This Tamari Caramel Sauce Delivers Sweet and Salty Flavor and Might Help Boost Your Gut

Forward, we’re sharing a easy five-ingredient tamari caramel sauce recipe, courtesy of San-J. However first: a fast explainer on what tamari is and among the dietary advantages it stands to supply.

What’s tamari?

In case you’re unfamiliar with tamari, the condiment is also called Japanese soy sauce. Traditionally, “it was found {that a} very tasty liquid was gathered on the floor of miso¹ (fermented soybean paste) throughout its ripening course of,” explains Misako Binford, director of promoting at San-J. “The liquid was given the identify tamari, or ‘that which accumulates,’ and commenced for use as a seasoning.”

Tamari’s composition differs from that of normal soy sauce. Many sorts of tamari, together with these from San-J, include 100% soybeans and no wheat. In the meantime, typical soy sauce consists of roughly 50 p.c soybeans and 50 p.c wheat, Binford explains.

On condition that tamari tends to be wheat-free, it’s an incredible umami-rich different to soy sauce for these with celiac illness and gluten intolerance. As such, it might probably assist these of us keep away from digestive discomfort within the type of bloating and stomach ache, says IBS dietitian Jessie Wong, RDN. She provides that the fermentation course of used to make tamari additionally finally ends up supporting a wholesome intestine microbiome. However the perks don’t cease there.

“Tamari presents a number of dietary advantages that make it greater than only a flavorful condiment,” Wong continues. “It’s wealthy in antioxidants—notably isoflavones—which can assist scale back oxidative stress.” Per a 2022 evaluate within the journal Microorganisms, different soy and fermented soy merchandise—together with however not restricted to natto, tofu, tempeh, and the Korean condiment doenjang—may additionally play a job in preserving power diseases at bay, given their anti-inflammatory, anti-cholesterol, anti-cancer, and neuro-protective potential.

Why we love this tamari caramel sauce recipe

Frankly, there’s no cause to not love drizzling your ice cream of alternative with tasty toppings aplenty. Making your individual caramel sauce with tamari, nevertheless, can provide it an surprising oomph—to not point out freshness that beats options that pack loads of preservatives.

“Throughout soy sauce fermentation, soy protein is damaged down into amino acids, making a balanced taste with saltiness, sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and umami,” Binford shares. The top end result: a veritable social gathering on your palate. “Tamari offers the caramel sauce not solely saltiness but additionally richness and complexity. Candy and salty combos are identified to create layers of taste which many individuals discover scrumptious,” and this tamari caramel sauce isn’t any exception.

Tamari Caramel Sauce Recipe

Yields 1/2 cup of sauce

Elements

3 Tbsp San-J Tamari Much less Sodium Soy Sauce

3 Tbsp mirin

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1. Combine San-J tamari, mirin, and honey right into a heat-resistant bowl and microwave it for about 20-30 seconds to heat it up. Don’t let it boil.
2. Put sugar and water right into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and warmth it over medium-high warmth.
3. When the combination involves a boil, scale back the warmth to medium. Don’t stir the combination, in order to forestall the sugar from crystallizing. As an alternative, swirl the pan gently till the sugar melts and turns golden.
4. Take away the pan from the warmth and slowly and punctiliously combine within the heat tamari combination into the pot, stirring gently.
5. Put the pan again on medium-low warmth and warmth the sauce, stirring for about 2 minutes.
6. Flip off the warmth and let the tamari caramel sauce cool. The sauce thickens because it cools.
7. Drizzle the sauce over vanilla ice cream and luxuriate in!

When you’ve got leftovers, Binford suggests storing the tamari caramel sauce in an air-tight container. “It stays recent for as much as one week at room temperature, and two months within the fridge,” she says. Because it hardens upon refrigerating, merely heat up the sauce earlier than your subsequent use.

Higher but, you don’t need to restrict your drizzles to ice cream alone. “The tamari caramel sauce [also] works properly to serve with French toast, bread pudding, whipped cream, flan or custard pudding, banana crepes, apple crisps, and most apple desserts,” Binford shares. It could actually even complement the flavors of popcorn, baked candy potato, and candy potato fries, thus providing no scarcity of candy alternatives to incorporate this umami-rich sauce into your meal *and* dessert rotation.