Korean soy sauce noun

Korea's soy sauces, of which there are two everyday kinds with different jobs.

Salty and savoury; soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) is lighter in colour, saltier and cleaner, while all-purpose (jin-ganjang) is darker and sweeter.

Use soup soy sauce to season broths and namul without darkening them; use all-purpose for marinades, braises and dipping. Recipes that say simply soy sauce usually mean the all-purpose kind.

Traditional ganjang is the liquid drawn from doenjang fermentation, which is why the two share a jar in the family yard. Understanding the two types is the first thing a cook learns about the Korean pantry.