Description
This traditional Korean method for homemade soy sauce uses just soybeans, salt, water, and time to produce a deeply savory, naturally fermented sauce. It’s a slow, rewarding process that yields an umami-packed condiment like no other.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 cups dried soybeans
- 4 cups good salt (Himalayan or sea salt)
- Filtered or spring water
- A few pieces of charcoal
- Optional: dried Korean chilies, dried jujubes
- 1 raw egg (for salinity testing)
Instructions
- Soak and cook soybeans until very soft, then mash and form into blocks.
- Dry the blocks near a heater for several days, flipping occasionally.
- Hang blocks in a well-ventilated place for several weeks until covered in mold.
- Rinse fungi off and dry again briefly.
- Dissolve salt in 16 cups lukewarm filtered water. Drop in raw egg—it should float. If not, add more salt.
- Place 2 blocks in each jar with optional charcoal, chilies, and jujubes. Pour in brine and cover with cheesecloth.
- Ferment jars in sunny spot for 5–6 months. Occasionally remove cloth and let jars soak up sun.
- Strain, boil, cool, and transfer to jars. Age at least 2 more months for best flavor.
- Use in recipes or as a condiment—homemade soy sauce is rich, deep, and incredibly rewarding!
Notes
Use good-quality salt and water. Fermentation time varies with climate but longer aging = better flavor. Charcoal and jujubes are traditional flavor enhancers but optional. Don’t be alarmed by mold—it’s part of the process.
- Prep Time: Several hours over multiple days
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Fermentation
- Cuisine: Korean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 10
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 920mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg