Sunday, October 14, 2012

Recipe: Homemade Japanese teriyaki sauce

Teriyaki sauce is a staple ingredient in our kitchen. We love using it to marinade meat and vegetables before cooking. In the past, I have always used bottled teriyaki sauce. On my next visit to the supermarket, I decided not to pick up another bottle of teriyaki sauce but make my own instead.

Teriyaki derives from the noun teri (照り), which translates to the shine or luster given by the sugar content in the tare (sauce), and yaki (焼き), which refers to the cooking method of grilling or broiling. Traditionally the meat is dipped in or brushed with sauce several times before and during cooking.

Homemade authentic teriyaki sauce consists of four ingredients - Japanese soy sauce, mirin, sake and soft brown sugar. And all you need to do is to combine the ingredients together. The sauce is thickened by the sugar caramelizing. Easy, right? It is also cheaper to make your own teriyaki sauce. You can purchase all the ingredients easily in KL, I got mine from Jusco in Midvalley. It's also true that homemade teriyaki sauce tastes much better and is less sweet than the bottled ones. 

Next week, I will share recipes for two dishes I made using this homemade teriyaki sauce. Stay tuned!



Homemade teriyaki sauce
Recipe adapted from No Recipes
Makes 1 portion

Ingredients
1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp soft brown sugar


Option 1: To make the teriyaki sauce, combine the brown sugar, mirin, sake and soy sauce in a small bowl and stir to combine. You can use this to marinade any meat  (it will thicken when you cook the meat over the stove later).

Option 2: To make the teriyaki sauce, add the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake to a small saucepan and boil over medium heat until the sauce is glossy and slightly viscous. This will take about 1-2 minutes. Do not overboil it (and try not to use high heat) though as it will turn into caramel consistency and harden when it gets cold. You can brush this on to meat that you are grilling or broiling.

*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's FB page on 19 Oct 2012.

35 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Yeah, and with one simple sauce, can cook many different dishes.

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  2. I have stopped buying ready store-bought teriyaki sauce for so long,,nothing beat homemade teriyaki sauce.

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    Replies
    1. Sonia, at first I thought teriyaki sauce has some "complicated" ingredients but turns out so easy. No more bottled ones for me too. :)

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  3. Replies
    1. You can be in-charge of making teriyaki sauce next time :P

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  4. I know where to get the recipe now ! lol

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    Replies
    1. YUP! No more bottled teriyaki sauce for u too. :P

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  5. Wow this looks really easy and yum! I love teriyaki sauce - I think I can make them every week!

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    Replies
    1. Yeah I love to cook chicken, pork, beef and vegetables with teriyaki sauce! Very yummy.

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  6. i'm usually not a fan of teriyaki sauce, but maybe it's because i've probably never tasted homemade ones like yours! :D

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    Replies
    1. Do you find them too sweet usually?

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    2. Baby Sumo: hmmm, not too sweet per se, but i think the teriyaki flavor usually just doesn't do much for me.

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  7. This one seems easy to make, hehe. :D

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  8. I saw Sonia posted her homemade teriyaki sauce b4 but after looking at the ingredient list, sian lah, don't have mirin, don't have sake, don't have Jap soy sauce & if I buy all the ingredients, they are going to cost more than buying a bottle of Masterfood teriyaki sauce from the supermarket which normally cost 2 for $5, $2.5o per bottle! My fridge always have 2 bottles of this sauce, hahaha!

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    Replies
    1. Teriyaki sauce not so cheap here, I think the Kikkoman brand is around RM12-15. Cheaper to make own. I managed to buy all ingredients at one place.

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  9. Didn't know its that easy... i guess its home made is always better since there is no preservatives!

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  10. Dang...I should have read this before I prepared for today's BBQ...

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    Replies
    1. Hehe nm, can use it for your next BBQ! Another reason to throw another BBQ party :D

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  11. Wow looks so lovely and simple. Would love to see the recipes you tried with this sauce.

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  12. You just keep getting better! Now you're doing home made Teriyaki sauce!

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    Replies
    1. Ah but it's really very simple. It's a useful sauce to have in the kitchen :)

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  13. i think i have all the ingredients at home! :D

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  14. I was just thinking of buying a bottle of teriyaki sauce coz we bought some nice unagi last week. Now i can make my own :) thanks for sharing this, great timing.

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