Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Sweet Soy Sauce


Sweet soy sauce

Unlock the perfect flavour pairings for sweet soy sauce according to data science. Explore unique recipes and discover the hidden mathematics of flavour.

Sweet soy sauce instantly conjures the evocative embrace of glutamate and the bracing kiss of molasses, woven with delicate hints of caramel, protease, and brine that give it remarkable depth. Understanding how these layered flavours work together is the secret to unlocking truly exceptional pairings.

To chart these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, each deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, pinpointing the notes that best complement this ingredient’s profile. Our findings reveal, for instance, how greens's leafy tones can carry sweet soy sauce, or how mustard greens's brassica notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the warm sweetness.

Flavour Profile Of Sweet Soy Sauce Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour

Flavour notes evoked by sweet soy sauce

Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Sweet soy sauce: Caramel, Molasses, Glutamic, Proteolytic, Raisin, Saline, Maple, Balsam, Ficus, Sugary, Oxidized, Acetic, Anise, Honeyed, Coffee, Cocoa, Vanillic, Allicin, Charred


An ingredient's flavour comes from its core characteristics, like maillard, nectarous, and acidic, combined with its unique aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim to include a broad variety of core characteristics for a balanced dish. And choose aroma notes that complement each other for a harmonious combination.

Unlocking Flavour Combinations


To understand exactly which flavours harmonise, we compiled a database of over 50,000 ingredient pairings commonly used in cooking. We then analysed these pairings, identifying the specific flavour notes that frequently appear together.


The Flavours That Harmonise With Caramel Notes

Strength of Association Between Flavours

The flavours most associated with caramel notes are: Brassica, Rosemary, Peppercorn, Sage, Petrichor, Camphor, Chanterelle, Mustard, Grassy, Bay leaf, Leafy, Dried Porcini, Ferrous, Eucalyptus, Thyme.

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between caramel and cabbage flavours. Since sweet soy sauce has a distinct caramel flavour, try pairing it with the cabbagy flavours of mustard greens.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing sweet soy sauce with mustard greens.

  • Harmonious Flavours Of Sweet Soy Sauce


    Just as our statistical analysis showed that caramel and cabbagy flavours are often combined, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in sweet soy sauce. For instance, the fermented proteins flavours of sweet soy sauce are strongly associated with bay leaf and green notes.

    The aroma accents associated with the various aromas of sweet soy sauce can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

    Flavour Profile Of Sweet Soy Sauce And Its Complementary Flavour Notes

    Flavour notes evoked by sweet soy sauce

    Flavours complementary to sweet soy sauce

    Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Sweet soy sauce: Caramel, Molasses, Glutamic, Proteolytic, Raisin, Saline, Maple, Balsam, Ficus, Sugary, Oxidized, Acetic, Anise, Honeyed, Coffee, Cocoa, Vanillic, Allicin, Charred


    Matching Flavour Profiles


    The flavour profile of greens offers many of the notes complementary to sweet soy sauce, including leafy and grassy aroma notes. Because the flavour profile of greens has many of the of the features that are complementary to sweet soy sauce, they are likely to pair very well together.

    Prominent Flavour Notes Of Greens Are Represented By Longer Bars

    Flavour notes evoked by greens

    Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Greens: Chlorophyll, Spinach, Grassy, Basil, Brassica, Iron, Thyme, Sulfurous, Sage, Mustard, Astringent, Gentian, Rosemary, Pea, Poivre, Tea-Like, Menthol, Bay leaf, Tomatoey, Celery, Asparagus, Coriander seed, Allicin, Petrichor, Onion


    The chart above shows the unique profile of greens across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with sweet soy sauce.


    Recipes That Pair Sweet Soy Sauce With Greens


  • Linked Flavour Notes


    Looking at the aromas that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of sweet soy sauce, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

    Sweet Soy Sauce's Harmonious Flavours And Complementary Ingredients

    Sweet soy sauce's Strongest Flavours

    Complementary Flavours

    Ingredients with Complementary Flavours





    Flavour groups:


    Nectarous

    Acidic

    Floral

    Herbal

    Spice

    Vegetal

    Maillard

    Earthy

    Carnal

    The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of sweet soy sauce, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to sweet soy sauce.


    What To Drink With Sweet Soy Sauce


    The brassica notes in kale juice make it a perfect pairing with sweet soy sauce. Likewise, the bay leaf flavours in perricone create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of sweet soy sauce below.




    Which Vegetables Go With Sweet Soy Sauce?


    Choose vegetables that ground its sweetness or anchor its fermented aroma. Greens and broccoli offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Pak choi add a gentle, oniony brightness, while tenderstem broccoli introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

    Alternatively, embrace vegetables that harmonise with sweet soy sauce's salinity. The addition of white cabbage, with its subtle hexenal notes, can complement the brine beautifully, while baby bok choy lends a pungent vegetal notes.

    How Flavonomics Works


    We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

    Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

    Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

    We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

    These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Sweet soy sauce), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.


    Explore More


    Discover more ingredient profiles and expand your culinary knowledge. Each ingredient page offers detailed analysis of flavour profiles, pairing insights, and culinary applications.



    The content on our analysis blog is semi-automated. All of the words were manually written by a human, but the content is updated dynamically based on the data.