Soy sauce is an indispensable part of our Bellevue Korean restaurant. It’s one of Korea’s most important seasonings, and a vital ingredient in many of the dishes we serve. But what, exactly, is soy sauce? Where does it come from, and what does it take to create this phenomenal taste sensation?

• The first step is to soak and steam the soybeans, then combine them with roasted grains of wheat.
• The next step is to cultivate koji mold in the mixture, which breaks down the proteins of the soy and the carbohydrates of the wheat into something that the Japanese call shoyu koji. This process takes about three days.
• The shoyu koji is mixed with salt water to ferment and age for several months.
• After the aging process, the shoyu koji has become a thick, mash-like substance. This substance is pressed and strained through a cloth to filter out the fluid. This is the “raw” soy sauce.
• The raw soy sauce is heated so as to pasteurize the mixture and arrest the chemical reactions, stabilizing the soy sauce. Now it is ready to be served!