Dark soy sauce

This article is about Chinese dark soy sauce. For other dark-coloured soy sauces, see Soy sauce.

Dark soy sauce

Type	Soy sauce
Place of origin	China
Associated cuisine	Chinese cuisine Taiwanese cuisine
Media: Dark soy sauce

In Chinese cuisine, dark soy sauce (Chinese: 老抽; pinyin: lǎo chōu) is a dark-coloured soy sauce used mainly for adding colour and flavour to dishes. It is richer, slightly thicker, and less salty than other types of soy sauce. As the Chinese name lǎo chōu (lit. 'old extract') suggests, it is also aged longer. It is often sweetened by adding molasses or other sweetening agents. Dark soy sauce is often used in stews, stir-fries, and sauces. It is used in dishes requiring colours, such as red cooked dishes.

Name

Chinese names
Mandarin
Chinese	老抽
Literal meaning	old extract
Hanyu Pinyin	lǎo chōu
Bopomofo	ㄌㄠˇㄔㄡ
Wade–Giles	lao3 ch'ou1
Yale Romanization	lǎu chōu
IPA	[làʊ.ʈʂʰóʊ]
Cantonese
Traditional Chinese	老抽
Yale Romanization	lóuh chāu
Jyutping	lou5 cau1
IPA	[lou˩˧.tsʰɐu˥]

The Chinese word lǎo chōu (Chinese: 老抽), meaning "old extract", is shortened from the word lǎo tóu chōu (simplified Chinese: 老头抽; traditional Chinese: 老頭抽), meaning "old man extract". It contrasts with shēng chōu (Chinese: 生抽) or "raw extract", usually referred to as "light soy sauce" in English sources.

See also

• Soup soy sauce
• Sweet soy sauce