On 8/10/2015 3:29 PM, cshenk wrote:
> dsi1 wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
>> On 8/10/2015 1:45 PM, cshenk wrote:
>>> dsi1 wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>>>
>>>> On Sunday, August 9, 2015 at 7:56:29 AM UTC-10, cshenk wrote:
>>>>> dsi1 wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 8/8/2015 8:54 AM, cshenk wrote:
>>>>>>> notbob wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 2015-08-07, dsi1 > wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> You're the one that brings up the idea that umami is not
>>>>>>>>> real.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Actually, I brought up the idea that the term "umami" may
>>>>>>>> be unnecessary and was asking for opinions.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I think that for most Americans, umami is not real.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I think it's only the term "umami" that is unreal for
>>>>>>>> Americans, despite the fact we've been eating it for
>>>>>>>> decades. Kinda like the term "shoyu", which I've never
>>>>>>>> heard from anyone, but yerself, my entire life. I've
>>>>>>>> heard of "umami" (though I spelled it wrong), but never
>>>>>>>> "shoyu", depite enjoying my first soy sauce over 60 yrs
>>>>>>>> ago.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> nb
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Smile, actually you see me use it in posted recipes all the
>>>>>>> time and the term. It's just japanese for soy sauce. More
>>>>>>> commonly heard in Japan (of course) and Hawaii because they
>>>>>>> are about 30% Japanese extract.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> What i did not like in Hawaii was the local shoyu called
>>>>>>> Aloha. Oddly sweet with less flavor. Preferred brand is a
>>>>>>> thicker Datu Puti.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Carol
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Aloha probably tastes weird to people not raised on the stuff.
>>>>>> Oddly enough, it's Hawaii's favorite shoyu. As an added bonus,
>>>>>> it's fairly cheap!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It was Aloha that invented hydrolyzed shoyu product after the
>>>>>> war because we needed a lot of shoyu and we wanted it
>>>>>> yesterday. And the rest is history.
>>>>>
>>>>> Yup! It tastes sweet and sort of insipidly pallid compared to a
>>>>> true brew and sorry if that doesnt match what you'd hoped to
>>>>> hear. I'm not being mean, its just a developed taste to like
>>>>> it. Conversely you might not like a fuller sort.
>>>>
>>>> I expect nothing less than your honest opinion. My point is that
>>>> we like it and I'm fully aware that it tastes kind of weird. I
>>>> don't recommend that anybody use Aloha Shoyu unless they were
>>>> raised on the stuff. If they used Aloha on the table in
>>>> restaurants on the mainland, people would probably be put off but
>>>> I'd be as happy as a clam. Possibly they might use Aloha in L&L
>>>> restaurants on the mainland.
>>>>
>>>> People over here also like real shoyu too - Yamasa and of course,
>>>> Kikkoman. I also like Pearl River Dark soy sauce although it's
>>>> hard to find. I have to look in Chinese markets and if I'm lucky,
>>>> there will be a dusty shelf in the back with a forgotten bottle.
>>>> I use that only for cooking, there's no way I'd have that on the
>>>> table.
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> For those who have not tried Aloha Shoyu (hard to find outside
>>>>> Hawaii), it is a lighter colored, thinner 'soy sauce' with a
>>>>> sweet undertone. It's not terrible but if you were raised to a
>>>>> deeper colored thicker version, you might find it just doesnt
>>>>> work.
>>>>>
>>>>> Conversely recipes from Genuine Hawaiian cookery tend to use it
>>>>> (unless stated other brand) so be careful to reduce the soy you
>>>>> may be using if a more full flavored sort. Theirs has the
>>>>> advantage that it will not overwhelm if you actually dip a
>>>>> whole piece of meat in it then grill.
>>>>>
>>>>> One recipe from Hawaii that worked well for us and was Aloha
>>>>> shoyu specific. Roasted corn brushed all over with aloha.
>>>>> Rather nice!
>>>>>
>>>>> Carol
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>
>>> Grin, I've sed Kikkoman in a pinch. I really like Datu Puti brand
>>> best of all. You may be able to find it there too. Pearl River
>>> dark isnTt bad either but Datu Puti suits us to a T.
>>>
>>> Seriously, Aloha does a nifty job with the corn on the cob though.
>>> Roasted, you peel it back, dip or mist it then pull the wrapper back
>>> about and roast it.
>>>
>>> Carol
>>>
>>
>> Boy that sounds kinda goofy - shoyu and corn. I guess I'll have to
>> try it since you planted that seed in my brain pan.
>
> LOL, it is goofy but good! Umami corn. It's not soaked in it, just
> dipped (or rolled in a low flat pan/plate) then roast it. Flip it fast
> through the aloha and cover then roast on the grill.
>
> Carol
>

I was at an L & L this evening and had some sum choy and it was tasty.
Sum choy is a green leafy vegetable with tender stalks. It was simply
prepared by boiling in water. It was served with a delicious sauce that
made the whole thing memorable. The sauce tasted like shoyu but was damn
delicious. The owner said it was shoyu (probably Aloha) with a small
amount of oyster sauce and some oil. Amazing how something so simple can
be so awesome.