Teriyaki is a thick, sweet and salty sauce ideal for fish, seafood and chicken. The mixture is used as a spice or marinade, it is indispensable in Japanese cuisine, but it is also used for common home dishes. Usually the sauce is bought ready-made, but it is not difficult to make it yourself.
Teriyaki: benefits and features
The main advantage of teriyaki sauce is its ability to transform even the most ordinary products, giving them interesting flavor nuances. The mixture is necessary for cooking chicken, shrimp, squid, beef yakitori kebabs. Teriyaki is added to traditional Japanese noodles and dishes based on it, they are greased with grilled vegetables. The sauce will not increase the total calorie content too much, while the taste of the products will become deeper and brighter, with recognizable caramel notes. In addition, teriyaki provides a dramatic appearance to food, providing a mouth-watering toasted crust and keeping fish or meat juicy.
Nutritional value is about 100 kcal per 100 g of product, which makes it possible to recommend teriyaki for dietary nutrition. No salt is added in the process; a sufficient amount is contained in the soy sauce. Teriyaki stimulates appetite well, is quickly absorbed, accelerates the digestion of heavy foods.
At home, you can make a variety of teriyaki varieties. Most often it is made on the basis of ready-made soy sauce. Be sure to add spicy and sweet ingredients that make up a harmonious bouquet. You can include rice wine, wine vinegar, orange or pineapple juice, fish broth, liquid honey, sugar, garlic and other ingredients. The proportions depend on the specific recipe and can vary depending on the taste. Some people prefer saltier sauces, others prefer a pronounced sweetness, and some are more suitable for bright spicy variations. The mixture can be made just before use, or it can be poured into a bottle with a screw cap.
Homemade teriyaki can be kept in the refrigerator for several months. However, this only applies to cooked sauces. If the product has not been cooked, it is advisable to use it within a few days.
The thick, glossy sauce is easy to apply with a silicone brush. The mass is evenly distributed over meat, poultry or fish, the procedure can be repeated several times. After baking, the mixture forms a delicious, reddish brown toasted crust. Teriyaki goes well with other sauces such as soy, garlic, cream, or wine.
Classic sauce: step by step recipe
This sauce can be used for pickling, it is flavored with dishes during cooking or after it. The mixture is also suitable for vegetable platters in the Japanese style. If you don't have granulated garlic, you can take fresh cloves and chop them in a blender or grate them.
Ingredients:
- 140 ml ready-made soy sauce;
- 1 tsp refined vegetable oil;
- 1 tsp granulated garlic;
- 70 ml of filtered water;
- 1 tbsp. l. ground ginger;
- 1 tbsp. l. wine vinegar;
- 5 tsp fine cane sugar;
- 1 tbsp. l. potato starch;
- 1 tbsp. l. liquid honey.
Pour water into a saucepan, add sugar, soy sauce, honey, chopped garlic, ground ginger, vegetable oil. Stir everything thoroughly until the crystals dissolve and the liquid becomes completely homogeneous. Sift the potato starch and add to a saucepan. Stir again, add wine vinegar. Try the sauce: if it turns out to be too sour, you can add a little more honey.
Place the saucepan on the stove, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and let the sauce simmer for 5-7 minutes. Make sure that the mixture does not burn, stirring occasionally. The finished sauce should be smooth and thick. Transfer it to a glass container, chill and use for culinary purposes.
Quick teriyaki sauce: simple and tasty
A very simple recipe that includes a minimum of components. If you cannot find rice wine, you can use sherry, vermouth, white dessert wine. Alcohol not only adds the desired sourness, but also gives the finished product a pleasant aroma. The sauce is ideal for marinating meat, fish and seafood and keeps well in the refrigerator.
Ingredients:
- 200 ml soy sauce;
- 200 ml of rice wine;
- 1 tbsp. l. ground ginger;
- 2 tbsp. l. fine cane sugar;
- 1 tsp dried chopped garlic.
Pour soy sauce into a blender bowl, add ground ginger, garlic, rice wine and sugar. Drive in all 10-20 seconds at medium speed. Pour the homogeneous mixture into a saucepan, place on the stove, bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until some of the liquid has evaporated. Adjust the thickness to taste, but do not allow the contents of the saucepan to burn. Pour the prepared sauce into a glass or ceramic container and chill.
Savory Spice Sauce: Step-by-Step Preparation
The combination of sesame seeds with orange juice and fresh ginger gives an interesting taste to the sauce. Properly prepared, the mixture should acquire a beautiful reddish brown color and glossy sheen.
Ingredients:
- 100 ml soy sauce;
- 1 tbsp. l. sesame seeds;
- 10 ml sesame oil;
- 1 tsp liquid honey;
- 2 sweet and sour oranges;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 3 green onion feathers;
- 30 g fresh ginger root.
Peel the garlic, chop thinly, chop in a mortar. Add chopped green onions and sesame seeds, sautéed in a dry skillet. Rub the mixture with a pestle until smooth.
Grind the pre-peeled ginger root in a blender, mix with the garlic-sesame mass, butter, soy sauce and honey. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and gradually add it to the mixture. For those with a sour taste, add some freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice. Beat everything with a whisk, for greater homogeneity, you can grind the finished sauce through a sieve. The product is ready to use. It is better to eat it fresh; you can store homemade teriyaki without cooking in the refrigerator for no more than 5-7 days.
Pineapple sauce: original version
Pineapple puree and juice add unusual nuances to the sauce. The mixture is ideal for pan-fried or grilled chicken. It is better to serve grilled vegetables or rice as a side dish. You can use fresh or canned pineapple for the sauce, the latter is much more affordable.
Ingredients:
- 60 ml soy sauce;
- 60 ml of filtered water;
- 4 tbsp. l. pineapple puree;
- 3 tbsp. l. pineapple juice;
- 50 ml of liquid honey;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 1 tsp dried ginger;
- 50 ml of rice vinegar;
- 1 tbsp. l. corn starch.
Mix starch with cold water. Stir thoroughly, adjusting the density, add more water if necessary. Pour in soy sauce, stir again. Add garlic, chopped or grated in a blender, dried ginger, rice vinegar, pineapple juice and mashed potatoes. Beat the sauce until smooth, pour into a saucepan.
Put the mixture on the stove, bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil the sauce for 5 minutes, add liquid honey, mix well. Remove the saucepan from the heat, refrigerate, pour the contents into a gravy boat or bottle with a lid.
Once you have chosen a recipe that suits you, you can make adjustments to it by increasing or decreasing the amount of ingredients. It is important to observe general proportions and adhere to the formula: salty components must be complemented by sweet and spicy ones. This combination guarantees a harmonious taste. You can adjust the consistency of the finished product yourself. The longer it is on the stove, the thicker and richer the sauce will be.
