Tare Sauce and All the Wonderful Things You Can Do With it

If you like to dipping sauces, and you love Japanese cuisine, tare sauce is the way to go.

Tare sauce is a Japanese dipping sauce.

However, it can also be used for grilling foods, like yakitori and yakiniku, where it can make a good substitute for teriyaki sauce.

It can also be combined with broth and added to Ramen and various soups, or it can be used to braise meat.

Every chef may make tare differently, but it typically has a soy sauce base with dashi or vinegar added for flavor.

Soy sauce, mirin and oyster sauce also falls under the tare sauce umbrella.

This article will review tare sauce offering recipes, uses, the best brands and just about anything else you would ever want to know about this wonderful condiment.

Good Tare Sauce Recipes to try

Ramen Tare Sauce Recipe

Joost Nusselder

As stated earlier, tare sauce can be prepared in a number of ways. Here is a Ramen Tare recipe that produces great results.

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Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Sauce

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth low sodium or sodium free is best
• ¼ cup mirin
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. sake
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 inch piece ginger peeled and smashed
• 1 clove garlic peeled and smashed
• 1 scallion chopped

Instructions

 

• Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer tare until it reduces to ½ cup, about 25 minutes.
• Strain solids and let the sauce cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

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Although tare is diverse, most of its recipes are pretty similar.

As the above recipe is ideal for soup, other recipes may be played around with to make a thicker consistency for dipping or basting or to add a certain flavor.

But in general, a broth base is used, mirin, soy sauce and sake are added, and a variety of spices are used to produce a umami taste.

In other instances, different spices can be added to give the sauce a kick.

Japanese Spicy Sauce Chuka Tare

Joost Nusselder

Here is an example of how to make Japanese Spicy Sauce Chuka Tare.

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Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients

  

• 6 tbsp. soy sauce
• 6 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. red chili bean sauce or sriracha sauce
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp ginger root minced
• 3 green onions thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. sesame oil

Instructions

 

• Mix all ingredients and chill.

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What are the Different Types of Tare?

Tare dipping sauces generally fall into three categories.

These are as follows:

• Shoyu: Also known as soy sauce, shoyu is used for noodles, meats, soup and dipping.
• Shio: Shio means salt and it is used to describe any salt based dipping sauce. In addition to the typical ingredients, it can also include dried fish products and blends of different salts.
• Miso: Miso is made from mashed legumes and grains and koji, a fungus with enzymes that convert protein and starches in legumes into complex flavor compounds. While most of us are familiar with miso soup, miso can also be used to flavor ramen and other dishes.

What Does Tare Sauce Taste Like?

Tare is known for adding flavor to dishes. There are two components that allow it to give food a distinct taste; salt and glutamic acid.

Since almost everyone has eaten salt, there is really no need to describe the kind of flavor it can provide.

Glutamic acid is used in many Asian foods to provide an umami taste which can be described as rich and savory.

Monosodium glutamate is the sodium salt of glutamic acid.

The mention of MSG might make some people pause. After all, it has often been associated with certain serious health conditions.

However, the connection has never been proven.

Best Brands of Tare

There are several brands that manufacture tare sauce.

Here are a few that are worth checking out.

• Daisho Tare Yakinikudour: This highly rated brand is advertised as Japanese BBQ yakiniku shoyu sauce. It is recommended as a dipping sauce for cooked meats or vegetables but it can also be used as a marinade for barbecue. It is a product of Japan.
• Kikkoman Sushi Sauce, Unagi Tare: Kikkoman is well known for producing some of the most delicious Japanese foods available in America, so it should come as no surprise that they would make the list as one of the finest tare sauces. Their sauce is traditionally brewed with Kikkoman soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. It’s pre-thickened to produce an attractive appearance and provide a rich, savory flavor. It is recommended for sushi and grilled foods.
• Ikari Yakiniku No Tare Medium Hot: If you like your tare with a bold, spicy flavor, the Ikari Yakiniku may be your brand of choice. It is perfect for barbecuing. It also comes in mild varieties.
• Daisho Gyudon No Tare: This seasoned soy sauce is a product of Japan. It is recommended for adding flavor to beef bowls.
• Morita Sukiyaki Warishita Tare: This tare is a product of Japan. It said to provide an authentic taste that makes cultural meals more enjoyable.

How Long Can You Keep Tare?

Tare will last for 2 months if it is kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

What is Tare in Ramen?

Tare is the concentrated sauce used to season ramen.

What is Beef Tare?

Beef tare is basically any type of beef flavored with tare sauce.

Tare sauce is often used as the main flavoring for Japanese barbecue since the meat is usually not flavored before it’s grilled.

Is Tare Sauce Vegan?

Because the ingredients in tare are so varied, it is impossible to say whether it is vegan or not.

While it is usually vegetarian, ingredients like honey are often added to teriyaki sauces that fall under the tare umbrella.

Honey is not a vegan ingredient.

Is Tare Sauce Gluten Free?

Those on a gluten free diet do not eat foods that contain the compound gluten.

It is often found in products such as wheat, barley and rye.

In general, tare will not be gluten free because it is almost always made with soy sauce which contains wheat.

However, there are gluten free soy sauces that can be used.

If tare is made with gluten free soy sauce, it will most likely be gluten free.

However, other ingredients in the sauce must be gluten free as well.

Is Tare Sauce Keto?

Those on a keto diet eat healthy fats that are low in carbs and sugar.

Although tare sauce is generally low in carbs, it can contain sugary ingredients.

However, there are recipes for sugar free teriyaki sauce and other sauces that fall under the tare sauce umbrella.

Is Tare Sauce Healthy?

Because tare sauce can contain such a wide variety of ingredients, it is difficult to find an appropriate answer for this question.

However, there are a few universal rules we can consider when determining whether or not tare sauce is healthy.

• It is high in salt: The high salt content in tare sauce had been linked to health risks such as high blood pressure.
• It contains MSG: Although MSG has not been proven to cause health issues, many claim it gives them headaches and stomachaches.
• It contains gluten: Most tare sauces contain gluten which can cause health issues for those on a gluten free diet.

However, tare sauce is also usually fat free and low in carbs and calories.

Furthermore, even though it is high in sodium, it has been shown to have lower sodium levels than table salt.

It has also been shown to provide several health benefits.

For instance, some studies have shown certain tare sauces can improve digestion, reduce allergies and blood pressure and boost the immune system.

It has even been known to have anticancer effects.

What is the Tare Ramen Relation?

We know that tare can be used to flavor ramen, but did you know that the type of tare used in the ramen usually dictates the way ramen is classified?

For instance, you may see shio (salt), shoyu (soy) and miso ramens.

These are all so named for the type of tare used in the ramen.

One exception is tonkotsu ramen.

This type of ramen is so named for the soup that is used, not the tare. There is also a tonkotsu shoyu ramen which is a reference to both the soup and the tare.

When used in ramen, tare works to add a salty flavor.

But it can also bring umami taste that has its own combination of sweetness, sourness and spiciness.

For example, both shoyu and miso are salty but they also each have their own distinct umami flavoring.

Keep This in Mind When Adding Tare to Ramen

When adding tare to ramen, it is important to consider how much you should add.

In general, it should be combined with the soup in a 1:10 ratio.

However, miso serves as an exception to this rule. It is common to use more than 10% miso in soup, because it is not as salty as other tare sauces.

Tare sauce is the perfect way to flavor your meals. It lends a salty, umami taste that many diners find irresistible.

Which tare sauce do you like best?

Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.