Real Teriyaki Sauce (Sake-Mirin Glaze, No Cornstarch)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Bottled teriyaki is thickened corn syrup with soy sauce in it. The real thing is just four pantry liquids — soy, mirin, sake and sugar — simmered until they reduce into a glossy, spoon-coating glaze that clings to salmon, chicken thighs or grilled mushrooms without a speck of starch. Ginger, garlic and a bruised scallion steep in as it reduces, and a few drops of sesame oil go in off the heat so the aroma survives. Makes about 1 cup and keeps a month in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Japanese soy sauce (shoyu), such as Kikkoman
• 3/4 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup sake (dry, drinkable — not "cooking sake")
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar

• 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced into 4 coins and smashed
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 scallion, white and light green part, bruised with the side of a knife
• 1 piece kombu, 2 x 2 inches (optional, for depth)

• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar (optional, to brighten)

Instructions

1. Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a small saucepan (2-quart is ideal — a wide pan reduces too fast and can scorch the sugar). Whisk over medium heat for about 1 minute, just until the sugars dissolve completely and no grit remains on the bottom.
2. Add the smashed ginger coins, garlic, bruised scallion and the kombu if using. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat — you want lazy bubbles around the edge, not a rolling boil. If it boils hard, the alcohol burns off before the flavors marry and the sauce turns harsh.
3. Fish out the kombu after 10 minutes of simmering, before it starts to go slippery and vegetal. Leave the ginger, garlic and scallion in.
4. Simmer uncovered, adjusting the heat to keep it gentle, for 20 to 25 minutes total, until the liquid has reduced by a little over one third — you should have about 1 cup. Stir every 5 minutes and scrape the sides. The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clear track that fills in slowly. On an instant-read thermometer it will register 215–218°F.
5. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the honey; the residual heat will melt it in without cooking off its floral edge. Let the sauce sit 10 minutes so the aromatics keep steeping as it cools.
6. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean jar or bowl, pressing lightly on the solids. Stir in the sesame oil and, if you want a little lift against the sweetness, the rice vinegar. Taste: if it's sweeter than you like, add another 1/2 teaspoon vinegar; if it's flat, a scant 1/4 teaspoon of soy sauce.
7. Cool to room temperature before capping — it will thicken noticeably as it cools, to about the consistency of warm maple syrup. Refrigerate in a sealed jar for up to 1 month. It will get quite thick when cold; let it sit out 15 minutes or warm the jar in hot tap water before using.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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