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| Chinatown Soy Sauce |
Chinatown soy sauce is a great product, and I’m so glad to have discovered it. Finding a truly low sodium soy sauce – what a journey it has been! Before CHF (congestive heart failure), we used Kikkoman regular soy sauce: 920 mg sodium/tbsp. Once my husband was placed on a salt restricted diet, we switched to the “less sodium” version: 575 mg sodium/tbsp. Lower but not exactly low sodium. You can imagine my joy when I discovered World Harbor Angostura Lite Soy Sauce with only 380 mg sodium/tbsp at our local supermarket. Much better! But sadly, as often happens in the low sodium world, the grocery store stopped carrying it and eventually World Harbor stopped making it. Not to worry – Healthy Heart Market to the rescue. It carried House of Tsang Less Sodium Soy Sauce with only 320 mg sodium/tbsp. Even better!
In the meantime, several folks touted the low sodium content of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. The problem is that most of the people hyping the low sodium properties of Bragg’s hadn’t done the math correctly. One single teaspoon contains 320 mg sodium. That works out to a whopping 960 mg per tablespoon (more than Kikkoman’s regular). I didn’t see how that could be considered a truly low salt alternative.
Then, of course, there were all the DIY salt free/super low sodium soy sauce recipes available online and in cookbooks. I tried a few of them and was not pleased with the results. They all seem to be basically some sort of combination of beef broth, molasses, and vinegar with a bit of ginger and garlic thrown in for good measure. That combo didn’t taste good to me. Plus not every Chinese dish worked well with beef broth, molasses, and vinegar. And the homemade mixtures didn’t last long in the fridge.
Anyhow, I ordered House of Tsang faithfully for a several years. But eventually Healthy Heart Market started carrying an even lower sodium soy sauce option: Chinatown. It’s the lowest sodium by far ‒ only 145 mg. per tablespoon. Now that’s super low! And it tastes pretty good. True, it doesn't have the more refined taste of saltier soy sauces, but it's a very good low sodium option. And apparently it’s very popular for cooking authentic Jamaican dishes.
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| Only 145 mg Sodium/Tbsp |
Chinatown is available online at Healthy Heart Market, Amazon, and at Jamaican Products.com. Depending on where you purchase it, there may be some shipping costs and a slightly higher price tag. But, for me, it’s worth it. It’s one of the few products I would order no matter what the cost.
It has freed me to cook more Chinese style food. I look for recipes that do not call for more than ¼ cup of soy sauce to start with. Instead of the ¼ cup, I’ll generally just use 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce. However, since Chinatown is so low in sodium, I may use 2 - 4 tbsp when preparing a dish that serves 4 and with no worries whatsoever.
I realize that Chinatown may not taste as good to some as the higher quality, authentic Chinese or Japanese sauces. And it may not appeal to those with more refined palates. But, hey, we’re talking low sodium cooking. It tastes pretty good and is definitely much better than the DIY concoctions. To me, it’s the perfect soy sauce solution when you’re following a low sodium diet.
For more about my search for a good low sodium soy sauce, click HERE.
For another low sodium soy sauce alternative, click HERE.
13 comments:
Chinese style, Love it. I just ordered a bottle. Thank you
I, too, use this one and like it very much! Highly recommended! You're right, it's not the same umami as other soy sauces, but I can live with that!
I disagree that Chinatown Soy Sauce doesn't taste quite as good as some of the other high-sodium varieties. In my opinion, it tastes better — far better!
I've never been a fan of salty food and always steered clear of adding extra soy sauce because of it. After developing Meniere's disease (an inner ear thing), the doctor put me on a low-sodium diet. Like others, I began looking around for low- and no-sodium products. I found Healthy Heart Market, where I discovered ChinaTown Soy Sauce. On a whim, I ordered some and loved it! It's soy sauce without the overpowering saltiness of regular soy sauce. I'd continue to use it even if I wasn't on a low-sodium diet.
Cory, I agree with you. I think Chinatown tastes fine. My reference was that some others might not think it tastes as good as more authentic Japanese or Chinese soy sauces. For some, not me, soy sauce is akin to fine wine. Lots of nuance.
I'm just glad there is a tasty and low sodium alternative out there for us. I've never been a fan of the homemade versions. And, apparently, Chinatown brand is very popular in Jamaican cooking.
Hi, would this go well with sushi? Thanks!!
Christine, this soy sauce is great for sushi. You can mix in a little wasabi powder for a bit of kick. If you want to cut down the sodium even more, add a few teaspoons of water to dilute the soy sauce.
I wanted to let you know that Chinatown is now "Eaton's Chinatown Soy Sauce," and while they are still claiming it is "Low Sodium," it is no longer low sodium and contains 470mg of sodium per tablespoon. The original soy sauce can no longer be found. I was crushed to see this and more than a little concerned as they are claiming it is low sodium and I do hope that people check out the actual sodium content before buying. Fortunately, users on Amazon are sounding the alert.
I had a great ride with Chinatown. Alas, my soy sauce days are now over.
The bottle now looks like this.
https://exoticglobalproducts.com/products/eatons-chinatown-soy-sauce-dark-10oz-6-pack
I just heard about this change the other day. It is so disappointing! It's gone from 145/tablespoon to 470 per tablespoon. That's quite a jump!
The only thing close is Coconut Aminos at 270/tablespoon. However, I did find "Best of Thailand" Lite soy sauce on Amazon. It's 270 mg sodium per tablespoon. I ordered some to try. The numbers are not as good as the old Chinatown, but a lot better than the new version. Good luck with you searches for a soy sauce alternative.
I am crushed! I was so happy to be able to use soy sauce.
Would you please let us know how the Best Of Thailand Soy Sauce works out for you? I always purchased my Chinatown in a 3 bottle pack from a jamaican products web site. Fortunately I have 3 bottles left so I have a Stay, so to speak. So I am on the lookout up ahead.
-Tosca, formerly anonymous.
Tosca, I have a couple of bottles of the Old Chinatown too. But I'm going to make a point of breaking into the Best of Thailand soon just to see if it tastes good. Here's crossing my fingers!
I was really excited after reading this post, and went to find a bottle. Unfortunately, like the anonymous person noted, I found that they had changed it.
I would like to know how the Best of Thailand tasted. My wife had started a diet that seriously limits salt. We've been able to use potassium based salt, but I'd really like to find a soy sauce I could use in my Asian entree recipes.
I completely understand your frustration. I, too, was disappointed when I discovered that Chinatown had changed their formula. So far, I'm pretty happy with Best of Thailand. Obviously, it's saltier, but the overall flavor is fine.
Has anyone tried Pacific Island American Soy Sauce @ 250mg sodium?
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