A perplexed look in the fridge: where to put all the nice sauces that have been in there for so long?
Image: Claus Eckert
Do you still have soy sauce or rice vinegar in the fridge and don’t know what to do with it? We asked the pros how to use them wisely.
As a salt substitute: soy sauce
Whe likes to eat sushi, knows soy sauce for dipping. In fact, the strong, salty sauce can be used in many different ways: “You can use soy sauce like a salt substitute,” explains Tohru Nakamura, top chef from Munich. There are no limits to creativity: A dash of soy sauce in the beef, chicken or vegetable broth ensures a wonderfully rounded taste – the umami it contains makes it possible. The same trick also works with dark ragouts, pot roast or an Italian Bolognese: Simply use it instead of salt and add a teaspoon or two of soy sauce to taste after cooking.
Soy sauce is also a real all-purpose weapon in vegetarian cuisine: “A wok pan with vegetables is very simple,” says star chef Sarah Henke from Andernach. Cut the peppers, mushrooms and snow peas into small pieces, sauté, deglaze with soy sauce and reduce slightly. “Be careful that nothing burns, the heat shouldn’t be too high.” If you like, you can now fold in cooked Mie noodles, rice or glass noodles. In combination with soy sauce, other Asian seasoning sauces such as oyster sauce, fish sauce and roasted sesame oil can also be used wonderfully for vegetable, rice or noodle pans.