Tare

This is essentially, Mike Satinover's Toasted Shoyu Tare. I play around with the ingredients a little, depending on how I feel that batch.

Ingredients

• 450 g soy sauce
• 15 g kombu
• Vegetable oil (15 mL or so)
• 20 g niboshi (dried anchovies)
• 15 g katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
• 50 g mirin
• 40 g sake

Method

1. Combine the soy sauce and kombu into a sealed container.
2. Place in the fridge and rest at least 6 hours or up to 2 days.
3. When ready, heat a saucepan over medium heat.
4. Add your niboshi and vegetable oil, toast for 30-45 seconds, or until fragrant and starting to brown.
5. Add your soy sauce and kombu to the pot with the niboshi.
6. Heat the contents to 71 °C/160 °F, hold for 10 minutes.
7. Remove the kombu and discard.
8. Bring 82 °C/180 °F (or just below a boil) and hold for 15 minutes.
9. Add the katsuobushi, hold at 82 °C/180 °F for 5 more minutes.
10. Strain and reserve liquid on the side.
11. In a new clean pot, add your mirin and sake. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.
12. Add this mixture to your mixture from step 9. You can store this in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Add 35 mL of tare per 350 mL soup.