Soy sauce is a versatile storecupboard ingredient, either added to dishes during cooking or used as a table condiment. It makes a great marinade or can be splashed into stews or used in sauces for ...
Chinese and Japanese soy sauces are not in themselves suitable substitutes; if they were used to replace ketjap manis, the dish would need additional sweetening.
Did you know that the subtleties within soy sauce can also be attributed to terroir? Not in terms of where the soybeans grow, but rather in how fermentation in Virginia differs from other regions.
Japanese soy sauce, or shoyu, has a more nuanced and complex flavor. It is usually lighter and sweeter than Chinese soy sauce. It has a more balanced umami essence instead of one big salty punch.