Soy Sauce

Hong shao, or red-cooking, is a popular way to prepare meats in the Shanghai region of eastern China. Simmering in dark soy sauce gives the meat a reddish color and the dish its name. Red-cooked dishes often include a mix of meat and vegetables and are similar to a western stew. The sauce produced during hong shao cooking is sometimes reserved and used again and again, improving in flavor with each use. Families and restaurants often claim sauces that reach back for generations. Read more »

Kecap manis (pronounced like "ketchup") is a ubiquitous ingredient in Indonesian cooking. If you are unable to find it at your local Asian market, this recipe is an approximation. This soy-based sauce is the origin of the word "ketchup," even though the original Indonesian version contains no tomatoes. Read more »