Teriyaki Sauce

Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine with about 14% alcohol and a syrupy, slightly golden consistency. It contributes a clean sweetness and a natural gloss that sugar alone can't replicate. If you can't find mirin, use 60 ml of dry sherry mixed with 1 tablespoon of sugar, or 60 ml of rice vinegar with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Neither is perfect — sherry is the closest in depth — but both work in a pinch. Avoid 'mirin-style seasoning' if possible, as it's mostly corn syrup.

Restaurant teriyaki has two advantages: they reduce the sauce longer so it's more concentrated, and they glaze it directly on hot protein under a broiler so the sugars caramelize. At home, simmer the sauce a bit longer than you think — until it coats a spoon thickly. Then brush it on grilled or broiled meat in the last 2–3 minutes of cooking and let it char slightly. That caramelization is most of what you're tasting at a restaurant.

In a sealed glass jar, homemade teriyaki keeps 2 weeks refrigerated. It thickens in the fridge — just warm it gently or add a splash of water to loosen it before using. You can freeze it in ice cube trays for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or drop a frozen cube directly into a hot pan. The garlic and ginger may soften over time but the flavor holds well.

Standard teriyaki is not gluten-free because regular soy sauce contains wheat. To make it gluten-free, replace the soy sauce with tamari (make sure the label says gluten-free — most tamari is, but check). Coconut aminos also work and are both gluten-free and soy-free, though they're milder and slightly sweeter, so reduce the sugar by half. The rest of the ingredients — mirin, sake, garlic, ginger, cornstarch — are naturally gluten-free.

They're the same sauce at different thicknesses. A thin teriyaki sauce (less cornstarch or none) is used as a marinade or dipping sauce — it soaks into meat before cooking. A thick teriyaki glaze (more cornstarch, longer reduction) is brushed onto protein during the last few minutes of grilling or broiling so it caramelizes on the surface. For stir-fry, use the thinner version so it coats everything evenly. For salmon or chicken thighs under the broiler, use the thicker glaze.