This Simple, 2-Ingredient Glaze Brings Complex Flavor To Your Dishes

Did you know you can easily mix two pantry staples to craft a homemade glaze that can bring elevated and complex flavor to your dishes? You usually wouldn't think of combining the two because one is dark, umami-laden, and full of salinity, and the other is milky-white, rich, and creamy. You're right if you envisioned mixing soy sauce with condensed milk. Simply combine the two to get a quick glaze for proteins like roast pork or duck. You can also use the resulting mixture as a dipping sauce for egg rolls and vegetables.  

The combination shouldn't surprise you, as adding sweetened condensed milk to soy sauce can be a simple way to cut down the richness of soy sauce. Food tastes amazing when there's a balance of contrasting flavors. Think of your favorite sweet and savory snacks and not-too-sweet treats, like Furikake Chex mix or spam musubi. These dishes taste great and are so craveable because they're not overly salty or sweet. 

With this simple glaze, you get plenty of umami and salinity from the soy sauce, but it's not overwhelming. The condensed milk has a creamy sweetness that tempers the soy sauce's brackishness. The condensed milk also doesn't taste overly sweet, thanks to soy sauce cutting through.

Ready to try this simple, 2-ingredient glaze to bring complex flavor to your dishes? Start with a 1:1 ratio of soy sauce to sweetened condensed milk. For example, if you're using 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, mix in 2 tablespoons of condensed milk. From there, adjust the glaze's flavor to suit your palate. If you need a recommendation for which soy sauce to use, we've uncovered 8 types of soy sauce and their uses and ranked 13 popular soy sauce brands from worst to best.

After you make the glaze, it's time to use it. Consider using the glaze to make caramelized pork since canned sweetened condensed milk is the secret to deliciously caramelized pork. Adding soy sauce will bring umami to the mix. As a glaze, let's use roast duck or roast pork as examples. Brush the glaze over the skin of the meat roasting in the oven. The skin will be crispy and crackling, thanks to the sugars in the condensed milk. The soy sauce will add an appetizing color. 

Finally, you can use the glaze as a dipping sauce for finger foods like spring rolls and shrimp toast. Try drizzling in chili crisp to add heat to the mix. And in case you've run out of condensed milk at home, here's the best way to substitute sweetened condensed milk.