Teriyaki Dinner (with homemade teriyaki sauce)

After searching for a clean teriyaki sauce for a year, I've realized that there just wasn't one.

From my cookbook library, I found a teriyaki sauce in Japanese Cooking. The teriyaki sauce recipe includes soy sauce, brown sugar, chicken stock, and mirin. When I tested this recipe, I didn't have chicken stock or mirin on hand. But I went ahead and tested it with only two ingredients: soy sauce and light brown sugar.

How did teriyaki sauce turn out? Well, so good that I promised myself to blog about it. Hey, that's what I'm doing now. The teriyaki sauce has a perfect balance of sweet and salty. The liquid is thick and caramel like texture.

My kids luv to eat at the local Japanese grill. Since we don't eat out much, I want to see if I can make their teriyaki meals: chicken and shrimp teriyaki serve with steamed veggies and rice. So I went at it, using my homemade teriyaki sauce. The teriyaki dinner was additive. In fact, it's been my go-to, last minute dinner plan.

Because GMO has been found in soy beans, be sure to use organic soy sauce. The amount serving of teriyaki sauce and teriyaki dinner is really up to you. I usually buy bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs. I save the bones and skins to make udon noodle soup or chicken broth. It's also helpful to grill more than enough chickens or shrimps because I can always save them for the next day lunch.

To make the perfect fried rice, make sure the steamed rice is cooled and dried in the fridge overnight. I usually freeze cooked Jasmin rice for future fried rice. Add over easy or scrambled eggs and I have another easy meal.
 

Teriyaki Sauce

inspired by Japanese Cooking's Teriyaki Sauce
 

1 part of organic soy sauce

1 part of light brown sugar

(i.e. 1 cup of organic soy sauce to 1 cup of light brown sugar) 

1. Place both ingredients in a small sauce pan.
2. Bring it to a boil, until the sugar is melted, about 2 minutes.

STORING: Place the teriyaki sauce in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 months. Microwave the sauce for about 10 seconds to soften it.
 

 

Teriyaki Dinner

 

safflower or any cooking oil

chicken thighs, skinned and boned

shrimps, peeled and deveined

streamed rice, cooled and dried overnight 

1. Heat the grilled pan on a medium heat.
2. Brush or spray the chickens and shrimps with oil.
3. Grill the chicken and shrimps, until they are longer pink.
4. Slice the chickens or shrimps if desired.
5. Place the teriyaki sauce in the frying pan.
6. Heat the sauce over a medium-low heat until it is bubbling.
7. Turn off the heat and place the chickens and shrimps over the sauce.
8. Coat well and serve with steamed rice.
9. To make fried rice, place oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat.
10. Place the rice in the pan. TIP: Add any diced vegetable, such as carrots, at this time.
11. Drizzle about 1-2 tablespoon of teriyaki sauce over the rice.
12. Stir to coat the rice with the sauce.
13. Let the rice heat up thoroughly. TIP: Be sure to scrape off the rice at the bottom of the frying pan. That is my favorite part of fried rice.
14. Serve with grilled chickens or shrimps. Enjoy!!! TIP: My kids luv to eat fried rice with soft egg, a great brunch alternative.

STORING: If you happen to have a leftover, keep the teriyaki dinner in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

 

Allergy Info: This teriyaki sauce is free from or can make without dairy, eggs, corn, nuts, and fish. Use gluten free soy sauce if you are sensitive to gluten. For teriyaki dinner, use proteins that best fit your allergy free diet.