How Japanese Teriyaki differs from Western’s

According to the article 照り焼き on Japanese Wikipedia, now, “Teriyaki (照り焼き, テリヤキ)” has become a popular dish in many countries.

But it seems that those served outside of Japan are somewhat different from Japanese-style Teriyaki.

Teriyaki (照り焼き) in Japan

Originally, Teriyaki refers to a cooking method in Japanese cuisine where meat/fish is fried in a pan with some salad (vegetable) oil, and Teriyaki Sauce is used to season the food, which gives a shine or “Teri (照り)” to its surface.

Main Ingredient

Although Western Teriyaki dishes usually use chicken, pork, or beef as the main ingredient, the representatives in Japan are chicken and yellowtail.

But sometimes, other fish is prepared, which includes billfish, bonito, salmon, trout, Spanish mackerel, and conger pike.

Cooking Method 

As for Japanese Chicken Teriyaki, first, a dash of salt and pepper are sprinkled over chicken, and the meat is coated with wheat flour or Katakuriko potato starch.

Then, it is fried in a frying pan with some vegetable oil until both sides become golden brown.

After excess oil in the pan is removed with a paper towel, the meat is cooked with Teriyaki Sauce over medium heat until its surface shines and the sauce becomes viscous.

Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki Sauce is actually a versatile sauce, which can also be used for hamburg steak and other meat dishes.

Today, I did research about Japanese Teriyaki Sauce and found out that many professional chefs say that there is a golden ratio for it.

Recipe

According to those sources, the golden ratio of Japanese Teriyaki Sauce is 2 parts soy sauce, 2 parts sake, 2 parts mirin, and 1 part sugar.

Put all the seasonings in a pan and heat over medium heat until somewhat viscous, sometimes stirring with a spatula or the like so as not to scorch it.