using a new bottle in a familiar recipe.
Why do recipes sometimes call for both?
Consider a pot of soy braised chicken. Light soy sauce seasons the cooking liquid, while dark soy sauce helps give the chicken its brown colour. Using both lets you adjust the taste and appearance separately.
The same applies to dark fried noodles. If the noodles look too pale, a little dark soy sauce may help. Adding more light soy sauce just to change the colour could make them too salty.
Can you substitute one for the other?
If you only have light soy sauce, you can still cook the dish, but a braise or plate of noodles may look paler than expected. Season to taste instead of adding extra sauce solely for colour.
If you only have dark soy sauce, start with a small amount. It can make a delicate stir-fry or dipping sauce much darker than intended. For recipes that rely on light soy sauce as the main seasoning, it is worth having the right bottle.
Which one should you keep at home?
For everyday Chinese cooking, buy light soy sauce first. You are likely to use it more often for stir-fries, marinades and sauces. Add dark soy sauce to your pantry if you regularly make soy braises or darker fried noodles.
Browse ZaHuoDian’s everyday cooking ingredients and check each listing for the sauce type, ingredients and pack size before buying.
