Learn to make scrumptious and simple do-it-yourself Teriyaki Sauce with genuine Japanese flavors. You solely want 4 fundamental elements! Candy and savory, this versatile sauce might be your go-to seasoning for rooster, salmon, tofu, beef, and meatballs.
Savory and candy Teriyaki Sauce (照り焼きのたれ) is now a preferred seasoning all over the world. Do you know that Japanese residence cooks really make do-it-yourself sauce with simply 4 easy elements? We by no means use the store-bought stuff as a result of the best-tasting sauce is very easy to make at residence. I’ll present you easy methods to make a batch for a scrumptious seasoning that goes with nearly every thing!
Craving teriyaki-style recipes? Attempt my Rooster Teriyaki, Teriyaki Salmon, and Teriyaki Tofu recipes subsequent!
What’s Teriyaki Sauce?
Teriyaki (照り焼き) in Japanese really describes a cooking technique that first appeared in Japan within the 1600s. Teri (照り) means luster and yaki (焼き) means grilled, broiled, or pan-fried, which is the widespread alternative for Japanese residence cooks. It primarily refers to any meals cooked this fashion that’s brushed with a shiny glaze known as tare (タレ). Lately, each the meals cooked teriyaki-style and the sauce itself are known as teriyaki outdoors of Japan.
Why I Love This Recipe
- It tastes higher than store-bought – One of the best teriyaki seasoning is do-it-yourself! I actually like that this do-it-yourself model makes use of no taste enhancers and different components, so I do know precisely what I’m serving to my household.
- A easy sauce with solely 4 fundamental elements – You’ll get pleasure from these genuine flavors from the foundational seasonings of Japanese cooking—soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. I really like how scrumptious but easy it’s.
- So fast and simple – Simply warmth, simmer, and funky. It’s accomplished in 10–Quarter-hour!
- Nice to make forward – This sauce retains within the fridge for two–3 weeks. I counsel making a batch which you can attain for when you might want to cook dinner up one thing fast for a weeknight meal.
Elements for Teriyaki Sauce
To make the teriyaki sauce, you’ll want solely the 4 most simple elements from the Japanese pantry:
- Soy sauce – Use solely Japanese soy sauce because it has a distinct taste profile from Chinese language, Thai, or Korean soy sauce.
- Sake – This Japanese rice wine provides complexity and a touch of fruitiness. I like to recommend Gekkeikan, Sho Chiku Bai, or Ozeki manufacturers. You could find sake at Japanese and plenty of Asian grocery shops or at any main liquor retailer.
- Mirin – This Japanese candy rice wine is a necessary ingredient in lots of Japanese recipes. It provides a fragile sweetness and perfume and provides the sauce a pleasant luster.
- Sugar – Sugar provides sweetness and balances the sauce’s savory style. Additionally it is what provides the glaze its thick, shiny texture.
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
Substitutions
- Soy sauce: You can use low-sodium soy sauce, tamari, or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Sake: Should you can’t discover it, you possibly can substitute Chinese language rice wine, dry sherry, or water.
- Mirin: Should you don’t have it, you could possibly substitute ¼ cup sake + ¼ cup water + 3 Tbsp sugar. To skip the sake, you could possibly use ½ cup water + 3 Tbsp sugar.
- Sugar: We don’t use honey or maple syrup as a result of they’ve distinct flavors. You should utilize them if that’s your desire, however watch out as they’ll burn simply throughout cooking.
The right way to Make Teriyaki Sauce
Cooking
Step 1 – Warmth the elements. In a medium-sized saucepan, mix sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. Deliver the combination to a boil over medium warmth and constantly whisk the sauce till the sugar is dissolved.
Step 2 – Cut back the sauce to thicken it. As soon as boiling, decrease the warmth to medium-low. Simmer for 10-Quarter-hour or till the sauce is thickened.
Cooling
Step 3 – Take away from the warmth and funky. The sauce will proceed to thicken because it cools. It’s now prepared to make use of in your favourite recipe.
Nami’s Recipe Suggestions
- Cut back the sauce to thicken it – We cut back Japanese teriyaki seasoning within the pan till it reaches a thicker consistency. Please don’t use a cornstarch slurry as a thickener. To lock in umami and juiciness, we often coat the elements with starch or flour, which helps thickening the teriyaki sauce a bit. Genuine teriyaki sauce must be thinner than Americanized teriyaki sauce and it shouldn’t be syrupy.
- The sauce will thicken extra because it cools – You’ll know the sauce is finished simmering when small bubbles will begin to rise and seem on the floor. Please remember the fact that the sauce will proceed to thicken off the warmth, so don’t simmer it longer than 10–Quarter-hour.
Variations and Customizations
- Change up the ratio of the seasonings. My recipe follows this ratio: Two components soy sauce, two components sake, two components mirin, and one half sugar (2:2:2:1). Basically, the fundamental system in teriyaki-style cooking is to make use of equal components of the primary three elements, then modify the quantity of sugar to your liking. I counsel memorizing this system, then modify the ratio to fit your style or the ingredient you’re getting ready. Whereas altering the stability of seasonings retains issues attention-grabbing, please remember the fact that Japanese delicacies is all about maintaining a fragile stability of flavors.
