Japanese, with documented use of soy-mirin glazing techniques dating from the Edo period (17th–19th centuries). The term teriyaki first appeared in Japanese culinary writing in this period. The technique spread internationally with Japanese immigration to Hawaii and North America in the late 19th century.
Teriyaki — from the Japanese teri (gloss, shine) and yaki (grilled, broiled) — describes both a cooking method and the sauce used in it. The sauce is a reduction of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in specific ratios that, when brushed onto protein and exposed to heat, caramelise and create the characteristic glossy, lacquered surface that gives the technique its name. It is a fundamental Japanese preparation and, internationally, one of the most widely imitated and poorly executed. The classical ratio is equal parts soy sauce, mirin, and sake, with sugar to taste — traditionally 1:1:1 with a small amount of sugar to accelerate caramelisation and add body. These three liquids are combined and reduced by a quarter to a third to concentrate the sugars and develop body, then used as a glaze during the final stages of cooking. The sake cooks off, leaving its sweetness and umami; the mirin provides both sweetness and the ability to caramelise cleanly; the soy provides salinity and colour. Together, reduced, they produce a glaze of remarkable versatility. The most common application is chicken teriyaki: a chicken thigh is seared skin-down in a pan, turned, and the teriyaki sauce is added to glaze during the final minutes of cooking. The sauce reduces in the pan, coating the chicken in successive layers of caramelised glaze. Fish teriyaki (salmon, yellowtail) is approached differently — the fish is often marinated in the sauce before cooking, which helps the glaze adhere. Beef teriyaki requires a faster hand to avoid over-caramelisation. Commercial teriyaki sauces bear little resemblance to the classical preparation — they are primarily corn syrup, water, and minimal soy, thickened with starch. Making the real preparation takes 10 minutes and transforms the result.
Sweet-savoury, glossy, and caramelised — the lacquered finish of soy, mirin, and sake reduced to a glaze
The ratio: 1 part soy, 1 part mirin, 1 part sake, plus sugar to taste — learn this and adjust from there Reduce the sauce before using — a raw combination does not caramelise or glaze correctly Apply glaze in the final minutes of cooking — earlier and it burns; later and it doesn't set High-quality soy and real mirin are essential — sweet cooking wine is not a substitute for mirin Glaze in multiple thin layers for a deep lacquered finish rather than one thick application
For a thicker, more store-stable teriyaki sauce, add 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp cold water per cup of sauce Teriyaki is exceptional with tofu — press the tofu dry, sear until golden, glaze in the final minutes A grated apple or pear added to the reduction softens the flavour and adds natural sweetness without refined sugar For a modern twist, a small amount of toasted sesame oil added off-heat at the finish gives depth Teriyaki marinade (unreduced sauce + grated ginger) is an exceptional chicken thigh overnight marinade before grilling
Using commercial teriyaki sauce — corn syrup and modified starch cannot replicate the real preparation Applying the glaze too early — the sugar burns before the protein is cooked Using 'aji-mirin' (sweet cooking wine) instead of real mirin — real mirin is 14% alcohol and contributes differently Not reducing the sauce before glazing — raw liquid does not adhere properly to the surface Not applying in multiple layers — one thick application is sticky, not glossy