Wow! We hope that you will say this when you try the sauce. This is the teriyaki we’ve been looking for. It’s simple, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened. You can also opt to make it soy-free.
This sauce is not only quick and easy to make but also uses just six pantry staples. This sweet, salty, and tangy sauce is a versatile choice that pairs well with chicken or tofu. Let’s get saucy!
Teriyaki Sauce: Origin and History
The term “teriyaki,” which is a Japanese cooking technique, was developed in the early 1700s by Japanese chefs. It involves grilling or broiling food in a glaze of soy sauce and mirin ( source).
A new sauce, but one that was similar, appeared in Hawaii when Japanese immigrants arrived. It featured a Hawaiian ingredient: pineapple. A thick, sweet, savory sauce that resembled teriyaki evolved along the way to become what you can find in American grocery stores and restaurants today.
Is teriyaki sauce gluten-free?
Traditional teriyaki is made using soy sauce, which contains wheat and is therefore not gluten-free.
In this recipe, we substituted soy sauce with its cousin, tamari. Both tamari and soy are made from fermented beans, but tamari does not usually contain wheat. If you are making tamari for gluten-free people, make sure to check the label.
Teriyaki Sauce: How to make it?
This recipe begins by mixing a few pantry staples: tamari to add a salty element, maple syrup to provide sweetness, rice wine vinegar to balance it out, ginger and garlic to give it a zing, and water to make the sauce saucy. Cornstarch is then added to thicken.
Ingredients
- If soy is not an option, use coconut aminos instead.
- Maple syrup, 2-3 tablespoons
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3/4 cup of water
- Peeled ginger roughly chopped into 1 1/2 tsp (1 1/2 inch or 6g).
- Three cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tsp of cornstarch
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender (tamari, coconut aminos or maple syrup, vinegar, rice, water, ginger, and garlic). Blend at medium speed for 30 seconds or until there are no large pieces of ginger and garlic. This is normal. It will appear pale and foamy.
- Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan. (Ensure that the pan is large enough to allow the mixture mixture to boil). Turn the heat to medium. Keep an eye on the sauce as it begins to boil. It should bubble up and begin to rise the sides of your pan. This should take around 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat once the sauce is bubbling and boiling. Whisk for 5-10 minutes or until you reach the desired consistency. The sauce will thicken more when it cools. We prefer to whisk for 5 minutes and leave the sauce a little thinner. You can whisk your teriyaki for up to 10 minutes if you like it thicker.
- It is best to transfer the mixture into a heatproof container, such as a glass jar. Use it to make our Rainbow Edamame bowls or as a substitute for the tahini or peanut sauces in our Tofu noodle stir-fry with spring vegetables and Crispy Tofu Lettuce wraps.
- Leftover sauce can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for one month.
