Teriyaki Sauce is a classic Japanese condiment renowned for its sweet and savory flavors, enriched with umami. This homemade version enhances a variety of dishes, from Teriyaki Chicken to Salmon, bringing an authentic touch of Asian cuisine to your cooking. It's perfect for boosting the taste of stir-fries, noodles, and soups.
What You’ll Find On This Page
The name 'Teriyaki' combines 'Tari' (shiny sauce) and 'Yaki' (cooking/grilling), reflecting its versatility in the kitchen. Use it to marinate, braise, or grill, or to enrich the flavors of rice, noodles, and vegetables. It’s also excellent as a dipping sauce or for adding a tasty twist to dumplings, meatballs, and chicken wings.
Additionally, I’ve included a Teriyaki Marinade recipe in this post. It combines traditional ingredients such as mirin and soy sauce with a modern twist of brown sugar, enhancing its unique flavor.
Discover More Delicious Marinades:
Ingredients and Substitutions Overview
For this Teriyaki Sauce, you'll just need a few common Asian pantry staples that you can easily find in most Asian grocery stores or the Asian section of gourmet markets. Here's what you'll need:
- Tamari Sauce: A staple in Japanese cooking, tamari offers a taste similar to soy sauce but with less sodium.
- Mirin: This Japanese rice wine adds an authentic flavor to the sauce. If mirin is hard to find, you can substitute with dry sherry or Chinese cooking wine. Another alternative is rice vinegar mixed with a half teaspoon of white or brown sugar per tablespoon to replicate mirin’s sweet profile.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and garlic will infuse the sauce with their vibrant aromas and flavors.
- Oil: Sesame oil is ideal for its distinctive Asian flavor, but you can also use soybean oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, or even olive oil.
- Chili Flakes and Pepper: Add these to introduce a gentle heat to the sauce.
- Honey and Brown Sugar: These sweeteners enhance the sauce with a rich sweetness and help achieve a glossy finish.
- Cornstarch Slurry: This is used to thicken the sauce, making sure it clings beautifully to your dishes.
How to Make the Best Teriyaki Sauce at home?
Now, let's make this Teriyaki Sauce with my easy-to-follow recipe! I've included photos and a video to guide you through each step. Let's get started and bring this delicious Japanese classic right into your kitchen!
Explore Delectable Asian Sauce Recipes:
- Stir Fry Sauce
- Chili Sauce
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Kung Pao Sauce
- General Tso's Sauce
- Orange Sauce
- Szechuan Sauce
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 tbsp Ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 4 Red Chili, dried
- ¼ cup Tamari Sauce, or low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Mirin Sauce
- 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
- ½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
- ½ tsp Chili Flakes
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 cup Water
- Salt, to taste
For Cornstarch Slurry
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Water
Instructions
Preparing Teriyaki Sauce
- Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, and dry red chili. Sauté until aromatic, which releases their flavors into the oil, creating a fragrant base for your sauce.
- Add tamari sauce, mirin, brown sugar, black pepper powder, and chili flakes. Drizzle in the honey last to prevent it from burning, ensuring a smooth blend of sweet and savory elements. Give everything a good mix.
- Add water and increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a quick boil. This helps the sugar dissolve completely and melds the flavors together.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat and slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry (the specified amount of cornstarch diluted in water) to avoid lumps. Season with salt, adjusting to your taste preferences.
- Continuously stir and cook the mixture until it reaches the desired thickness. Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat. Your flavor-packed Teriyaki Sauce is now ready to use in your recipes!
Using
- Use this Teriyaki Sauce to prepare delectable dishes like Teriyaki Salmon, Teriyaki Chicken, or various stir-fry dishes.
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Recipe Video
Chef's Notes and Tips
- Balancing Flavors: Adjust the sweetness or saltiness to your taste by modifying the amounts of sugar and Tamari. Start with the base recipe and tweak it from there to suit your preferences.
- Customizing Spice Levels: If you enjoy a bit of heat, consider adding a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes or a splash of chili sauce to the marinade or sauce.
- Marinating Time: For the best results, marinate meats for at least 30 minutes, or ideally, overnight in the refrigerator. This ensures the flavors fully soak into the meat.
- Reducing Waste: If you're using the marinade for basting, set some aside before adding the meat to avoid cross-contamination. This way, you can use it as a sauce without any safety concerns.
- Thickening Tips: If your Teriyaki Sauce isn’t thickening as you’d like, dissolve an additional teaspoon of cornstarch in a little cold water and stir it into the simmering sauce until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Amount of Teriyaki Sauce to Use: The amount of Teriyaki Sauce needed can differ depending on the dish you're preparing. Typically, ¼ cup works well for marinating or glazing three medium-sized salmon fillets. If you prefer a richer flavor or are serving more generously, you might want to increase the amount to up to ½ cup. Feel free to adjust according to your taste preferences and the size of your dish.
- Teriyaki Marinade: I’ve shared the steps to make Teriyaki Marinade below. Be sure to check it out if you’re looking to add a delicious twist to your dishes with this flavorful marinade!
Nutrition Info
Disclaimer
We're not nutrition experts, and the nutritional information provided is an estimate. Please use it as a guide. For precise details, it's best to consult a professional. To learn more, please view our Detailed Disclaimers.
Looking for more? Explore our delicious collection of condiments, from stir-fry sauces to party dips and Asian recipes, including Japanese favorites. Enjoy a variety of Asian flavors right from your home!
How to Make Teriyaki Marinade?
This quick and traditional Japanese marinade is perfect for adding a burst of flavor to chicken, fish, or meat. Here’s how you can make it at home:
Note: The Teriyaki Marinade uses the same ingredients as the Teriyaki Sauce, but you’ll skip the cornstarch slurry, honey, and whole dry red chilies.
- In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients—except for the cornstarch slurry, honey, and dry red chilies. Stir until the brown sugar has fully dissolved.
- You can use the marinade right away, or store it in an airtight container for later use.
Storage Suggestions
Here are some tips on how to store your homemade Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade to ensure they stay fresh and flavorful:
- Teriyaki Sauce: I recommend making your Teriyaki Sauce fresh when you’re cooking meats or seafood to capture the best flavors. If you have leftovers, they can still taste great. Just store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge, and it'll stay fresh for up to a week. This way, you can enjoy those rich Teriyaki flavors anytime you need to enhance a meal!
- Teriyaki Marinade: For the freshest flavor, I suggest using fresh ginger and garlic if you plan to use the marinade immediately. If you need to store it, the marinade can stay fresh in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. For longer storage, consider using ginger and garlic powder instead. Additionally, boiling the marinade for 2-3 minutes and letting it cool before refrigerating can extend its shelf life to up to 2 weeks.
Teriyaki Sauce vs Marinade: Key Differences
Teriyaki Sauce is a sweet and savory condiment that's perfect for basting, stir-frying, or enhancing the flavor of meats and other proteins. It's commonly used to cook or glaze meat and seafood, or as a topping on cooked dishes. Cornstarch is often added to the sauce to give it a thicker consistency.
On the other hand, Teriyaki Marinade is designed for soaking uncooked meat, chicken, or fish, allowing them to absorb the flavors before cooking. It's created by mixing soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and other aromatic ingredients in a bowl. This mixture is then used to marinate proteins. Marinades typically have a thinner consistency than sauces, making them ideal for infusing flavors deeply into the foods.
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