Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
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- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
1. Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan and stir until the sugar is moistened, about 1 minute.
2. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, 1–2 minutes, until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is steaming.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces by about one-third and looks glossy, 6–8 minutes; it should lightly coat the back of a spoon.
4. Remove from heat and let cool until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Use as a glaze or sauce, or refrigerate in a clean jar for up to 1 week.
Teriyaki sauce is a shiny, savory-sweet glaze with deep umami from soy sauce and a gentle sweetness from mirin and sugar. Reduced over heat, it becomes syrupy and clings beautifully to grilled or pan-seared foods, giving a lacquered finish and balanced flavor. The texture should be smooth and glossy, with a clean, aromatic note from sake that keeps the sweetness in check.
In Japan, teriyaki refers to a cooking technique—teri (shine) and yaki (grill/pan-cook)—that uses a simple tare of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. The glaze is traditionally developed by reduction on the stove and repeated basting over heat. Outside Japan, the term broadened to include thicker, sometimes garlicky sauces, but the classic Japanese base remains the four-ingredient reduction that highlights the natural balance of salty, sweet, and umami.