To me, Teriyaki sauce is one of those universal sauces that should be amazing all the time. Sweet, tangy, savory, and salty, this sauce makes a great goo to bring together a stir fry. But in my years of cooking stir-fried food, some of my teriyaki sauces have come out a bit lame. Too watery, too much ginger, too salty, just bad; I’ve managed it all. So, this is my attempt to write down a sauce that works and is quite simple to put together.
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Why I Love This Recipe?
Two reasons: it’s quick & easy, and uses common, shelf stable ingredients. This gives you the opportunity to use this sauce in a pinch without having to worry about not having something.
Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients
- Soy Sauce: The main ingredient and flavor in this sauce. Salty and savory with loads of umami, I love soy sauce and use it a lot. Kikkoman is a great go-to, but most grocery store soy sauces taste very similar.
- Brown Sugar: Much like soy sauce, if I want to use a sweetener I use dark brown sugar. The molasses flavor adds an extra layer other than sweet, and layers mean tasty. Try substituting brown sugar anywhere white sugar is used and see what happens.
- Garlic Powder: A lot of teriyaki sauce recipes use fresh garlic, and I understand why. Fresh ingredients USUALLY taste better. Garlic is an exception. Fresh garlic burns easily and can give off-flavors, usually a bitterness. Using garlic powder avoids that but you still get the garlic smell and flavor. It also keeps on a shelf for up to a year, so it’s always at hand.
- Ground Ginger: Much like garlic, I prefer to use ginger powder to fresh ginger. Fresh ginger gets spicier the longer you cook it, so it can get out of hand when cooking for tiny humans who are spice sensitive.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: This is the one ingredient you may not have on hand, but it’s more reasonable to assume than say miren. This gives a bit of sourness to counter the sweetness of the brown sugar and works well with the ginger. You can substitute apple cider vinegar in a pinch.
- Corn Starch: The thickener for most Chinese food sauces. 1T per cup of liquid makes a lovely sauce without gelling up, just make sure to mix it in cold water first or it’ll ball up.
Equipment
- Small Bowl: For mixing everything together in. I used our over-large cereal bowls so there was plenty of room for stirring. Whisks can get a bit out of hand if you’re in a hurry.
- Measuring Cups: Simple, effective, and necessary for reproducible sauces. Eyeballing liquid additions to sauces are for the bold, and I am not that bold.
- Measuring Spoons: For measuring out the powders and vinegar. These are potent ingredients, so estimate at your own risk. I always have two sets on hand so I am not washing them all the time.
- Whisk: For stirring everything together. Not technically necessary, but the whisk mixes everything nicely and breaks up any clumps.
Preparation
Preparing the Sauce
This part’s easy and only takes moments. Measure out all of the ingredients except for the cornstarch, and combine them in the bowl. Whisk together for a minute to combine.
Thickening to Teriyaki Sauce
Heat the sauce over medium-low heat until bubbling. There is a fair amount of sugar in the sauce and you don’t want to scorch it, burnt sugar is gross. The cornstarch activates once it is heated to bubbling and will start to thicken. Stir regularly and add your cooked stir fry ingredients such as meat and veggies. Stir to combine and serve.
If you are making a batch to store, keep stirring until your desired thickness and remove it from heat. Scrape the sauce into a jar for storage and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 months. Don’t worry, it’s delicious so you won’t need to keep it that long.
Quick Teriyaki Sauce
Equipment
- Small Mixing Bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Sauce pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup Soy sauce
- ¼ cup Dark brown sugar
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- ¼ tsp Ginger powder
- 2 tbsp Rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Corn starch
- ¼ cup water cold
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce (½c), brown sugar (¼c), garlic powder (½t), ginger powder (¼t), and rice wine vinegar (2T). Whisk for 1 minute to combine.
- Combine the cornstarch (1T) with cold (¼c) water and mix to combine. Add to the other ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Pour the mixture into a saucepan over medium low heat. Make sure to scrape any undissolved sugar into the saucepan. Heat until bubbling and thickened, stirring regularly.
- Add to food as needed. Enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten-Free: This sauce should be good for low gluten diets, but those with gluten intolerances should make sure to get gluten-free soy sauce.
- Vegan friendly. Pour this sauce over a vegetable stir fry and enjoy.
- Not Keto-Friendly due to the brown sugar and cornstarch.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
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