I use Lee Kum Kee, which tastes amazing, but I try not to overdo it with dark soy so can’t really comment on how much it darkens the food. If that’s what you’re already using, I have no other good ideas, man.
I used to use Lee Kum Kee, but switched to a more “legit”-seeming brand that also had some good reviews online, Pearl River Bridge:
And don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad by any stretch. It may even be more genuinely “authentic” than LKK brand in terms of taste, color, and viscosity! But it’s definitely not a 1-for-1 substitute in the recipes I like. My General Tso’s Chicken went from dark, almost ruby red, to nearly black purple. And throw in the different brand of Shaoxing Wine that I got this time around that imparts a much stronger alcohol flavor to my dishes, and I am kinda down on my own General Tso’s right now.
I gotta get into some more legit mainland-style Chinese cuisine at some point. Been watching a few youtube channels, Chinese Cooking Demystified in particular, and it seems pretty fascinating :-D
Yeah, I got the mushroom dark stuff from Pearl River Bridge and it turns a bowl of whitish-clear ramen broth into a bowl of coca-cola looking stuff with a tiny amount.
Pearl River is good stuff, but yeah, it is fucking BLACK.
Yeah my earlier reply was too conservative. The ramen looks like a bowl of black ink if I use any reasonable amount of soy sauce in it.
For ramen I’d recommend this type of Yamasa soy sauce, if you can get it locally.
https://www.yamasausa.com/retail-products/marudaizu-with-organic-soybeans-soy-sauce-imported-from-japan/
This non-organic one is also tops:
https://www.yamasausa.com/retail-products/marudaizu-soy-sauce-imported-from-japan/
I really haven’t seen too much of a difference when using a usukuchi or light color soy sauce (remarkably also when using a red wine vs white when making a tare) in regards to darkness of the final soup.
This artisan soy sauce is very tasty, but a little overblown for ramen. Still experimenting with it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XX1NKQ
I normally use a 2:1 or sometimes 3:1 with light:dark soy sauce, depending on how salty the dish needs to be. Dark is mainly used to well, darken the dish and get a nice dark color going when reducing. The light is where the actual flavor is.
I hope you don’t mind me staring at your wife’s bundt.
Sure, but you can’t have any. ;)
That is one beautiful bundt!
I got some fresh basil from a coworker, so my wife and I put together caprese and stuffed portobello caps for dinner tonight.
So is that caprese stuffed in the portobello caps then? Great pic!
Yup, and broiled until melted.
I confess I was a little skeptical, but it really turned out well. Caprese, balsamic vinegar, garlic, parsley, and butter are a great combo.
Even lacking a garden of my own, garden season is one of my favorite parts of the year. Half of the office does have gardens, so dinnertime becomes an exercise in, "Well, what are we going to do with fresh ingredient X?”
I really like this idea. And as someone growing tomatoes and basil, I should put this together.
I’m also envious of @tylertoo 's taco rack. He’s got it going on over there with a nice rack and bundt. If only we were all that lucky.
There’s a dirty joke in there somewhere, but I can’t seem to make it work.
Something about glazed bundt?
Hot fishnet rack support?
Should I mention we danced the salsa?