Teriyaki

Teriyaki — a glaze of soy sauce, mirin (or sugar), and sake applied to grilled or broiled protein — is a traditional Japanese technique (*teri* = lustre/glaze, *yaki* = grilled). But the American teriyaki — thicker, sweeter, used as a marinade and a finishing sauce, applied to chicken, beef, and salmon — is a Japanese-American adaptation developed primarily in Hawaii (where teriyaki chicken is a plate lunch staple, see HI1-04 when extracted) and on the West Coast (Seattle's teriyaki shops, descended from the Japanese-American community, are as numerous as taco trucks). The American version is sweeter, more soy-forward, and applied more generously than the Japanese original.

A glaze/sauce of soy sauce, sugar (or mirin), garlic, ginger, and sometimes rice vinegar or sesame oil. The protein (chicken thigh is the most popular) is marinated in the teriyaki sauce, then grilled, broiled, or pan-seared. As the protein cooks, the sugar in the sauce caramelises, producing the characteristic glossy, dark, sweet-salty glaze. Additional sauce is brushed on during the last minutes of cooking and sometimes served on the side.

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