Teriyaki Sauce

the traditional Japanese recipe.

// vegan // 15min // needs asian ingredients

notes

• Many recipes call for cornstarch. This is unnecessary; if you add enough sugar and cook it down a few more minutes it will thicken on its own.

tools

• saucepan
• spatula

ingredients

• low sodium soy sauce
• sugar
• sake 1
• mirin 2

steps

1. put a saucepan on medium heat.
2. combine equal parts soy sauce, sake, and mirin in the pan.
3. add a generous amount of sugar.
4. cook until sauce thickens into the consistency of maple syrup, stirring frequently.
5. clean the pan immediately. If you can’t, soak it in hot water to dissolve the sugar.

troubleshooting

1. If you don’t have sake, substitute it for more mirin and add less sugar.
2. If you don’t have mirin either, it’s just going to taste like sweet soy sauce. I recommend buying bottled teriyaki sauce instead.
3. The sauce will thicken as it cools, so it’s fine to leave it on the runnier side and let it sit for a bit.

• too thin: add more sugar and cook longer.
• too salty: add more sugar and cook for less time.
• too sweet: add less sugar. (most mirin is also sweetened)
• tastes burnt: turn down the heat and stir more.

pairings

• rice + grilled chicken + teriyaki sauce
• rice + grilled salmon + teriyaki sauce
• spam musubi