Add Soy Sauce To Any Soup For A Richer, More Layered Flavor
Sometimes, do you feel your soups are a little boring or a one-note in flavor? Luckily for you, there's a common and staple pantry ingredient we can use any time to elevate almost any soup for a richer, more layered flavor. And this secret ingredient is none other than soy sauce, an umami-packed powerhouse. Not only does soy sauce impart savoriness, umami, and faint caramel notes, but it also adds subtle color to your soups.
So the next time your soups can benefit from a pop of flavor, add a splash of soy sauce and adjust to your taste instead of adding pinches of salt. You can start with a tablespoon first and then go from there. If you're wondering what soups and broths would benefit from adding soy sauce, well, the possibilities are endless. Firstly, bone broths and soups made with beef or pork bones do nicely with adding soy sauce. Versatile as it is, adding soy sauce to chicken or vegetable broth-based soups works well too.
Now, this is not a new idea. Soups made across Asia often incorporate soy sauce through the ages, including ramen broths, pho broth, and Chinese soups like wonton, hot and sour, and egg drop.
From broths to stews, soy sauce enhances flavors and adds umami
While adding soy sauce to Asian-style and inspired soups is natural, feel free to use soy sauce in your favorite soup dishes. Soy sauce is a versatile ingredient. So, consider adding soy sauce, along with some oyster sauce, to liven up any classic beef stew. Soy sauce will help deepen all the meaty and veggie flavors. As for chicken soups, whether it's a traditional chicken noodle recipe passed down from grandma, or a more Thai-inspired coconut chicken soup, or a Singaporean laksa, drop in soy sauce to balance and deepen the flavors.
Lighter soups, like vegetable soups, also benefit from adding soy sauce. In Japanese cuisine, light broths often include soy sauce. Adding soy sauce will elevate the soup's flavors in a simple vegetable broth. As for creamier soups, like cream of mushroom or New England clam chowder, use soy sauce judiciously to enhance the earthy or sea flavors and slice through all the fat and creaminess.
Note that you're not just adding saltiness when adding sou sauce to any soup. It's about pushing up the umami, enhancing the other savory profiles, and adding layers and depths of flavor. So please don't forget that bottle of soy sauce the next time you're making soup, be it a light and simple beef or chicken broth or even a heartier stew.