Cover Shirley Chia (Photo: Fady Younis)
Shirley Chia (Photo: Fady Younis)
1 / 1
Our senior dining writer visited Mu Artisan Soy Sauce’s factory in Kajang to find out more
“Making soy sauce is like taking care of a baby,” laughs Shirley Chia, the founder of Mu Artisan Soy Sauce. Despite the laughter, she is only half joking as the intricate process takes up to nine months and is laborious, requiring time, care, and patience. Located within Kajang, the soy sauce factory we stand in is filled with around 200 clay urns of different sizes, each containing soy sauce at a different period of fermentation.
As Chia lifts the lid of one of the urns, I am greeted with a distinct, savoury waft. Inside, salt crystals surround darkened soybeans. “My family business has been soy sauce for the past three generations, but the focus was on supplying to restaurants, and we weren’t attached to a brand,” the cheery business owner smiles. One wouldn’t guess, but Chia was in private banking for 11 years before she began Mu Artisan Soy Sauce in 2019.
Read more: 5 types of pizza you should know, from Neapolitan to Sicilian
“I realised people longed for natural, healthier versions of soy sauce, and hence were turning to imported products,” she continues. “I wanted to produce premium Malaysian soy sauce with no preservatives, additives, or taste enhancers.”
With an ageing period of six to nine months, soy sauce requires both land and time. Hence, commercial brands typically dilute the final product with water and add preservatives and flavour enhancers to yield a higher yield. “One barrel can only make 80 to 100 bottles of first draw soy sauce if not diluted, compared to a potential of 1000 bottles,” she explains.
Above Mu Artisan Soy Sauce is located in Kajang
Mu Artisan Soy Sauce is located in Kajang
1 / 1
First draw soy sauce, the pure first layer after fermentation that is poured out of the urn, is comparable to extra virgin olive oil and is Mu Artisan Soy Sauce’s prime product. Upon tasting it, the thick texture coats my mouth; it is packed with umami and pleasantly sweet.
Above Soybeans sit in the sun for six to nine months to ferment with salt water
Soybeans sit in the sun for six to nine months to ferment with salt water
1 / 1
Walking through the factory, Chia goes on to share how soy sauce is made. “First, our non-GMO and organic beans are steamed,” she says. Flour is then mixed in to cultivate the koji (a culture used for the fermentation of soybeans), in a process that takes three to five days before the mixture is moved to the urns. “From then, it is a waiting game, and the beans sit in the sun for six to nine months to ferment with salt water,” she continues. Once matured, the soy sauce is harvested, filtered, and sterilised.
See also: The story behind beloved neighbourhood pizzeria Round Pizza Napoletana
Above Chia talks me through the production process at the factory
Chia talks me through the production process at the factory
1 / 1
Mu Artisan Soy Sauce’s liquid gold has caught the attention of many chefs around the city, with the soy sauce making an appearance in restaurants from the likes of Eat and Cook (where I first have the pleasure of trying the first draw soy sauce), Chocha Foodstore, Li Restaurant, and Beta KL.
Above Aged soy sauce, soy sauce salt, and ginseng soy sauce from the Chinese New Year collection
Aged soy sauce, soy sauce salt, and ginseng soy sauce from the Chinese New Year collection
1 / 1
This Chinese New Year, Chia is excited to introduce a gift box of seven distinct vessels (six filled with soy sauce or its byproducts and one containing sesame oil), each representing a different blessing.
“Ginseng soy sauce, which represents energy, is aged for two to three months with real ginseng inside,” she smiles. “Pomelo is made with pure pomelo juice and apple cider.” Other flavours include mushroom, aged soy sauce, which is smooth and full-bodied as a result of a year of ageing, and gula Melaka soy sauce.
Don't miss: A sweet guide to the best-loved bakeries in Paris
Above Once the soy sauce is collected, what is left is soy sauce salt
Once the soy sauce is collected, what is left is soy sauce salt
1 / 1
One notable bottle is filled with soy salt, which naturally crystallises in the urns after years of fermentation. “We have been collecting it, and the bottles are filled with the yield we have after seven years,” she says. The Seven Dragon gift set is available for purchase via Mu Artisan Soy Sauce’s website, ideal for the festive season.
Above Chia hopes to welcome more guests to her factory in the future
Chia hopes to welcome more guests to her factory in the future
1 / 1
With many still associating traditional soy sauce production with a lack of hygiene, Chia plans to open her factory to guests and visitors to increase transparency and showcase her pristine production facility. “We also hope to introduce Mu Artisan Soy Sauce to the global market, showcasing the quality of homegrown Malaysian soy sauce,” she ends.
NOW READ
One man, one bar no longer: Shawn Chong on expanding Bar Mizukami
9 local tuak brands to try this Gawai
The story behind contemporary Thai neighbourhood restaurant Kompassion
Credits
Photography: Fady Younis
Topics
About
Katelyn is the dining and travel editor of Malaysia and Indonesia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she offers readers an inside look at the movers and shakers in Asia’s growing food and beverage industry.
