Your Favorite Takeout Glaze, Mastered: How to Make Teriyaki Sauce at Home
Have you ever had a craving to have the type of teriyaki glaze that starts out all thick and glossy but runs out of the bottled kind? It has happened to all of us as we find ourselves in the kitchen wallowing in the disappointment. A crunchy, sweet and savory magic that practically transforms even a plain chicken breast or a stir-fry is the reason a staple, is it not? But what if I told you that the best teriyaki sauce you’ll ever taste is not hiding on a grocery store shelf? Truth be told, it is a most delicious masterpiece made easily at home in your own kitchen. Forget the mysterious ingredients and high-fructose corn syrup; we’re about to unlock the secret to a richer, more authentic teriyaki sauce recipe that’s surprisingly easy and deeply satisfying to make.
What Exactly Is Teriyaki Sauce? Understanding the Flavor Profile
But first, we need to adopt the wonderful simplicity of what teriyaki sauce is all about. The term teriyaki is not as it is but is a compound term of two Japanese words, namely, “teri,” glaze, shine and yaki grilling or broiling. The reason that the sauce has a characteristic glossy appearance is that the sugar (mirin or sake) is caramelized during the cooking process.
At its heart, a traditional teriyaki sauce recipe is a beautiful balance of four key ingredients: soy sauce, mirin (a sweet rice wine), sake (a Japanese rice wine), and sugar. Any of the components is of vital importance The soy sauce has the salty, rich, umami foundation. Mirin adds a delicate sweetness and a beautiful sheen. Bith Sake contributes an element of flavor and complexity and sugar makes that texture just right caramelized. Other ingredients added to many western versions include ginger and garlic to give it additional kick of aromatic flavor.
The Essential Ingredients for a Perfect Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Making homemade and delicious teriyaki sauce is also satisfactory besides the fact that this would leave you in complete control of taste. You can change the level of sweetness, saltiness, and the thickness to your liking. The following are the key ingredients that you would use:
Soy Sauce: Formation of the sauce. Just a note: the best results will be obtained when using a high-quality, authentic Japanese sauce made of soy.
Mirin: This is a sweet cooking rice wine and it is non-negotiable in giving that signature teriyaki shine and balance sweetness.
Sake: The drop goes a long way. Sake is an amazingly body flavor. Absence will do, but a dry sherry or its omission will not do to the perfectly natural flavour.
Brown Sugar (or Honey/Maple Syrup): This is what allows it to be sweet and helps the sauce thicken and caramelize. Brown sugar provides a beautiful molasses-like richness, however, an even more original option is honey or maple syrup.
Fresh Ginger: Add a bit of chopped ginger grated (finely) to give some warm spicy aromatic flavor so that the sauce gets a boost.
Garlic: A few spoons of minced garlic will add a delicious kick combining the assortment of ingredients.
Cornstarch Slurry A little of this goes a long way and the trick of getting that thick shining consistency is a few teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with cold or ice cold water. That is what makes a watery sauce into something beautiful in the form of a glaze.
Did You Know? Although the cooking and sauce are referred to as teriyaki, this dish as we understand it here in North America, as a thick and sweet glaze, was actually made popular by the Japanese immigrants in Hawaii! They also had to modify the original recipe because they wanted to incorporate local ingredients such as pineapple juice in order to make it sweeter and thicker.
The Ultimate Teriyaki Sauce Recipe: A Simple, Step-by-Step Guide
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake (optional, but recommended)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cold water
Instructions:
Combine the liquids: In a small saucepan, whisk together soy sauce, mirin, and sake (if used) and brown sugar.
Add the Aromatics: Add the garlic and the ginger to the sauce pan. This is where magic starts as the flavors will permeate the sauce during heating.
Add Water, Simmer, and Thicken: Put the saucepan on medium heat. Bake until the mixture starts to boil slowly with some occasional stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Simmer it about 2-3 minutes.
Prepare the Slurry: As the sauce is simmering, make the cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch with the cold water until there are no lumps in the cornstarch mixture.
Whisk in the Thickener: Lower the heat to low. Add cornstarch slurry to the simmering sauce, a little bit at a time, whisking all the time Soon after, the sauce will start thickening.
Cook to Perfection: Keep on whisking and cook it further to a minute or so until you get the desired thickness of the sauce. The sauce will continue thickening as it cools down Take off the heat and it can be used.
