# Light soy sauce **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-soy-sauce/145393 "2002-12-28T19:41:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@Lure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lure)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-soy-sauce/145393/1 "2002-12-28T19:41:16Z")
I’ve been using light soy sauce (labelled 40% less sodium) in place of regular,since soy sauce is notoriously laden with salt and really don’t notice,or mind, the difference in taste. This stuff is more expensive than regular SS,which got me to wondering. I could achieve the same effect (less sodium) by just watering down reg.SS,but I’m wondering if I’d need to simmer/marinate the new watered down result to get the same taste/body as the bottled light soy. Anybody know the manufacturing trick to light soy? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-soy-sauce/145393/2 "2002-12-28T20:16:51Z")
[About.com](http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa101698.htm) says that vthe difference between the two is not only colour, but that light soy is saltier, and is not aged as long. > [@](#): > > The two basic types of soy sauce used in Chinese cooking are light and dark. Dark soy is aged much longer than light soy, giving it a brownish-black color and much thicker texture. As its name suggests, light soy has a lighter color, plus a saltier flavor. It is used more in cooking, as the rather pungent odor and darker color of dark soy sauce can ruin the taste or appearance of a dish. (Dark soy is used in red-cooked dishes, and is good for marinating meat). Watering down dark soy won’t be your answer, by the looks. You’d have to make the stuff from scratch, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-soy-sauce/145393/3 "2002-12-28T20:59:53Z")
Um. I’m pretty sure **Lure** is talking about Light as in Low Sodium. Not Light as in a paler color. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-soy-sauce/145393/4 "2002-12-28T21:03:49Z")
Ah. OK. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-soy-sauce/145393/5 "2002-12-29T01:19:42Z")
Here’s one recipe for low salt soy sauce I saw on the net. Ingredients are 400ml soy sauce, 400ml sake (rice wine), 200ml water, 1 cup _kezuri-bushi_ (shaved dried fish), 8 pcs dried shiitake, 10cm dried _kombu_ (kale). Just put everything in a pot, boil uncovered for 1 minute, let cool and refrigerate. If stored for more than 1 week, boil again before use. On second thought, it might be easier and cheaper to just buy low sodium soy sauce… There are also other alternatives depending on what you use it for. For most cooking, you can just use a small amount of regular soy sauce. For _sashimi_ and other food, I use _ponzu_, which is a of vinegar but is usually sold as a soy sauce/vinegar mix. Of course it tastes very different, but with the strong taste of vinegar you can get away with less salt. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-soy-sauce/145393/6 "2002-12-29T04:16:09Z")
If I were you, I wouldn’t worry about it. How much soy sauce you absorb into your sytem a day, and how much sodium does it contribute to your overall intake? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-soy-sauce/145393/7 "2002-12-29T08:28:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Urban Ranger \* > \*\*If I were you, I wouldn’t worry about it. How much soy sauce you absorb into your sytem a day, and how much sodium does it contribute to your overall intake? \*\* That depends on your diet, but a tablespoon of regular soy sauce contains about 1000 mg of sodium. That’s over 1/3 the daily maximum intake as recommended by the USDA. ---
**Author:** ![Lure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@Lure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lure)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-soy-sauce/145393/8 "2002-12-29T20:36:54Z")
\*\*That depends on your diet, but a tablespoon of regular soy sauce contains about 1000 mg of sodium. That’s over 1/3 the daily maximum intake as recommended by the USDA \*\* And there’s the rub.On a takeout packet the dose is listed at 1/4 oz.If I remember my equivalency tables right one oz.equals 3 tblsp,about the amount I’ll use in a stirfry,if not more.If I’m stirfrying 3 days or more (sortimes happens) the sodium intake should be borderline hih,just from the soy sauce.Hence my concern and query. Tho I don’t think I can go as far as that home brew recipe,in my quest for a low sodium product. I,incidentally,have no more high sodium products I know of in my diet.I read labels of all grocery items,and rarely buy one with the sodium contents over about 100 or so.