In another “guest” post, my wife Melissa shares the secret of her homemade teriyaki sauce. – David

Ever since I figured out how to prepare teriyaki sauce at home, I have been making it all of the time. It has a delicious sweet, gingery, garlicky, slightly tart flavor that goes well with just about anything. The sauce works as both a marinade and a dipping sauce and can go on anything from fish and vegetables to meat, chicken, and tofu. I like to make big batches at a time and keep it in an airtight jar in the fridge. It stays for a few weeks, so once you have a batch of it, you can prepare a delicious, healthy dinner in the time it takes to cook a piece of fish.

This recipe will come out thinner than the average restaurant or jarred teriyaki sauce. If you like it thicker, just add cornstarch and boil that in the sauce. But I recommend trying it this way first. Once you have the sauce ready, you can add to it for specific dishes – like cornstarch to thicken it for stir fries, or sliced chilies for chicken or steak.

Click here for our salmon teriyaki recipe!

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

2/3 cup mirin
1 cup soy sauce
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup sugar
4 or more cloves garlic, minced (I use almost an entire head)
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced

1. Bring the mirin to a boil in a small sauce pan and let it simmer and reduce for 10 minutes.

2. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, and garlic. Let the sauce cook for 5-10 minutes at a gentle boil.

Total time: 20 minutes
Makes about 2 cups

Now you have teriyaki sauce! Use it to marinate salmon, chicken, tofu, or anything else that you like. Our salmon teriyaki recipe is here. Stay tuned for more…