Madhouse Family Reviews: Amoy Special Selection Soy Sauce review

As you'll know if you've been following my weekly menu plan blogposts, last week I knocked up a delicious Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry. It was such a resounding success that the Madhouse Mini-testers asked if I could make it again. I based it on this recipe and packed in loads of fresh veggies - red onion, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, yellow pepper, courgettes. I marinated the beef in some spices (smoked paprika, Cayenne pepper, Montreal steak seasoning, garlic pepper, thyme, oregano, lime juice) and decided to use a splash of soy sauce instead of the red wine or sherry.

This was perfect timing for trying out the Special Selection Soy Sauce that Amoy had sent me through to review. I often add a splash of soy sauce to stir fries but I'm far from being an expert - in fact, I never know if I should be using dark or light - so I was interested to learn that this is the first time that a premium soy sauce has been created. The official blurb explains : "Based on a unique recipe, Amoy Special Selection Soy Sauce uses the earliest and purest extracts of soy beans; the secret ingredient which provides the distinctly rich flavour. The premium soy sauce is then naturally brewed using only the best quality whole Soya beans, all of which are fully traceable from field to bottle. Amoy Special Selection Soy Sauce contains no artificial colours or flavours and is created using an authentic Oriental recipe based on traditional methods, using more than 100 years of expertise in brewing and brewing soy sauce."

Having seen the words "intense and full bodied flavour unlike other standard soy sauces", I was worried that it would be incredibly salty - it isn't, it has more of a yeasty-flavour - and although it definitely packs more of a punch than standard soy sauce, it doesn't overpower the flavours of the other ingredients. Just don't be too heavy-handed with it because a little goes a long way.