Sho Spaeth is the lead writer and editor at ChefSteps.com. He is also the author of Homemade Ramen, a James Beard Award–nominated cookbook.

Sho Spaeth

Every bowl of ramen gets its seasoning from tare. “Tare” is a general term for “sauce” in Japanese. You may have seen it used for yakitori, as in our <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/tsukune">Tsukune</a> recipe, but in the context of ramen, it basically means “noodle sauce.” Tare determines the flavor of ramen, and there are essentially three flavor categories for all styles of ramen: shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), and miso. This shoyu tare is infused with umami-rich ingredients like kombu (dried kelp), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), dried shiitake mushrooms, and fish sauce to create an ultra-savory “super soy sauce” that pairs perfectly with our <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/ultimate-ramen-stock">Super Soup Ramen Stock</a> to produce the <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/ultimate-shoyu-ramen">Ultimate Shoyu Ramen</a>.