- Add grated ginger and minced garlic. Relying on the protein or vegetable I’m cooking, I generally add grated contemporary ginger and/or minced or crushed contemporary garlic to my seasoning. Nonetheless, I don’t suggest including sure elements like rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, or sesame seeds within the sauce that you just would possibly see in some on-line recipes. These additions don’t comply with an genuine taste profile for Japanese teriyaki-style cooking.
- Add a pat of butter. I generally add a tablespoon of butter to the saucepan simply earlier than turning off the warmth. Butter provides a easy richness and softens the sting of this sauce. It’s a preferred approach to spice up the depth of taste, and I take advantage of it in my teriyaki salmon recipe.
Completely different Methods to Use Teriyaki Sauce
The beauty of teriyaki sauce is its versatility. Listed here are a few of my favourite methods to make use of this sauce.
- As a glaze – use it over your grilled or pan-fried dishes, like teriyaki salmon, teriyaki rooster, or teriyaki tofu (see the recipes under).
- In stir-fries – Use it to season Stir-Fried Greens.
- In donburi rice bowls – Combine with dashi and make Oyakodon and Gyudon.
- In simmered dishes – Combine with dashi and Nikujaga (Japanese Meat and Potato Stew)
Storage and Utilization Suggestions
To retailer: You should utilize the do-it-yourself sauce instantly as wanted or retailer it in an hermetic, sterilized jar like a mason jar within the fridge for as much as 2–3 weeks.
To make use of: Add a tablespoon or extra to the pan together with your already cooked fish, seafood, rooster, tofu, steak, mushrooms, or greens. Coat effectively, then flip off the warmth. Since this sauce is already decreased and thickened, there’s no have to simmer it.
Incessantly Requested Questions
Sure! This simple Teriyaki Sauce recipe is good for prepping forward. It retains within the fridge for two–3 weeks, so I like to recommend making a batch that you should use for a number of totally different recipes.
Sugar is important to this sauce as a result of it counterbalances the saltiness from the soy sauce. It’s additionally what makes the glaze shiny and thick. Should you select to make use of maple syrup or honey as a substitute of sugar, please remember the fact that they’ve sturdy flavors that may change the style of the sauce. Please additionally take care as they burn extra simply.
Extra Do-it-yourself Sauce Recipes
Should you love this do-it-yourself Teriyaki Sauce recipe, you’re in for a deal with with these different irresistible Japanese sauce recipes.
Forestall your display from going darkish
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Collect all of the elements. See Notes under for half-portion elements and substitutions for sake and mirin.
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In a saucepan, add ½ cup sake, ½ cup mirin, ½ cup soy sauce, and ¼ cup sugar. Deliver the combination to a boil over medium warmth and constantly whisk the sauce till the sugar is dissolved.
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As soon as boiling, decrease the warmth to medium-low. Simmer for 10–Quarter-hour or till the sauce is thickened. As you combine the sauce or tilt the saucepan, small bubbles will begin to rise and seem on the floor. When this occurs, the sauce is able to use.
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Pour the sauce right into a sterilized jar and go away uncovered to chill. The sauce will thicken because it cools.
To Use the Teriyaki Sauce
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Teriyaki Salmon: Season thin-sliced salmon fillets with salt and freshly floor black pepper. Calmly coat the salmon with all-purpose flour. Warmth a frying pan over medium warmth, then add cooking oil or butter. Add the salmon to the pan and cook dinner it on one aspect for 3 minutes. As soon as properly browned, flip the salmon. Add 1 Tbsp sake and canopy to cook dinner for an additional 3 minutes. Take away the lid and spoon the teriyaki sauce over the salmon to coat effectively.
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Teriyaki Rooster: Season boneless, skin-on rooster thighs (or rooster breast, in case you choose) with salt and freshly floor black pepper. Calmly coat the rooster with all-purpose flour. Warmth a frying pan over medium warmth, then add cooking oil or butter. Add the rooster to the pan, pores and skin aspect down, and cook dinner till browned. Flip the rooster and canopy the pan till the rooster is cooked by. Wipe off the oil from the frying pan with a paper towel. Spoon the teriyaki sauce over the rooster to coat effectively.
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Teriyaki Tofu: Drain effectively a block of agency tofu (urgent it or microwaving it for 1 minute). Minimize the tofu into steaks (slabs) and frivolously coat them with all-purpose flour. Warmth a frying pan over medium warmth, then add cooking oil. Add the tofu steaks and cook dinner on either side till golden brown. Spoon the teriyaki sauce over the tofu steaks to coat effectively.
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You too can pour extra teriyaki sauce onto the completed dish.
- with alcohol: ½ cup dry sherry or Chinese language rice wine
- with out alcohol: ½ cup water
Substitution for ½ cup mirin:
- with sake: ¼ cup sake + ¼ cup water + 3 Tbsp sugar
- with out sake: ½ cup water + 3 Tbsp sugar
For a half portion:
- ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) sake
- ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) mirin
- ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Serving: 1 cup · Energy: 754 kcal · Carbohydrates: 84 g · Protein: 13 g · Sodium: 7683 mg · Potassium: 31 mg · Sugar: 86 g · Calcium: 7 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Editor’s Word: This submit was initially printed on June 12, 2013. It was up to date with a brand new video and pictures in January 2018 and with extra useful content material on February 26, 2025.
