Shoyu Sauce
May 7, 2013 § 4 Comments
This is another “It’s not you, it’s me” posts. Meaning, this is a recipe I have kept on a slip of paper for well over a year now and if I lose it, I’d have NO idea how to recreate the proportions correctly. So, yes, I do hope you enjoy this recipe, but really, I’m putting it out there so I have a place to find it.
Okay, about this “I can’t remember it but I can’t live without it” recipe. If you live in the Boston/Cambridge area and you are a vegetarian, you have eaten at a crunchy, mostly raw food place called Life Alive. Think wheat grass juices, chia seed smoothies, barely cooked kale-based warm salads topped with marinated tofu, red lentils, quinoa and all sorts of good-for-you things. And quite tasty, too. Most of these salads are topped with an addictive ginger nama shoyu-based dressing. What’s nama shoyu? Good question. The short answer without going into the details (because I don’t know the details) is it’s an unpasteurized soy sauce. One taste of it and you must either eat every meal at Life Alive or find a DIY recipe.
I am not sure exactly where I found this recipe, but whoever it belongs to, I thank you immensely. Absolutely love it. We’ve only used it as a salad dressing but it could also be used to marinate tofu or top cooked veggies and rice. Is this exactly like the dressing at Life Alive? Not really, but that gives us an excuse to go back.
Shoyu Sauce 
1/2 cup nama shoyu
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tbs agave
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 inch ginger, grated
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp lime
Combine all ingredients in a blender and liquify. Or combine in a high-sided bowl and use an immersion blender to whirr it all together.
A note about the ginger. We keep our ginger in the freezer because a) it won’t shrivel up in there like it does in the fridge and b) frozen ginger is WAY easier to grate with a microplane. It’s also easier to peel if frozen. Give it a try if you aren’t familiar with this technique.
Suggestions for what else to use this sauce with? Leave a comment below.
The Dainty Dot 
Ellen–I don’t know how I missed this (actually, I do know–I missed your question on our FB page from last–God, I’m so ashamed–February about shaping bread loaves), but it looks good enough to Pin. Where do I find nama shoyu? Thanks. Ken
P.S. I’m sure there are good bread classes around, although I’m self-taught. Practice, practice, practice. Your loaves look fine to me. 🙂
Ken, thanks for the read! I get my nama shoyu at Whole Foods, right next to the soy sauce. I use the dressing as a tofu marinade, as well, then quickly sear and toss it either into a salad or into my version of a bahn mi.
About the bread – I find myself making pita and lavash a whole lot more : ) No loaf shaping required, just a firm hold on the rolling pin. But I know, I need to get back into practice. You’re right.
I assume you’ve seen Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid’s FLATBREADS–it’s a classic and filled with amazing recipes. Ken
I haven’t, Ken! I will definitely check it out, thanks.