Tare sauce facts for kids
Tare (pronounced "tah-reh") is a special kind of sauce used a lot in Japanese cuisine. It's a general term for many different dipping sauces. You might find it used with grilled foods like yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) and yakiniku (grilled meat). It's also famous as the sauce for teriyaki dishes. Besides grilling, tare is used with sushi, in hot pot dishes called nabemono, and with gyoza (Japanese dumplings).
Tare can even be part of the delicious soup for ramen noodles! Chefs mix it with stock or broth to add many different flavors. It can also be used to slowly cook meat, like the tender chāshū pork often found in ramen.
What is Tare Sauce?
Tare sauce is usually a sweet and thick version of soy sauce. When used for grilling, it's often made thicker. For other dishes like nabemono or nattō (fermented soybeans), it's a flavored soy sauce that might include dashi (a Japanese soup stock) or vinegar. A well-known example of this type is ponzu. Every chef often has their own secret recipe for tare, making each one a little unique!
What are the Ingredients of Tare?
The main ingredients for a tare sauce usually include:
Sometimes, other ingredients are added to make the flavor even richer. These can include oyster sauce or ginger.
How is Tare Made?
Making tare traditionally involves mixing and heating the main ingredients. First, soy sauce, sake or mirin, and sugar or honey are combined. This mixture is then boiled gently. As it boils, the sauce gets thicker and its flavors become stronger. It's cooked until it reaches the perfect thickness.
Once the tare is ready, it can be used in many ways. It's often used to marinate meat before grilling or broiling. After the meat is cooked, the dish might be topped with fresh spring onions for extra flavor and color.
Types of Tare
While "tare" is a general term, there are many variations. One special type is Kuromitsu. This is a very sweet tare, often described as Japanese black sugar syrup. It's commonly used as a dessert topping, similar to how you might use maple syrup.
