I always thought that my mother-in-law always cooked the most traditional foods.. I would have never guessed that the base to many of her dishes would be this special Apple Lemon Soy Sauce. This sauce has just the right amount of sweetness and fruity flavor that adds depth to a dish. The sauce is great for salads, fish jorims and marinades.
This recipe requires a bit of time (12 hrs +) but is really worth it so please try making some. The actual cooking time is less than 30 min. I did this after dinner last night. And the amount is enough to be used for months. You can also make a smaller batch by reducing the amount by half.
* You can buy Mirin at most Asian grocery stores. But if it’s not available, you can also substitute sherry or white wine and sugar (1 C sherry + 1/4 to 1/3 C sugar = 1 C mirin).
Step-by-Step Directions
1. Add soy sauce and water to pot and bring to a boil.
2. Turn off the heat and add sugar slowly to the pot. If sugar is added too much at once, the soy sauce may boil over even though the heat has been turned off.
3. Stir the pot to make sure all of the sugar is dissolved.
4. Now add the sake and mirin to the pot and turn the heat to high and bring to a boil again.
5. Core and cut up the apple and lemon into thin slices.
6. When the soy sauce mix boils, turn off the heat and add the apple and lemon slices to the pot.
7. Close the lid and keep the pot in a cool place for 12 hrs.
8. Take out the apple and lemon slices. Store the flavored soy sauce in containers for later use. If you live in a hot climate you may want to store the soy sauce in a fridge but it should keep for months in milder areas.
Recipes using this sauce is coming soon! In the mean time, try using this soy sauce as marinades for meats, as Jorim sauce for fishes and in salad dressings. Enjoy!
Apple Lemon Soy Sauce
Ingredients
- 10 C Soy Sauce (진간장 Jin Ganjang - Sampyo, Pulmuone Organic, Kikkoman are all good)
- 1 C Water
- 4 C sugar
- 1 C Sake or Rice Wine
- 1 C Mirin (Sweet rice wine)
- 1 Apple (Fuji or any other sweeter apples, sliced)
- 1 Lemon sliced
Instructions
- Add soy sauce and water to pot and bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat and add sugar slowly to the pot. If sugar is added too much at once, the soy sauce may boil over even though the heat has been turned off.
- Stir the pot to make sure all of the sugar is dissolved.
- Now add the sake and mirin to the pot and turn the heat to high and bring to a boil again.
- Core and cut up the apple and lemon into thin slices.
- When the soy sauce mix boils, turn off the heat and add the apple and lemon slices to the pot.
- Close the lid and keep the pot in a cool place for 12 hrs.
- Take out the apple and lemon slices. Store the flavored soy sauce in containers for later use. If you live in a hot climate you may want to store the soy sauce in a fridge but it should keep for months in milder areas.
I live in a very hot climate: most of the year it is 80 – 90 degrees F in the house. What temperature do you consider ‘cool place’ to let the soy sauce rest for the 12 hours?
BTW: love your website (I love when you give the descriptions/history/etc) and your recipes.
Hello, well, 80-90 F maybe a little too close to being warm but it should be OK. You are so welcome btw, thank you so much for loving my site.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe! 🙂
You are very welcome! It is a great sauce to have for fish jorim. I just made some yesterday and it turned out great. If it’s too sweet, just mix it with some regular soy sauce. Thanks!
I was wondering is there a non alcoholic substitute for the mirin and sake?
The reason for using mirin/sake is twofold: for the sweetness and for the alcohol to take away any fishy(?) taste or smell. Almost all of the alcohol evaporates when the soy sauce is boiled. But if you still want a non alcoholic substitute, try adding some white grape juice and water. Perhaps in same amount as mirin but with grape juice to water ratio as 4:1? Hope this helps!
Thanks JinJooshi, I will definitely try that! Your site is great between, I recently discovered it (and awesome find really!) and I’ve been enjoying reading through all your posts. The format works really well, it is great to hear about the health benefits of each meal.
Due to religious reasons, I cannot consume alcohol at all, so it would be great to have alternatives in the recipes. I always worry that leaving out the alcoholic ingredient will ruin the taste! 🙁