Yamashin, White Soy Sauce, 900ml
The soy sauce that seasons without staining. Pale gold, mostly wheat, made for dishes where ordinary soy would turn everything brown.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Salt and umami, no colour: seasons dashi, chawanmushi and clear broths without the brown stain of dark soy.
- Mostly wheat, not soy: roughly 90% wheat flips the usual recipe, which is where the pale gold colour and the clean, mellow sweetness come from.
- Nama, unpasteurised: bottled live and aged about a year, so it keeps an aroma that heat-treated soy loses.
- From Hekinan, where it was invented: shiro shoyu was born in this corner of Aichi, and Yamashin still brews it there.
How to Use
- Chawanmushi and clear soups: the classic use, full seasoning while the broth stays pale.
- Dashimaki tamago: seasons a rolled omelette without dulling the yellow of the egg.
- Takikomi gohan and pickles: flavours rice and quick pickles while keeping every ingredient its own colour.
- Off-piste: salt a ceviche, finish a beurre blanc or a risotto, season anything pale you don't want to brown.
Shiro shoyu is written 白醤油, "white soy sauce". It was developed in Hekinan, in the Mikawa region of Aichi, around 1802, and the town has been a brewing centre ever since. The trick is the grain. Ordinary koikuchi soy sauce is built mostly on soybeans, which is what makes it dark and strongly flavoured. Shiro shoyu reverses that, brewing from roughly 90% wheat and a small share of soybeans, so it ferments to a clear pale gold instead of brown. Yamashin brews this one in Hekinan, leaves it unpasteurised and ages it for about a year. The result is a seasoning chefs reach for when the colour of the dish matters as much as the taste.
What does white soy sauce taste like?
Lighter and sweeter than the soy sauce most people know. The high wheat content gives it a mellow, almost malty sweetness up front, with a clean salinity behind it and a gentle umami that does not dominate a dish. It is far less aggressive than dark koikuchi soy, so it seasons without shouting. Being unpasteurised, it carries a fresh, slightly fragrant note that cooked-down soy loses. The defining feature, though, is what you see rather than what you taste: it adds full savoury depth while leaving broths, custards and rice their natural colour. A drop tells you it is soy; the pot stays pale.
| Type | Shiro Shoyu (白醤油, white soy sauce) |
| Brand | Yamashin, Hekinan, Aichi |
| Key Feature | Roughly 90% wheat; seasons without darkening; unpasteurised, aged about a year |
| Origin | Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, Japan |
| Volume / Format | 900ml bottle |
| Best Used As | A light seasoning soy for pale dishes, soups, egg and rice |
What is the difference between white soy sauce and normal soy sauce?
Normal (koikuchi) soy sauce is brewed mostly from soybeans, which makes it dark, strong and slightly bitter. White soy sauce (shiro shoyu) reverses the recipe, using roughly 90% wheat to a small share of soybeans. That gives a pale gold liquid with a milder, sweeter taste. The point of it is colour: it seasons a dish to full strength without turning it brown, which is why it suits clear soups, custards and pale rice where dark soy would ruin the look.
Can I use white soy sauce in non-Japanese cooking?
Yes, and it earns its place. Treat it as a clear seasoning that adds salt and umami without colour. It works to finish a risotto or a beurre blanc, to season a ceviche or a dressing, and anywhere you want savoury depth in a pale dish without the brown of dark soy. Chefs use it as a quiet upgrade on plain salt when the look of the plate matters.
How should I store white soy sauce after opening?
Because this one is unpasteurised, keep it in the fridge once opened and use it within a few weeks for the brightest flavour. White soy sauce is more delicate than dark soy and will lose its pale colour and fresh character faster if left warm or in the light. Keep the cap closed and store it cold.
SKU : S0069