Better Know a Seasoning: Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is one of my favorite ubiquitous sauces that has always been a staple in our kitchen - and every time we buy soy sauce, we buy Kikkoman (are you brand loyal?). They have a nifty & informative website, too:

http://www.kikkoman.com/soysaucemuseum/index.shtml

However, despite my love affair with Kikkoman over the years, it was only recently that I noticed this on the back of my beloved bottle....

Does anyone actually refrigerate soy sauce? Does it really improve the quality? Also, what the heck is a "sase"?? (Top right hand corner of the label)

Getting Started...

(a delicious, delicious 3-way)

I used to be like you and just make my ramen the standard way, sometimes altering it a little by adding in whatever random foods/toppings I had on hand, until I discovered this magical trio of sauces that change everything.

Go out right now and add the following to your kitchen ensemble: Soy Sauce, Peanut Sauce, and Mirin. These three things will elevate your ramen experience in untold ways and take it from boring to soaring (not that ramen could ever be considered "boring").

We all know what soy sauce & peanut sauce are, and you should be able to easily find them in the foreign foods aisle of your local grocery store. Mirin is a Japanese sweet-sake used for cooking (don't drink it!), and depending on where you live you may or may not have to go to a specialty store to find it... But trust me, it's worth the effort!

Anywho, you won't necessarily be using all three of these every time, but I do include at least one of the above in pretty much all of my recipes.

What's your traditional go-to ramen addition?