The best Korean soy sauce to buy from Sempio is the only one you may need for all your Korean cooking needs at home. The Joseon Ganjang is a traditional Korean soy sauce and Sempio’s Yangjo Ganjang 501 or 701 are all-purpose soy sauces that will work with any recipe.

SEMPIO Soy Sauce Ingredients

Joseon Ganjang (Traditional Korean Soy Sauce)

Sempio’s Joseon Ganjang contains only 4 ingredients: Purified water, Meju (Korean-style fermented whole soybeans dried into blocks), sea salt and fermented spirits.

This type of soy sauce (saltier, lighter in colour) is usually reserved for use in soups and for dressing Namul Banchan (side dishes using greens or herbs). However with a little DIY on your part, you can make this type of soy sauce work for any recipe.

How to make All-Purpose soy sauce from Traditional Korean soy sauce

1. Make an equal amount of broth to how much soy sauce you plan to make. Do small batches that will last 1-2 weeks. A classic broth may contain: Dried anchovies, kelp, onion, leeks, dried mushrooms, apples, Korean pears. You are basically using a flavoured broth to water down the soy sauce and fruits add a subtle sweetness. Depending on your taste preference or dietary restrictions, you can add sugar to taste- some prefer to add a sugar substitute like oligosaccharide syrup or plum syrup. Honey or Maple Syrup would work as a sugar substitute as well, but you may find their flavours too overpowering.

2. Bring broth to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain broth of all ingredients.

3. Add soy sauce and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let cool.

4. Transfer to a handsome container and store in the fridge.

Example small-batch homemade sweetened soy sauce

( Ratio* 1:1 Soy sauce to water, with half the amount in sugar )

• 1 C Joseon Soy Sauce

• 1C Broth (3-5 pieces dried anchovies, apple, onion, dried mushrooms)

• 1/2C Sugar of choice (adjust to taste)

  * adjust amount of broth/soy sauce/ sugar to your preference! Fully customizable.

Yangjo Ganjang 501 or 701 (naturally brewed soy sauce)

Yangjo Ganjang is Sempio’s naturally brewed soy sauce. They call it “brewed” because similar to the technique used for brewing beer; wheat is added to soybeans and inoculated with mold to start the fermentation process. Processing this soy sauce takes 6 months of fermentation and it is seen as a quality all-purpose soy sauce to use at home.

difference between sempio 501 vs 701

The main difference between Sempio’s 501 and 701 is the TN Value which stands for Total Nitrogen. This number indicates the level of protein and is used in Korea and Japan to grade soy sauce quality. Sempio 501 has a TN value of 1.5% and the Sempio 701’s TN number is 1.7%. Numbers between 1.5% ~ 1.8% TN are considered “premium” products (interestingly, there are no mainstream products with a TN number 1.8%).

Both of Sempio’s Yangjo soy sauces are made with defatted soybeans (chemically processed whole soybean powders, extracted for maximum proteins and less fats) rather than whole soybeans. Keep in mind most Yangjo Ganjang (brewed soy sauces) use defatted soy and it is a typical practice in the soy sauce industry all over the world.

Sempio Yangjo soy sauce 501 contains: Purified water, defatted soy meal, wheat, sea salt, fructose additives, fermented spirits, yeast.

Sempio Yangjo soy sauce 701 contains: Purified water, defatted soy meal, wheat, sea salt, oligosaccharide, fermented spirits, yeast extract, licorice extract.

Other than Sempio 701’s 0.2% higher TN number, the 701 contains oligosaccharide (“healthier” sugar) instead of fructose and adds yeast extract (nutritious and flavourful) rather than yeast. It also adds licorice extract (thought to help with digestion). You will notice this product will be a few dollars more.

Most households have a Yangjo Ganjang as their all-purpose soy sauce. This soy sauce has the flavour profile that all Asian recipes will call for: Savoury but sweet as well. Personally, I don’t mind the minimal differences between the 501 and 701- they are both naturally fermented products and the only deal-breaker for some may be in the choice of sweetening agent. I just grab what’s on sale 😁.

Those with food sensitivities (like gluten) will enjoy Sempio’s Joseon Ganjang. I am slowly trying to get used to sweetening this soy sauce myself but have to admit it is an extra step that feels burdensome when life gets busy. Many people stock both! Especially if you make a lot of soups or marinades, you may find you like Joseon soy sauce’s saltiness because you can use much less.

Sempio Soy Sauce Substitutes

If you’re a reader of the blog, you may know that I am a big fan of Chung Jung One soy sauces. Chung Jung One is a popular brand as well and you will most likely find either Sempio or Chung Jung One (if not both) products at your local Korean grocery. I choose Chung Jung One soy sauces because they do not use chemical sauce at all in any of the soy sauces. Although it is a cost-effective processing method, they have committed to not adding any and I respect that.

They have many, many types of soy sauce to choose from, unfortunately we won’t find their full selection outside of Korea. But you can rest easy knowing that no matter which soy sauce you choose from Chung Jung One, they will be a truly fermented product without any hydrolyzed sauce. Unlike Sempio’s entry-level soy sauces- read about Sempio’s Worst Soy Sauces here.

Also, I enjoy their cheeky humour. This woman (actress Hyun-Kyung Uhm) is having a hard time shopping for soy sauce.

She thinks, “Jin soy sauce, Yangjo soy sauce, Joseon soy sauce, chemical blended soy sauce… ugh, so complicated”

Then declares with a sigh, “Soy sauce? Damn it!”

It’s funnier in Korean because the word soy sauce and the slang term for damn (which is used like fml) rhymes. This ad created some waves because of the light swearing offended… some people. Another thing I find funny is that even Koreans living in Korea consuming soy sauce on the daily also have trouble differentiating and choosing the right one for their needs.

Which Korean soy sauce do you stock in your kitchen?