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Soy Sauce Substitute

By Rhonda Parkinson, About.com

This soy sauce substitute doesn't taste exactly like the real thing, but it makes a flavorful alternative for anyone trying to reduce the amount of salt in their diet.

Yields about 1/3 cup, or enough to prepare approximately two meals.

How to Lower the Salt in Chinese Cooking - More Tips

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons reduced sodium beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons molasses
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup boiling water

Preparation:

1. Combine all the ingredients. At this point, you can either a) use the sauce as is, leaving for an hour to give the flavors a chance to blend, or b) for a thicker, richer sauce, boil the liquid until it is reduced by half, about 3 tablespoons.

2. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Use the sauce within 3 - 4 days.

Note: I used Campbell’s reduced-sodium beef broth (25 percent less salt) and Crosby’s molasses, which gives this soy sauce substitute recipe 12 – 13 mg sodium per tablespoon (about 25 mg per tablespoon if you boil down the sauce and reduce it by half). To lower the sodium count even further, use a sodium-free beef broth.

Note: Is this recipe gluten-free? I spoke with Teri Gruss, the About.com Guide to Gluten-free Cooking, and she confirms the recipe is gluten-free as long as it's made with:
  • Gluten-free beef broth (broths and stocks sometimes contain gluten as an additive)
  • Only the vinegars called for in the recipe ("Malt" vinegars contain gluten)
  • Garlic powder that is gluten-free (seasoning powders sometimes contain gluten as a flow agent)
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