This is a very traditional teriyaki sauce from my sushi bar days. We used it for a while, and then of course had to modify it. This is also the sauce that you find on “yakitori” in Japanese restaurants.
INGREDIENTS:
7 tablespoons sake (Japanese rice wine) 7 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet “cooking” wine) 7 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon sugar
METHOD:
Mix ingredients in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a narrower base and bring to a boil, being careful to keep the sauce from boiling over. If it does, the sake will ignite and makes spectacular flames.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and cool, or use immediately.
Chef’s Notes:
This works as a good marinade. Use on chicken, pork, fish, or beef. Wipe off before grilling to avoid it burning, but you can baste after you turn. This is best used over a slower fire if you use it as a marinade. If you wish, take some of the sauce and continue to cook it over low heat to reduce it so it thickens. Use the thicker reduction to paint on after the food is removed from the grill. Do not use this to baste with or it will carbonize on your food.
To add some extra character to the sauce, add 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cracked, and 3 1/8th inch thick “coins” of peeled ginger that have been smacked with the flat of a knife at the beginning of the process.
Diverging from the traditional, cook the sauce down to thicken, then add orange juice to it to thin just a little. Be sure to stir it in well.
YIELD: Just under 1½ cups
SOURCE: Chef Andrew Cohen
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
