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Teriyaki Sauce

There’s a good reason Teriyaki is one of Japan’s most well known sauces – it is a totally delicious sweet, salty, sticky, shiny, sauce which packs a huge flavour punch with layers of unami. Even better, it is very quick to make!  Serves 4

Course Dinner, Lunch, Supper
Cuisine Japanese
Keyword Teriyaki
Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons/ ½ cup salt reduced soy sauce (I use Kikkoman)

  • 8 tablespoons/ ½ cup mirin
  • 8 tablespoons/ ½ cup cooking sake
  • 8 tablespoons/ ½ cup water
  • 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Put the soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half and slightly syrupy in consistency. 

  3. Add the sugar and stir to mix and dissolve.

  4. If not using immediately, allow to cool and transfer to a sterilised jam jar and seal with a lid. Store for up to 3 months in the fridge until needed.

Recipe Notes

Equipment

  • medium sized saucepan
  • jam jar with lid
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • wooden skewer

Alternative Recipe 1:

  • 8 tablespoons/½ cup soy sauce – I use Kikkoman, salt reduced
  • 12 tablespoons port/¾ cup – I use supermarket port I buy for cooking. You do not need expensive aged port
  • 8 tablespoons/½ cup  water
  • 8 teaspoons/2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons runny honey

Method:

  1. Measure all the ingredients into a saucepan and reduce by half. See above for tips on measuring the reduction.

Alternative Recipe 2:

  • 1 cup coco cola - full sugar, classic coca cola
  • 8 tablespoons/½ cup soy sauce – I use Kikkoman, salt reduced
  • 8 tablespoons/½ cup  water
  • 8 teaspoons/2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons runny honey

Method:

  1. Measure all the ingredients into a saucepan and reduce by half. See above for tips on measuring the reduction.

Sterilising jam jars and filling with hot Teriyaki Sauce

  • The best way to sterilise your jar is to wash your jar and lid in hot water, place on a baking tray and transfer to a cold oven.
  • Turn the oven on to Fan Oven 110 oC /130 oC/250 oF/Gas ½ and leave the jar and lid inside for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before using. Be very careful you do not burn yourself as they will obviously be very hot!
  • If the jar has cooled down, do not pour hot Teriyaki Sauce into it or it may crack. You can either allow the Teriyaki to cool, or fill the jar with very hot water. Put the kettle on. When the kettle has boiled, pour the hot water out of the jar and then fill with boiling water and leave to sit for a few minutes. Carefully tip out the water just before you fill it with Teriyaki Sauce.
  • Alternatively:
  • Wash your jar and lid in hot water and then fill the jar with very hot water. Put the kettle on. When the kettle has boiled, pour the hot water out of the jar and then fill with boiling water and sit the lid on top - do not screw on. Set aside whilst you make your Teriyaki.
  • Carefully tip out the water just before you fill it with Teriyaki Sauce.
  • If the water has cooled down, do not pour hot Teriyaki Sauce into the jar or it may crack. Either repeat the process with the hot and then boiling water so the glass jar is now hot or allow the Teriyaki to cool. 

Measuring the reduction:

  • If you find it difficult to gauge when the sauce has reduced by half, insert a wooden skewer into the sauce before you bring it to the boil and make mark where the sauce comes to.
  • Make a second mark half way between your first mark and the base of the skewer.
  • Use the skewer to check when the sauce has been sufficiently reduced.