It’s raining in Bu­dai—quite unexpectedly for early September. The township usually enjoys sunny weather around this time of year. But despite the rain, one can sense a slightly salty aroma on the breeze. Located in a twisting narrow lane in a rural part of Bu­dai, Hsin Lai Yuan is owned and operated by the Xiao family. The house is half food factory and half residence, a traditional compound dwelling that originally belonged to their great-grandfather. In fact, the family’s long history of manufacturing pickles and soy sauce began right here in this rather timeworn building.

Hsin Lai Yuan’s fourth-generation owner, Xiao Xinwang, continues to use seven-decade-old techniques inherited from his ancestors to create bright-colored “white” soy sauce.

Four generations

“We are the fourth generation!” The owner’s wife is wearing a bamboo-leaf hat, busily stirring the soybeans while she entertains us with the latest village chat. Current owner Xiao Xin­wang had always believed he was merely the third generation to run the family business, until he heard from a neighbor in his nineties that the company’s products had been neighborhood favorites since Xiao’s great-grandfather’s time.

In the early days, there were a number of family-owned soy sauce producers situated in the coastal counties of Yun­lin and ­Chiayi, ideally located close to the salt fields, an essential ingredient. The Xiaos were just one of these family firms. Today, their specialized products such as fermented soybean paste and “white” soy sauce are enjoying increasing popularity, perhaps because they are the only local concern that is still using traditional hands-on techniques. But Hsin Lai Yuan has been renowned for its pickled and fermented food products since the early days.

The company had always produced a wide range of pickled products such as fermented bean curd and pickled cucumbers. But because of various social changes, a loss of community cohesion and the outflow of people from the village, a ­number of their products that involved hiring in seasonal labor were gradually abandoned. As a result, the company came to depend almost entirely on its major product: fermented soybean paste.

Top-quality soybeans bring excellent flavor to Hsin Lai Yuan’s white soy sauce.

White soy sauce

Their most popular item today is “white” soy sauce, which is now offered for sale online. It is actually a golden color, but is called “white” because it is much lighter than the dark brown of the usual “black” soy sauce. This variety was created by Xiao’s father using the liquid left over when making fermented soybean paste. According to Xiao, their white soy sauce was originally a byproduct of the fermentation process which was either thrown away, or diluted with added seasonings and combined with other mild-flavored ingredients such as fragrant manjack (Cordia dichotoma) to make pickled products.

Back in the days when fermented soybean paste was their core product, large amounts of this liquid were thrown away as there was no use for it. But then Xiao’s father had a great idea: he simply bottled the liquid and presented the result as gifts to family and friends. To every­one’s surprise, the brew was well received, so white soy sauce became a regular production item.

Although the white soy sauce was highly acclaimed by anyone that tried it, the product wasn’t put up for sale to general consumers. Xiao explains that in the early days, white soy sauce was packaged in large containers which were sold to wholesalers or restaurants. The current product, which is sold in smaller glass bottles, was created because many people sought it out to buy after enjoying meals in restaurants which used the white soy sauce as a seasoning.

In the old days, neighbors in this very traditional agricultural community of Bu­dai often just turned up at the door with a bowl when they needed some seasoning. And that’s one of the reasons why the company hadn’t considered selling white soy sauce as a regular product until quite recently. Also, not many people knew how to use white soy sauce and only a few factories were producing the product: it simply wasn’t as popular as the traditional black variety. “In fact, many people living in northern Taiwan probably didn’t even know that white soy sauce existed,” says Xiao. But in recent years, largely through online marketing, white soy sauce has become increasingly popular and sales have soared.

After cooking, the soybeans will be combined with a culture to ferment. It is essential to avoid letting the beans stay hot too long, which could cause the mix to turn sour and ruin the sauce.

Unique flavors

So what is white soy sauce? The production process is similar to that of the more traditional black product: boiling, cooling, fermenting, brewing, pressing, and pasteurization. Not only does the white variety use yellow soybeans instead of black ones as the main raw material, the brewing process for each type is quite different. Black soy sauce generally uses a dry fermentation method, mixing black soybeans with a culture and coarse salt before a prolonged period of fermentation. The process for the lighter-colored “white” product, on the other hand, involves the addition of water to the mix, which is then left to brew for six months. After pasteurization, it becomes white soy sauce. If this product is then seasoned, blended with fermented soybeans and held in a sealed container for a period of time, it becomes fermented soybean paste.    

Although the production techniques for both types of soy sauce are quite similar, the color, smell and taste of white soy sauce are quite distinctive. Compared to “black” soy sauce, so-called “white” soy sauce is lighter, the aroma of soybeans is quite distinct, and in addition to the normal salty taste, there is a slight sweetness. Many people love its unique characteristics, but it’s not for every­body. “People either love or hate white soy sauce: it has quite an unusual flavor,” says Xiao.

White soy sauce is perfect for cooking, with the slight sweetness especially suitable for seafood. “But the great advantage of white soy sauce can also be its shortcoming,” explains Xiao. As the color is lighter, people tend to add too much to get the same color in the wok, thereby making the dish far too salty. Some customers have even made complaints to the company about their white soy sauce being too salty, but the problem usually turns out to be overuse of the product. People tend to go by color rather than tasting the dish to determine if they need more.

After cooking, the soybeans will be combined with a culture to ferment. It is essential to avoid letting the beans stay hot too long, which could cause the mix to turn sour and ruin the sauce.

Over seven decades’ history

Walking through his 70-year-old ancestral house, Xiao unaffectedly introduces the company’s two main products to visitors.

Now 53 years old, Xiao left his hometown to study and work when he was a young man, returning to Bu­dai seven years ago to take care of his aging father—and to take over as fourth-generation manager of the business.

After taking control, Xiao focused not only on maintaining the unique flavor of the company’s products developed over four generations, but also made sure that the seven decades of the family’s brewing history was preserved. The wooden barrel used to measure soybean quantities came from Xiao’s grandfather. “The two Chinese characters wu dou written on the barrel is in practical terms a form of measurement, but more deeply it actually reflects on the idea that people need to work hard to make a living.”

Quite a few of the bamboo trays used for cooling the beans and for fermentation also came from his father’s time. These old utensils have the advantages of providing good air flow and heat dissipation, allowing the beans to cool quickly and so preventing souring during fermentation. Despite the yellowing of the ages, the original company plaque still hangs proudly over the main entranceway to the house. The inscription was written many years ago by well-known local poet and calligrapher Huang Yuan­heng when the company was first established. Nowadays, there are increasingly few traditional producers of soy sauce in Taiwan. It’s time-consuming and it’s hard work, but Xiao insists on using his ancestor’s methods to create the unique flavors that have come down through four generations. 

With its light sweet flavor and golden color, white soy sauce is best used as a seasoning for seafood dishes.