Classic sweet-salty teriyaki sauce works perfectly with any protein. Whip up a big batch and keep in your fridge to spice up your weeknight dinners.
Traditionally, “teriyaki” refers to a style of Japanese cooking wherein meat or fish is basted with a sweet-salty glaze and roasted over a grill or an open flame. The sauce gets its dark, savory, sweet and salty flavor from a combination of mirin, sake, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
Today, it’s not uncommon to see teriyaki sauce used not just for basting, but also as a marinade, or even as a dipping sauce. Its sweet and savory flavor profile is especially popular among Filipinos, so you’re likely to find teriyaki as a crowd favorite on the menu of any chicken spot.
Our recipe keeps it simple, with a 1:1:1:½ ratio of mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar. It has endless applications and takes 15 minutes to make, so it’s handy to keep in your fridge. Whether it’s to glaze salmon or chicken, or to serve as a sauce over a delicious fried cutlet, we guarantee it’ll add a little excitement to your regular weeknight meals.
If you want that thick, glossy, restaurant-style consistency, mix a bit of cornstarch with water and add it to the sauce as it simmers. But it’s best not to do this if you want to store it in your fridge immediately! Sauces thickened with cornstarch tend to turn rubbery after being refrigerated, especially over long periods.
You can keep the sauce thin and add a cornstarch slurry when you reheat if you intend to store it immediately, or just skip the slurry altogether! Reducing the sauce already turns it thick and syrupy, the slurry just bumps it up a notch.
Sake and mirin are traditional ingredients that add sweetness, a velvety mouthfeel, and a boost of umami. They’re fairly easy to find in the Asian ingredients aisle at your local grocery store, but if you happen to not have them in your pantry, don’t sweat it. You can substitute with a cup of water, and add tablespoon of sugar at a time depending on your desired sweetness.
To customize your teriyaki sauce’s flavor further, add some grated garlic or ginger, or maybe even minced chili if you want a bit of heat.
Combine: In a saucepan, combine mirin, sake, soy sauce and brown sugar.
Let simmer: Over medium low heat, simmer until slightly reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes.
Thicken sauce (optional): If you want a thick, glossy sauce, dissolve cornstarch in water. Once teriyaki sauce is reduced, lower heat and add cornstarch slurry. Whisk sauce continuously to prevent lumps, incorporating the slurry into a smooth and thick sauce.
Store: Transfer to a clean jar and let cool to room temperature. Store in the fridge for a few weeks.
