Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
There May be Alcohol in Your Fried Rice
Kikkoman naturally brewed soy sauce contains alcohol
even though ingredient list on the package does not show it.
By Syed Rasheeduddin Ahmed
Posted: 5 Jamad-ul-Awwal 1422, 26 July 2001
Due to the presence of 2% alcohol, a spirit
duty is imposed on naturally brewed soy sauce in United Kingdom. |
The naturally brewed soy sauce is made with soybeans, salt and wheat. The soybeans are
steeped in water for 16 hours; then the soaked beans are dehulled and cooked. The beans
mixed with wheat flour or grit are inoculated with fungi Aspergillus orzyae and incubated
for three days with occasional stirring. This is called the Koji stage. The resulting
material is mixed with brine. A ferment dominated by yeasts and lactic acid bacteria then
develops, this being Mormi stage. After an incubation of one month to three years, a dark
salty liquid with a pleasant savory aroma is drained from the fermentation vessel,
clarified, pasteurized and packaged for sale. Yeast growth is vigorous during incubation
period and the production of carbon dioxide indicates that an alcoholic fermentation is
taking place. Typically, a full brewed soy sauce will contain between 1 and 2 % (V/V)
ethanol. Due to the presence of 2% alcohol, a spirit duty is imposed on naturally brewed
soy sauce in United Kingdom.
There are two kind of soy sauce is available in USA and Canada. One is naturally brewed
soy sauce supplied by Kikkoman Company with 1.7% or more alcohol and the other is the
acidified hydrolyzed soy protein soy sauce (All purpose Seasoning) by ConAgra's Company
under LA Choy brand name. The Kikkoman Soy sauce (made with soybean, wheat and salt) is a haram
product due to the presence of 1.7% or more alcohol. La Choy soy sauce is a halal
soy sauce, which is made with water, hydrolyzed soy protein, corn syrup, caramel color and
potassium sorbate with kosher symbol K.
Most Chinese restaurants use naturally brewed soy sauce in cooking the Chinese foods
such as vegetable fried rice and also provide it in the bottles on the serving tables.
Some Chinese restaurants also supply the soy sauce in small packets with ingredient list
and have been found to contain acidified soy protein hydrolyzed soy sauce and not the haram
soy sauce.
A Chinese restaurant on Devon Ave. in Chicago made Chinese food with zabiha meat but
cooked with --- and supplied for table use--- haram soy sauce from Kikkoman
Company.
Ask your Chinese Restaurant what Soy Sauce
they use. |
Muslims are advised to inquire about the use of Kikkoman soy sauce in preparation of
Chinese foods such as vegetable fried rice and soy sauce supplied in bottles on serving
tables.
Halal 