Name: EASY HOMEMADE TERIYAKI SAUCE
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 4 tbsp soy sauce; 4 tbsp sake; 4 tbsp sugar

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Last updated on April 16th, 2024 at 06:49 pm

Homemade teriyaki sauce ready in 5 minutes and with only 3 three ingredients. This versatile sauce is used to glaze meat, fish and tofu, season stir-fries and as a marinade.

Teriyaki sauce is a versatile sauce that could be used to glaze protein such as chicken, salmon, beef, and tofu and to season noodles and vegetable stir-fries. But it does not stop there, teriyaki sauce could also be a marinade for seafood, meat, and fish before grilling. Now that scores high on my list of sauces in addition to tonkatsu sauce and soy sauce vinegar dip which are used not only as dipping sauces but also to marinate meats or even tofu.

We have not bought bottled teriyaki sauce because we have realised that it is easy to make. One upside of moving to, a foreign country, is the opportunity to learn new things to adapt to the new environment. Since I will be in this country for some time where eating out is not only horrendous but also choices are slim. Bottled sauces are available in shops but learning to make them from scratch is not only satisfying because we would know what goes in them if we made them but also it feeds the need to learn.

Ingredients to make sauces like Japanese teriyaki and sauces from other cuisine like Thai are available on the shelves so it is possible to make sauces from scratch. I spent hours watching and listening to NHK and their cooking programs while I was pregnant overseas and when we just moved to the UK. It was the constant that I held on to, especially during the adjustment period of moving.

This recipe is inspired by the number of recipes from the Japanese programs which I found the easiest to follow. Who could ask for more ingredients to make a flavorful sauce if the recipe only asks for three ingredients of equal parts, shake and store? That is up my street (as mums here would say). I read and heard that Japanese households make their teriyaki sauce, let’s give it a try.

What is teriyaki sauce?

It is the glaze used over grilled or fried food. Teri in Japanese means shiny or gloss and yaki is the way of cooking that is grilling or pan frying. Teriyaki refers to the cooking process where something is grilled or pan-fried until it is glazed and shiny.

Ingredients for homemade teriyaki sauce

What is teriyaki sauce made of?

This teriyaki sauce only calls for 3 ingredients, soy sauce, sake and sugar. Some recipes call for mirin but mirin in the store I checked contains sweeteners. Norecipes explains in this post why he does not use mirin. Justonecookbook’s recipe calls for mirin but she suggested substitutes when mirin is unavailable or alcohol consumption is not possible. The balance of sweet, salty, umami flavors is what’s needed to achieve the homemade sauce.

Soy sauce – Good quality soy sauce, naturally brewed is the only soy sauce I have used for this recipe for the saltiness and savory flavor.

Sake – Drinking sake is used for the teriyaki sauce but not the expensive kind. No experience with cooking sake sold in shops here. Feel free to leave a comment for any sake you have used and prefer.

Sugar – white or brown sugar works. The sugar adds sweetness and thickens the sauce.

How to make a 3 ingredient teriyaki sauce?

No special skills are needed to do this. Measure equal parts sake, soy sauce the pour all the ingredients into a clean jar or bottle. Whisk until the sugar dissolves or put the lid on and shake. Set aside until ready to use.

What does teriyaki sauce taste like?

The sauce is a balance of sweet, salty, savory and tangy.

How to thicken the sauce

To thicken the sauce, let it boil and the sugars will naturally thicken.

How to use homemade teriyaki sauce

Use the sauce to make:

Teriyaki – Pan-fry meat or any kind of protein until cooked halfway through, take it out from the pan, remove excess oil from the pan, put the protein back in and add the teriyaki sauce on a 1 tablespoon per serving ratio. Watch this quick video on how teriyaki turkey meatballs are cooked.

Marinade – Marinate protein with the sauce for 30 minutes before cooking

Stir-fries – season noodles and vegetable stir-fries with homemade sauce.

Storage

Keep in an airtight container and store in a cool place. This sauce will keep indefinitely but it might be finished before you know it as you might reach for that bottle more often than you imagined.

Watch how to make it.

You might want to take a look at how the sauce is made by clicking h ere.

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Let’s get cooking!