Teriyaki Sauce
Makes 2 cups (500 mL)
Teriyaki sauce is common in Japanese cuisine. It adds both sweet and salty flavours to the food with which it is blended, and it’s fat-free. The first choice for this recipe is sake, a Japanese rice wine that has a clean but distinctive taste and adds a lot of character. If you prefer not to use alcohol in your cooking, the sake can be replaced with stock, preferably a no-salt version. Teriyaki sauce can be added to stir-fries or poured over tofu and baked for 45 minutes at 350°F (180°C).
1/2 cup (125 mL) light or regular tamari or soy sauce
1/2 cup (125 mL) sake or vegetable stock
1/2 cup (125 mL) mirin
1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons (45 mL) unpeeled, thinly sliced ginger
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon (15 mL) arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1 tablespoon (15 mL) water
Bring the tamari, sake, mirin, brown sugar, onion, ginger, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes. Dissolve the arrowroot powder in the water and stir into the saucepan; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Strain the sauce and use immediately or store in the refrigerator, where it will keep for several weeks.
Per 2 tablespoons (30 mL): calories: 64, protein: 1 g, fat: 0 g, carbohydrate: 11 g (10 g from sugar), dietary fibre: 0 g, calcium: 11 mg, iron: 0 mg, magnesium: 6 mg, phosphorus: 13 mg, potassium: 52 mg, sodium: 353 mg, zinc: 0 mg, thiamin: 0 mg, riboflavin: 0 mg, niacin: 0.3 mg, vitamin B 6: 0 mg, folate: 2 mcg, pantothenic acid: 0 mg, vitamin B 12: 0 mcg, vitamin A: 0 mcg, vitamin C: 0 mg, vitamin E: 0 mg, omega-6 fatty acids: 0 g, omega-3 fatty acids: 0 g
Percentage of calories from protein 5%, fat 0%, carbohydrate 70%, alcohol (from mirin) 25%
Note: Most of the alcohol in the sake is burned off during the cooking process, leaving behind only its taste and fragrance.
