Soy Sauce, Like a Fine Wine

Notes of honeycomb, pineapple, cherry cola, fig and caramel. We’re not talking wine, people — this is soy sauce.

Eri Miyagi and Miki Nomura started Brooklyn-based Japanese condiment company Cabi Foods in 2022 for multitude reasons. One, their love of a really good mold called koji. Two, to share the Japanese home cooking they grew up on and its inherent emphasis on flavor and fresh ingredients. And to destroy the idea of Japanese condiments that “just sit there.”

Launching with a yuzu vinegar, dashi soy sauce and sansho peppercorn miso — all sourced from small, regional producers — Cabi condiments focus on Japanese-specific flavors that go with anything: kale, chicken, vanilla ice cream.

Fermentation was something the duo thought about a lot during the pandemic. It was a glitch in time for some, spurring the desire to grow something slowly, peacefully, Eri hypothesizes. Cabi was way ahead.

Used to ferment traditional Japanese cooking staples like sake and miso, the fungus koji — mold spores grown on steamed grains like rice or barley — was the concept that cemented Cabi (which means mold in Japanese). It seemed central to everything that made Japanese flavors and food so special. Particularly when it came to soy sauce.

Pre-industrialization, most soy sauce in Japan was made in wooden barrels called kioke. Today, only 1% of soy sauce is made via natural fermentation, but the technique has seen a revival of sorts as a small number of producers are keeping the art alive, even gathering for an annual wooden barrel-making festival.

Natural soy sauce is so singular, Eri says. It comes in a spectrum of flavors and shades, from flaxen to inky black, reflective of the brew duration. “It is almost like wine — it just tastes so different, one to the other,” she says. The flavor can even reflect the disposition of its maker. “Everyone’s personality comes through,” she says. Guests at last year’s soy sauce-making workshop held at Ace Brooklyn’s Demo Kitchen will also say it’s so. (Cabi’s back for part II January 25)

This isn’t to speak ill of mass-produced soy sauces. Conversely, Cabi has a lot of respect for them.

But now, in addition to educating on the history and cultural significance of soy sauce, Cabi dreams of a deeper impact.

“We want more people to come out of Japan and tell their stories of Japanese culture in their own way. Especially women,” Eri says. She and Miki see themselves as ambassadors, dutifully opening the door for young immigrant entrepreneurs to follow. “For us and our company, we want to be the bridge.”

Soy Sauce Making Process

Cabi works with three multigenerational producers on their product range, bringing the small-scale specialty items to a global audience. The operations are set in the countryside, far from Tokyo. Here, Eri shares how soy sauce is made by brewer Morita-san in Okuizumo in the Shimane prefecture.

1.
Steam the soybeans and roast the wheat

The protein level in the soy beans will determine the tastiness of the soy sauce, while the sugar level in the wheat will determine the aroma of the soy sauce.


2.
Here comes ‘Koji’

Bringing these two ingredients together requires Koji. Simply put, Koji is a type of mold, and the most important step in soy sauce making! At 30 degrees Celsius, Koji releases enzymes which decompose the soybeans and the wheat. It takes 3 days to fully activate the Koji.

3.Gassy Moromi

Transfer the Koji mixture, now called Moromi, to the Kioke barrels (these are the wooden barrels used by traditional soy sauce makers, a good barrel can last up to a century!) and add salt and water to the mixture. This mixture has to be stirred constantly (with a Kaibou stick) to remove gasses during the fermentation.

Saishikomi – double brewed soy sauce goes through another fermentation process.

Regular Soy Sauce: Single fermentation process. Aged for flavor development. Saishikomi Soy Sauce: The moromi is mixed with soy sauce for a second fermentation. (instead of just salt water) Extended aging and maturation for complexity.

4.Moromi to beautiful liquid

Spread the fermented mash from the Moromi into traditional cloth, repeating the process in multiple layers. These layers of cloth are then pressed by a machine, called Assaku, to refine the mash and release liquid. The liquid released at this step is a beautiful reddish brown and indicates the freshness of the sauce. It takes 10 days to completely press out the liquid from the cloth.

5. Bottled!

Once the raw soy sauce has been removed from the Assaku, it will be heated up to stop the fermentation process, thus killing bacteria, and adding additional deep and roasted flavors to the final sauce.
Soy Sauce is bottled and packaged!

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