world-kuliner

The key ingredient in teriyaki sauce is mirin. Mirin adds luster to ingredients when it's cooked and adds nice aroma. Since it is effective in masking the smell of fish, using mirin for teriyaki seafood dishes is a good idea. The sweetness of mirin is different from that of sugar. It's a perfect seasoning to add a mild sweetness to Japanese cooking.

The use of mirin is said to have begun over 400 years ago. Although it was used for drinking in the beginning, it has been used for only cooking since it was made to be thicker and sweeter. Steamed mochigome rice, komekoji (rice yeast), and shochu (Japanese liquor) are mixed and fermented to make mirin.

Mirin is clear and light gold in color and is usually sold in a bottle. There are two types of mirin: hon mirin and shin mirin. The difference is the amount of alcohol. Hon mirin contains nearly 14% alcohol. Hon mirin was available only at alcohol retailers until December 1997, but now it's sold at supermarkets too. Shin mirin has less than 1% alcohol but has the same flavor as hon mirin, so it's commonly used for cooking.

Making Teriyaki Sauce

You can buy teriyaki sauce in a bottle at the grocery store, but authentic teriyaki sauce is very easy to make. To make sukiyaki sauce, you need soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. (If you don't have mirin, you can substitute it with sake and sugar.) Teriyaki sauce can be used for glazing and marinating meats and vegetables.

Teriyaki Sauce No 1

Using the Japanese sake and mirin wines (available in most Asian markets), this teriyaki sauce recipe is simple and sweet. Use as a sauce or marinade for chicken, fish or other meat.

Ingredients

1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 cup sake wine
2 tablespoons mirin wine
1 tablespoon white sugar