Sweet Soy Sauce Substitute
What is Sweet Soy Sauce?
Sweet soy sauce is a type of sauce that is popular in many recipes, it is usually dark, viscous and sweet(as the name suggests), sweet soy sauce is made from fermented paste of boiled black soybeans, roasted grain, salt, water and Aspergillus wentii mold, to which palm sugar is added. Sweet soy sauce has its origins traced back to Indonesian cooks who have been using it to make various dishes for centuries.
Sweet soy sauce is used in stir-fries, as a marinade for meats and seafood, occasionally as a glaze, as a condiment, and even as a dip, sweet soy sauce can be used.
One thing every cook ha at least at one time experienced is running out of ingredients for whatever meal they are making, in this case running out of sweet soy sauce to complement your dish, at such situations, substitutes for sweet soy sauce become incredibly important. And as a cook, if you don’t know what to use as sweet soy glaze alternative, your dish might turn out not as good as it would have.
This article aims to help you out with a list of the best and most popularly recommended substitutions for sweet soy sauce.
Substitute For Sweet Soy Sauce
Regular Soy And Palm Sugar
Another substitute you can prepare yourself is Regular soy mixed with palm sugar. Since the sweet soy sauce is also made with palm sugar, it’s appropriate to mix it with something suitable. Palm sugar is a sweetener gotten from any type of palm tree. You will need black peppercorns, fresh ginger, star anise, garlic cloves, and equal amounts of palm sugar and soy sauce to make it.
All of these components should be heated in a small pot until the palm sugar melts. This combo is a good sweet soy sauce substitute.
Tamari Sauce And Sweetener
Tamari, often known as tamari shoyu, is a miso-based soy sauce popular in Japan (fermented soybean paste). Miso produces a liquid envelope when it ferments for at least a few weeks. Tamari, which can be either “pool” or “collection” in Japanese, is the liquid that gathers around miso.
Tamari sauce is a milder variation of soy sauce, but when coupled with a sweetener, it can be used to replace sweet soy sauce.
Regular Soy Sauce And Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup made from the sap of maple trees. You’ll need equal proportions of soy sauce and maple syrup for this sweet soy sauce substitute. You can as well add garlic cloves, ginger, black peppercorns, and star anise. Mix thoroughly, drain and use. It works well as a marinade and dipping sauce.
Regular Soy Sauce And Agave Nectar
Agave tequilana and Agave salmiana are two varieties of agave that are used to make agave syrup, commonly known as maguey syrup or agave nectar. 56% of the sugar in blue agave syrup is fructose, which has sweetening characteristics.
You’ll need equal proportions of soy sauce and agave nectar to make this sweet soy sauce substitute. Additionally, you’ll need some garlic, ginger, star anise, and spring onions. Mix thoroughly and strain before use.
You need to check out some of the substitutes for cloves and chili garlic sauce substitutes.
Regular Soy Sauce And Honey
You’ll need ginger, garlic, black peppercorns, and equal parts soy sauce and honey for this replacement. After mixing all the ingredients in a bowl, refrigerate for an hour. Use after straining.
Hoisin Sauce
A thick, flavorful sauce called hoisin is frequently used in Cantonese cooking as a coating for meat, an ingredient in stir-fries, or as a dipping sauce. It has a black hue and tastes salty and sweet. Hoisin sauce typically contains soybeans, fennel, red chili peppers, and garlic, though there are regional variations. Salt, garlic, chili pepper, sugar, soybeans, sesame seeds, and other spices are used to make hoisin sauce.
Hoisin sauce can be used in place of sweet soy sauce as a dipping sauce, in marinades, on vegetables, noodles(see yakisoba noodles substitutes), and stir-fries.
Regular Soy Sauce And Brown Sugar
A very good substitute for Sweet Soy sauce is the combination of regular soy sauce and brown sugar. This is something you can prepare at home in a few minutes.
To make this sauce, you must have the following:
½ cup of soy sauce,
½ cup of brown sugar,
Star anise,
2 garlic cloves,
1 piece of fresh ginger, and
1 teaspoon of black peppercorns.
All your ingredients should be prepared on low heat for about 15 minutes until the sugar is properly dissolved.
Teriyaki Sauce
To create its distinctively sharp flavor, the traditional Japanese teriyaki sauce combines soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake. Westernized versions add honey, garlic, and ginger for extra pungency. Teriyaki sauce frequently contains cornstarch as a thickening agent. Teriyaki has umami undertones and tastes sweet, sticky, and salty.
See the Teriyaki vs Hibachi comparison to know their differences and similarities (if any).
Oyster Sauce
A variety of sauces produced by cooking oysters are referred to as oyster sauce. A viscous, dark-brown condiment produced from oyster extracts, sugar, salt, and water that has been thickened with cornstarch is the most widely used in today’s society. High-quality oyster sauce is naturally black, while certain varieties may be given a caramel boost.
In marinades, stir-fries, dipping sauces, and even vegetable dishes, oyster sauce can substitute for sweet soy sauce. If the smell of oyster sauce bothers you in any way, you might not want to use it because it has a fishy smell that is extremely different from the sweet soy sauce.
By the way, I have put together a list of substitutes for honey mustard which could pass for a good replacement, you might want to try them out.
Those are all the excellent substitutes for sweet soy sauce you might want to consider whenever you run out of your favorite sweet soy sauce in the kitchen, some can be easily bought from the stores others can be made at home easily. In the next section I would be answering some popular and frequently asked questions about substitutes for sweet soy sauce.
FAQs About Substitute For Sweet Soy Sauce
What can I replace sweet soy sauce with?
You can replace sweet soy sauce with any of the following substitutes; Teriyaki sauce, oyster suace, hoisin sauce, regular soy sauce and honey, regular soy sauce and brown sugar, maple syrup and regular soy sauce, agave nectar and regular soy sauce.
Can you use soy sauce instead of sweet soy sauce?
Yes you can use soy sauce instead of sweet soy sauce, but you have to use it alongside as sweetener like honey, brown sugar, agave nectar or maple syrup.
Can I use teriyaki sauce instead of sweet soy sauce?
Yes you can substitute teriyaki sauce for sweet soy sauce because teriyaki sauce is one of the most excellent and popularly used replacements for sweet soy sauce. They’re both sweet tasting unlike many other alternatives.
Can I use hoisin sauce instead of sweet soy sauce?
Yes hoisin sauce is an excellent substitute for sweet soy sauce, it is even one of the most popular replacements for sweet soy sauce. It makes for an easy to use and easy to make substitute for sweet soy sauce.
Is sweet soy the same as soy sauce?
They mostly made from the same thing but the major difference between sweet soy and soy sauce is that sweet soy sauce is made with a sweetener that makes it taste sweeter than regular soy sauce. Sweet soy sauce is often slightly thicker than soy sauce.
Can you substitute teriyaki sauce for sweet soy sauce?
Yes you can substitute teriyaki sauce for sweet soy sauce because teriyaki sauce is one of the most excellent and popularly used replacements for sweet soy sauce. They’re both sweet tasting unlike many other alternatives.
Is sweet soy sauce the same as teriyaki?
No, sweet soy sauce and teriyaki sauce are not the same sauce, even though they both taste very sweet and a bit similar. Sweet soy sauce is made from soybean while teriyaki sauce is not.
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