Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

There are plenty of things I don’t mind buying store-bought, but some items (like teriyaki sauce) are packed with so many unnecessary, unhealthy ingredients that I’d really prefer to make my own. Pre-blog days, I would just mix a little of this and a little of that to reach my desired taste. But this week I realized I needed to nail down a bulletproof recipe to share with you. Here it is! Teriyaki is so versatile! Use it as a dipping sauce for skewers, a marinade for chicken and vegetables, or use it like I did here in a rice and chicken bowl. Start by mixing all of your ingredients on the stove top, and then add in a cornstarch slurry to thicken it up. Store it in the fridge for up to a week if you need.

HOMEMADE TERIYAKI SAUCE
Yields roughly 1.5 cups. Prep and cook time- less than 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 c water plus 1.5 T separated
- 1/3 c soy sauce
- 1/4 c packed brown sugar
- 1/2 T ginger you can use fresh grated, dried ginger or refrigerated minced ginger
- 1/2 t garlic powder
- 1 t sesame oil
- 1 T raw honey
- 1 t rice vinegar
- 1 T cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:
1.) Combine all ingredients except cornstarch and additional 1.5 T water into a medium saucepan. Stir until combined over medium-low heat. Mix constantly to prevent the sugar and honey from sticking to the pan.
2.) In a small bowl, combine 1 T cornstarch with 1.5 T water and stir until there are no lumps. This is called a slurry and it’s used as a thickening agent. Pour slurry into saucepan and stir continuously until sauce is nice and thick, about 2 minutes.