There are several recipes out there for a “no – soy” soy sauce. However, all of them use either vegetable broth or beef broth as the base. AND, unless the brand you choose specifically states that it is “Soy Free” (and the majority of them aren’t) I’m still getting soy in the mix. You see, soy is a flavor enhancer. It’s added to vegetable broths and stocks to add color and that dreaded word… umami. Soybean oil is cheap, and companies that use a blended oil aren’t required to say that it does have it… just that it .. might. And as far as the recipes go, regardless of all the gushing going on about how wonderful they are, and how much they taste “exactly” like soy sauce… they really don’t… and most don’t even come close.
So… the Test Kitchen Challenge: Make a soy sauce substitute that it truly soy free, has enough body to stand up on it’s own or in a marinade, and gives me that satisfaction of flavor aspect that the real stuff does.
Tall order, huh…
From the original site:
The thought process:
1. Instead of generic broths, why not utilize the natural glutemate properties of mushrooms to base the stock and bind the flavors together.
2. To get that toastiness that a good sauce has, why not toast basmati rice to add to the steeping liquid
3. For bitterness, color, and depth of flavor – Coffee
4. For more color, and that fermented tang – Balsamic Vinegar
Get the Recipe: Soy – Free “Soy Sauce“