Following our success with Lightning Soy Sauce, we began experimenting with novel soy sauce recipes. All a good soy sauce needs is a bean rich in protein and starch to fuel the fermentation. As proponents of prairie restoration and the revitalization of native species, we wanted to find a set of plants native to our region of the United States which could achieve this. We decided to make a "soy" sauce using the pre-Colombian Tepary Bean and Sunchoke as protein-bean and starch source. We invented a process to roast the input material and start the fermentation process much like traditional soy sauce. In starting this process, we began a program of artificial selection of the tepary beans we grow to produce a cultivar well-adapted to our soil.
We named our cultural combination Oklahoma Mixer, in reference to a historical oddity where postwar American teachers introduced students to square dancing. A co-ed dance to Turkey in the Straw, the Oklahoma Mixer; オクラホマミキサー is something of a cultural meme which caught on like a wildfire (or perhaps a tsunami) in Japan. As we created a shared heritage after the war, so too did we wish to create something new and amazing. We ferment for 9+ months, followed by UV aging for at least a month. This sauce comes out much darker than our other sauces due to the natural color of the tepary beans we use and the level of roast on the sunchokes. The result has a surprisingly chocolately hint behind the savory sauce expected from soy sauce.
Something extra exciting about this soy sauce is that it is naturally soy- and gluten-free. While the phrase "soy sauce" makes the soy content obvious, many people may not realize how important wheat is to the complex flavor profiles in a quality soy sauce. By using a pre-Columbian bean as the protein source and a gluten-free starchy tuber, we can create something which should be a bit safer to folks with an allergy or intolerance.
Label Text
Looking for a soy sauce substitute without the soy and gluten? You've found it! Taste some Okie-umami crossover with a tepary bean and sunchoke sauce. Made entirely from plants native to the Southwest US, our Oklahoma Mixer is fermented for at least a year using trraditional Japanese shoyu techniques.
Did you know, postwar American teachers introduced Japanese students to square dancing called the "Oklahoma Mixer"? Now y can taste a little of this cultural cross-pollination at home.
Ingredients
Water, Tepary Beans, Sunchoke, Salt, Yeast, Koji Culture
Package Size
8.5 fl. oz. (250 mL)
Sales Price in-person
$15.00
URL slug: oklahoma_mixer_soy_sauce
Originally published: 2025-09-29 13:00:36
Content last regnerated: 2026-03-05 23:33:27
