Yellow Bean Sauce

[Nuoc Tuong (Viet)] Sometimes called "Brown Bean Sauce or "Soybean Paste", this sauce is made from fermented yellow soy beans. It is a very common ingredient in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, and available in markets serving Southeast Asian communities.

The famous

"Dragonfly"

brand (Kwong Hung Seng) that everyone used to recommend is now gone - banned by US FDA Import Alert 24-02. Multiple FDA examinations found all samples unacceptably contaminated with insect, rodent and bird materials. Thailand.

AC Brand

"Soybean Paste" (left in photo) is closest to "Dragonfly" I've found, and is the most natural product. It would be my strong recommendation if it were more widely available. Soybean, Wheat flour, Rice Flour, Soy Sauce, Sugar, Water, Salt. 2016 US $2.79 for 24 ounces. Thailand.

Healthy Boy

"Soybean Paste" (center in photo) is widely available. It is lighter in color and flavor, and smoother in texture than "Dragonfly", but is an acceptable substitute. Soybean, Wheat flour, Salt, Water, Sugar, Monosodium glutamate, Disodium 5'-inosinate, Disodium 5'-guanylate, Sodium benzoate. $2016 US $2.59 for 28 ounces. Thailand.

Pantai

"Soy Bean Paste" (right in photo). Pantai (Pantainorasingh) is a well known and trusted Thai brand, but their Yellow Bean Sauce is so sweet it is not at all acceptable for anything I'd likely be cooking. Soybean, Sugar, Water, Salt, Rice Flour, Modified Corn Starch, Wheat Flour, Glycine, Disodium 5'-inosinate, disodium 5'-guanylate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Beta Carotene, Spices, Coriander Seed, Cumin. 2016 US $3.49 for 30.5 ounces. Thailand.

2021 Update:

Lately I have been using Super.Q brand Bean Sauce in a 16 oz jar. It is a very good substitute for Dragonfly. An added convenience is should it not be used for some time and get dark on the top, it is easy to spoon out the dark layer, not that there's anything wrong with that layer except color. The ingredients list is unusually clean: Soybeans, Salt, Sugar, Lemongrass, Water. Having no Wheat Flour it is Celiac safe. I notice the version available on the Internet has Ginger instead of Lemongrass, but is otherwise the same and that shouldn't be a problem. 2021 US $6.79.

There are many more brands and formulas of soybean paste in the markets. Check the ingredients list, color, and texture, all visible on or in the jar.

Buying:

These sauces can be found in markets serving Southeast Asian communities, often in tall bottles, but also in short jars, depending on brand. "Healthy Boy Brand" (Van Wal Yun Co.) is widely distributed and a decent choice for most Thai recipes, unless you prefer another brand available to you.

Storing:

This sauce contains enough salt that it can be stored at a cool room temperature for a few months in a tightly sealed container. For longer storage, refrigerate. If there is a lot of air space in the jar, it's a good idea to repackage it in a smaller jar as it will darken some from exposure to air.

Using:

This sauce may be used as is, with the whole beans, or crushed to a paste depending on the effect that you want.

Ingredients:

Besides fermented soybeans, these sauces generally contain some additional ingredients. Most are not Celiac safe because they contain Wheat Flour. Glycine is a non-essential amino acid that enhances sweetness. monosodium glutamate (E621), disodium 5'-inosinate (E631) and disodium 5'-guanylate (E627) are umami flavor enhancers, often used together Sodium benzoate (E211) is an anti-bacterial preservative used in acidic foods. All are considered safe for human consumption in this type of application, in both Europe and the US.

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