Teriyaki Base Recipe

Introduction

Teriyaki is popular for the same reason people love caramel corn, salted chocolate and everything else that’s sweet and salty. The two taste elements are perfect partners and are almost guaranteed to make anything taste good. However, store-bought teriyaki is usually full of sugar and bad oils and often hides gluten. 

Luckily, making a healthy and gluten-free teriyaki is not hard and is good for you. Honey, fresh garlic and fresh ginger all have anecdotal and proven medical benefits and are rich in antioxidants and other helpful vitamins, minerals and nutrients. 

You can use this recipe as is to marinate just about any meat. Just soak the protein in the Teriyaki Base for 30 minutes and up to overnight. Or check out our tweaks to turn it into all kinds of wonderful things.

Tip: If you’re pressed for time, put all the ingredients in a blender (you can leave the garlic and ginger whole), blend on high, pour into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes.  

Ingredients

½ cup tamari or soy sauce
½ cup water
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, pressed (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 small finger)
2 tablespoon lime juice (about 1 lime)
¼ teaspoon agar agar powder or cornstarch

Directions

  1. Heat a frying pan on medium heat.

  2. Add all the ingredients, except the agar agar, to the saucepan. Stir to mix well. 

  3. Now add the agar agar and whisk into the liquid, breaking up any chunks. Bring the Teriyaki Base to a boil. 

  4. Remove from heat. You can use it right away (say, in a stir-fry), but if you want to use it as a marinade, set it aside to cool and thicken first. After about five minutes, give it a whisk or vigorous stirring to prevent clumps.

  5. Store in the fridge for up to a week.