Add A Rich Umami Touch To Ice Cream With A Few Splashes Of Soy Sauce

I scream, you scream, we all scream for sugary-sweet ice cream. Delicious as some of the candied classics are, from birthday cake to mint chocolate chip and cookie dough, not all ice cream has to be chock-full of sweetness. Savory flavors harmonize with sweet ones like a Sunday church choir, which is why adding a dash of soy sauce to your ice cream is a sophisticated and delicious way to mix up your dessert routine.

Just because it's an uncommon ice cream topping doesn't mean it's not a delicious one. The salty notes of soy sauce bring out the distinct flavors of a scoop (or three) of ice cream, amplifying their subtleties for a more immersive tasting experience. Beyond its salty bravado, soy sauce is a liquid umami bomb that adds an intriguing depth and complexity to a standard batch of ice cream. And when you draw the curtains back further, it flaunts subtle characteristics of bitter-tinted sourness. When combined, your average ice cream encounter goes from one-dimensionally sweet to an all-encompassing treat featuring all five flavor sensations.

It doesn't take Michelin-star skills to add soy sauce to a scoop of ice cream. However, there are a few pointers to keep in mind to maintain a well-balanced flavor in your cooling, lickable dessert.

Soy sauce has an intense flavor, and a little goes a long way. Don't drench your ice cream with the condiment, or you risk drowning out the flavors you want to bolster with a painfully brackish taste. Start with just one drop and taste as you go. Even low-sodium soy sauce has a bold flavor, so it's worth starting with a variety that boasts a slightly reduced salt content. Because you can stir and tilt the vessel to evenly distribute the sauce, it's more practical to add soy sauce to a bowl or cup of ice cream than a cone. If you're a total conehead, we don't blame you. Mix the soy sauce into the ice cream in a bowl before scooping it into a cone to make this sweet and salty dessert unapologetically your way.

Soy sauce is a complex-tasting ingredient with shades of nuance and multiple layers of flavor. Because of this, it's best to add it to singular ice cream flavors. As much as we love a triple chocolate chunk cookie dough ice cream, if there's too much going on in your cup or cone, complexity can easily become chaos. Opt for flavors like caramel, vanilla, or coffee.

While it's best to drizzle soy sauce atop a no-frills ice cream variety, there are some dainty ways to dress up soy sauce-kissed ice cream. After all, who doesn't love accessorizing?

Crushed candied ginger can add a pungent, spicy kick that further deepens its tasting notes. Although heat isn't technically one of the five flavor sensations, it certainly feels like one, and bringing candied ginger into the mix can round out the tapestry of flavors in this one-of-a-kind ice cream dish. A skosh amount of citrus zest can brighten up the intense, dark flavors of soy sauce, bringing a lively pick-me-up to the umami-blasted ice cream. Toasty brown sugar can tame the saltiness of soy sauce while keeping its primary notes in its peripheral, making each bite a cozy, comforting, and markedly intricate mouthful. Crushed peanuts or walnuts can add a nutty, earthy taste that grounds the dish with a simple, woodsy flair.

Whether you keep it simple or add some complementary fixings, as long as you're adding soy sauce to your ice cream, you won't be disappointed. Now the real question is: How does soy sauce ice cream stack up to olive oil ice cream?