Soy sauce: nutrition and how to use it

Fun facts

• Traditional soy sauce is brewed from soybeans, wheat and salt with a friendly mold, and takes many months to finish. That is where its signature aroma comes from.
• In Vietnam, the south mostly says nước tương, while the north says xì dầu, a name borrowed from Cantonese.
• 100g of soy sauce has 5,493mg of sodium. A tablespoon, about 16g, holds around 880mg of sodium, equal to 2.2g of salt and close to half the WHO daily limit.
• It also has 8.1g of protein per 100g, but since you only use a few spoonfuls, it is a seasoning rather than a protein source.

Choosing and storing

Read the label: "naturally brewed" soy sauce lists soybeans, wheat and salt as its main ingredients. If you want less salt, look for a reduced-sodium version and compare the sodium numbers. Keep it tightly capped and cool once opened; the fridge helps it hold its aroma longer.

Cooking it well

Soy sauce is lovely for dipping tofu or boiled greens, in marinades, stir-fries and vegetarian dishes. Mix a dipping sauce with a little water, garlic, chili and lime to tame the salt while keeping the flavor. Once soy sauce is in the pot, go easy on salt and seasoning powder, because sodium adds up fast. How to turn label sodium into grams of salt is in this article.

Frequently asked questions