From pineapple to wasabi, you'll find a teriyaki sauce to suit any palate.
Teriyaki is a cooking method that originated in Japan. The word comes from the cooking method used to create the shiny appearance of the meat. Now "teriyaki" is used to describe any dish prepared with teriyaki sauce, regardless of cooking method. The sauce has a tangy flavor and a base of soy sauce, usually combined with a sweet ingredient for a twist. A wide variety of teriyaki sauces are available and subtle differences in ingredients can make big differences in taste.
Traditional Teriyaki Sauce
If you take a stroll down the grocery aisle, you will find that most stores offer many types of bottled teriyaki sauces from a number of manufacturers. Kikkoman, Mr.Yoshida's, LaChoy, TOBASCO, and World Harbor are just a few of the companies with teriyaki sauces available. Basic teriyaki sauces made with the traditional Japanese ingredients are often called "original" to differentiate them from sauces with non-traditional ingredients. Basic teriyaki sauce is made from soy sauce, vinegar, Japanese sweet wine, called mirin, sugar and sometimes ginger. The sauce can be used as marinades or glazes for any type of meat, although white meat and fish are standard in Japan. Traditional teriyaki meals are often served with rice.
Non-traditional Teriyaki Sauce
Bottles of honey mustard, garlic and onion, wasabi, and extra spicy teriyaki sauces are common on the grocery store shelves; however, these are not traditional teriyaki sauce ingredients. For a tangier sauce, look for sauces made with pineapple juice, or labeled "sweet and sour." Sauces with molasses or honey, such as Tastefully Simple's Honey Teriyaki Sauce will satisfy diners with a sweet tooth, or add some spice with unusual flavors like Soy Vay's Wasabi Teriyaki Sauce or Mr. Yoshida's jalepeno Teriyaki Sauce.
Low sodium Teriyaki Sauce
A drawbacks of teriyaki sauce is its high sodium content, which hovers at nearly 30% of the daily recommended amount in only two tablespoons of the sauce. This means that eating an entrée doused in teriyaki could easily supply you with over 50% of your daily sodium intake. Many brands are offering low sodium varieties of their sauces, which have less than half the amount of sodium as regular teriyaki sauces. The Low Salt Foods website recommends Garlic Survival Co. Roasted Garlic Teriyaki Sauce (125mg), Miko Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce (125mg), Sable & Rosenfeld Tipsy Teriyaki, 2 tbsp (135mg), and World Harbors Blueberry Teriyaki (125mg) as low sodium options.
Gluten free Teriyaki Sauce
Despite the fact that wheat is often a main ingredient in teriyaki sauces, there are even types of teriyaki sauces suitable with those suffering from Celiac disease or gluten-sensitivities, though they are not as readily available. Seal Sama, San-J, Organicville Organic, Steel's, and Premier Japan are just a few brands that offer gluten-free teriyaki sauce.
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