Tips for Making Your Teriyaki Sauce Even Better
Although the given recipe is good in itself, you could do a few things to make it your own and make the sauce a bit different (by adding, for example):
To give it a hot edge: Add red pepper flakes to the sauce during simmering or a small amount of sriracha.
To add a smoky taste: You can add a teaspoon of liquid smoke to obtain the grilled flavor with an element of smokiness to it.
To make it gluten-free: Just take soy sauce or tamari that does not have gluten.
Storage: Store your homemade teriyaki sauce in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. It is great for meal prepping!
More Than Just a Marinade: How to Use Your Homemade Teriyaki
The wonderful thing about a wonderful teriyaki sauce is that you can use it many different ways. It is not only chicken teriyaki! These are some more inventive ideas of how to use your tasty homemade sauce:
As a Glaze: Like shrimp, salmon, or beef skewers on a grill in antepenultimate minutes of cooking to have a gorgeous, sticky glaze.
Stir-Fry: Add your choice of stir-fried vegetables and protein at the end of cooking in the sauce to arrive at a quick culinary marvel.
Dipping Sauce: It is a great sauce to use as a dip when you have spring rolls, dumplings or even chicken nuggets.
On Roasted Veggies: Sprinkle it on roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or mushrooms, followed by a shot of heat in the oven, in the incense dish of a savory side dish.
Did You Know? During the fermentation process, the soy sauce produces the essence of various complex flavors and scents due to the Maillard reaction that makes the color of the soy sauce dark. This is the kind of response that occurs when you are searing a steak!
Why You’ll Never Go Back to the Bottle
There is special satisfaction in making things out of nothing especially when it becomes a better one than one you can purchase. This homemade teriyaki sauce recipe is a testament to that feeling. It is a reminder of a great cuisine, it is a more healthy substitute to what you can buy in a store, and it is definitely a guarantee of pleasing everyone at the dining table. Then the next time you have that temptation to reach out and taste that sweet glossy goodness it is not the bottle you should reach for. Rather, spend several minutes and make this basic masterstroke. Your palates will be happy (you included in the kitchen).
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q.My homemade teriyaki sauce is way too thin! How do I get it to thicken up?
A.This is the most popular problem, however, this problem has no easier fix! To reduce your sauce, form a slurry: A slurry is one tablespoon of cornstarch combined with two tablespoons cold water in another, small bowl until smooth. As your sauce is simmering gently on the stove, gradually add in the slurry stirring the mixture up. It will thicken and start to resemble magic in approximately a minute leaving you with a flawless glaze consistency.
Q.What is mirin, and do I really need it? Is there a substitute?
A.Mirin is sweet Japanese rice wine and it is the most important to the genuine, tangy-sweet taste of teriyaki. Sometimes you cannot find it, but you can always make an excellent substitute! In its place, half tablespoon sugar diluted in tablespoon rice vinegar can be used to create the characteristic sweet and tangy flavor required in mirin every tablespoon.
Q.Can I use garlic and ginger powder instead of fresh?
A.Definitely you can, in a pinch! Fresh ginger and garlic will never give you anything too dull (more of a zesty taste), however the powdered is perfectly accepted. It is estimated that 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder or about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger replaces one clove of fresh garlic and one table full of fresh grated ginger would be about 1/4 teaspoon.
Q.My sauce came out way too salty. Is there any way to save it?
A.Never hur-ray it! A too salty sauce is normally salvaged. The simple remedy is to water it down by adding in a little more of the other things in there such as a splash of water and some more sugar or honey to cut down the saltiness. A little lemon juice at the end can do magic and help cut through the salt and and lighten the taste.
Q.How long does homemade teriyaki sauce last, and how should I store it?
A.Since it has live ingredients you should keep your sauce in the fridge. Just let it be completely cooled down, move it to an airtight container such as a glass jar or a bottle. It will keep fresher and more delicious than a box of take out for up to two weeks in the fridge.
Q.Is there a good gluten-free option for the soy sauce?
A.Yes, absolutely! To ensure the gluten-free content of your teriyaki sauce, you will only need to substitute the normal soy sauce with a Tamari or coconut aminos. Tamari is a rich Japanese sauce prepared using a minimal amount of wheat and is very close in flavor to that of soy sauce. An alternative, such as coconut aminos, is an excellent soy-free, gluten-free alternative, and tastes a bit sweeter.