How To Make Teriyaki Sauce With Just 2 Ingredients

The secret is out: The teriyaki sauce Americans know and love is essentially a nuanced, sweetened soy sauce. It always has been. In fact, the version most commonly enjoyed Stateside doesn't come from Japan. Rather, it was cultivated in the kitchens of Japanese-American immigrants and valued as a quick and easy way to grill the perfect fish and other meats.

It's important to understand the history because teriyaki originally referred to the specific practice of grilling food that had been brushed with (and was sometimes marinated in) mirin and sake-spiked shoyu (Japanese soy sauce). Teri means gloss or glaze, and yaki means grill or broil — the result being extremely flavorful, almost caramelized meat. Once the technique made its way to the United States via Hawaii, giving us chicken teriyaki, the sauce took off. As a result, like great steak sauce, there are several possible ways to make it.

Most teriyaki recipes include a combination of soy sauce and sugar, and some feature a number of extra ingredients like garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. You can also add cornstarch as a thickening agent after simmering. But don't stress if you don't have all of those ingredients in your kitchen — there's a shortcut for making teriyaki sauce using only two of them. All you really need is soy sauce and brown sugar to create a perfectly acceptable hassle-free version.

To get a taste of this deceptively simple yet decidedly delicious condiment, you'll want to grab a pot and simmer equal parts of soy sauce and brown sugar over low heat until the sugar dissolves into the soy sauce. With its molasses notes, the brown sugar adds a depth of flavor beyond commercial sweeteners like corn syrup or granulated sugar. This method is easy, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind if you're going to try this at home.

The soy sauce taste can be overwhelming even after adding a bunch of sugar to it. Soy sauce is a powerful ingredient, which is why people love to cook with it. However, soy sauce on its own is very salty with bitter and umami undertones. Meanwhile, brown sugar has a tendency to clump. When the molasses inside of it is exposed to air, the moisture evaporates and causes the sugar crystals to stick to each other. If it improperly dissolves while cooking, you might get a mouthful of the saccharine stuff instead of the balanced teriyaki you're imagining. Be sure to stir your sauce and keep an eye on it while simmering. The rich flavor is worth it. You could also consider using this version as a Karaage, or fried chicken marinade. But if you need teriyaki in a pinch, using soy sauce and brown sugar is a great way to achieve a similar flavor in your cooking.