If a recipe calls for tamari, can I use plain soy sauce instead? If using one for the other, what effect would it have on a recipe?
What’s the difference between tamari and soy sauce
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Best Answer
I have a bottle of San-J Tamari (black label) in my fridge and the back reads:
In my experience, I use a little less tamari when substituting it for regular soy sauce. As Sean mentioned, it's definitely a bit stronger than regular soy sauce. I eyeball most of the time, but I'd say I use 1/2 to 3/4 portion of tamari when substituting it for regular soy sauce.
I reach for the tamari when I want a bit more of a complex flavor on something plain like rice - when the soy sauce is to be the star of the dish, essentially. I tend to use regular soy sauce when mixing into a larger homemade sauce or where the soy sauce flavor will blend into the background because the recipe calls for so many other strong ingredients.
Oh, and tamari seems to add a bit of an almost "smoky" flavor, it seems.