Shoyu Tare (Soy Sauce Seasoning)

Fact-checked on paper only. This recipe has not been cooked or tested yet.

Why this works

Tare is the concentrated seasoning that goes in the bowl before the broth. Tokyo's Rai-Rai Ken in Asakusa, which opened in 1910, put a soy sauce seasoning in its noodle soup, and Tofugu calls that the model for Tokyo-style ramen [Tofugu]. Sources differ on ramen's origins, so we treat that as one account. Shoyu tare supplies salt, umami and a little sweetness. A tare of this kind improves with a rest in the fridge [Cooks Gazette].

Yield: About 500 ml (2 cups), enough for 15 to 20 bowls Times: prep PT10M, cook PT20M, total PT30M (ISO 8601)

Equipment

• 2 quart saucepan
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Glass jar with a lid

Ingredients

• 250 ml (1 cup) Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi)
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) sake
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) mirin
• 15 g (1 Tbsp) brown sugar
• 10 g (0.35 oz, one 10 cm piece) dried kombu
• 10 g (1/3 cup, loosely packed) katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)

Steps

1. Simmer the sake and mirin in a saucepan for 2 to 3 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
2. Add the soy sauce and brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.
3. Lower the heat and add the kombu and katsuobushi.
4. Hold just below a simmer, about 170 F (77 C), for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and steep 5 more minutes.
6. Strain, pressing lightly on the solids. Cool completely, then pour into a glass jar.
7. Rest it in the fridge overnight before first use.

What to watch for

• Boiling the kombu and katsuobushi pulls out bitterness. Stay below a simmer.
• Raw alcohol tastes harsh. Simmer until it no longer smells sharp.
• Do not add table salt. The soy sauce already carries the salt.

Storage

• Refrigerate in a sealed glass jar. Cooks Gazette gives up to 6 months for a very similar tare [Cooks Gazette]. That is one cook's figure, not a USDA number.
• Use a clean spoon each time. Throw it out if it smells off, grows mold, or turns fizzy.
• We do not recommend freezing it; this is house guidance, not tested.

Allergens: Soy, wheat (soy sauce), fish (katsuobushi).

Pairs with

Chintan, tonkotsu or chicken paitan. Use 25 to 35 ml (1.5 to 2 Tbsp) per bowl with 300 to 350 ml broth.

Sources

1. Tofugu, history of ramen (Rai-Rai Ken, Asakusa, 1910, soy sauce seasoning): https://www.tofugu.com/japan/history-of-ramen/
2. Cooks Gazette, shoyu tare (6 months refrigerated, improves with age): https://www.cooksgazette.com/shoyu-tare/

Citation links

• https://www.tofugu.com/japan/history-of-ramen/
• https://www.cooksgazette.com/shoyu-tare/