DC Fishwife's Teriyaki no Tare (照り焼きのたれ)
The secret to any great Teriyaki dish is ... the Teriyaki Sauce! Why settle for a commercial sauce out of a bottle when it's so easy to make it at home? Our version is loaded with umami flavors, and goes great with fish (or chicken or meat).
Ingredients
1 cup good quality Japanese Shōyu
1 cup Sake
1 cup good quality Japanese Mirin (should have some alcohol content)
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup diced yellow or white onion
3 dried Shiitake mushrooms
3-4 Niboshi (also called Iriko) [small dried fish that these can be found in Japanese or Korean groceries; optional if not available]
6-7 thin rounds of peeled fresh Ginger (or use equivalent of ginger paste)
4 good-sized garlic cloves, peeled and smashed (or equivalent of garlic paste)
3-4 1” squares of dried Kombu
Directions
Combine first four ingredients in a large sauce pan and mix; then add remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil (make sure not to let it boil over, and do NOT scorch it, it will make the sauce bitter), then reduce heat for a gentle simmer.
Leave, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by about 1/3. The sauce will thicken as it cools down.
Store in a clean glass jar with tight lid in the refrigerator; will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Note: Once cooled down you can strain out all the solids, or leave all but the mushrooms in to let the flavors steep in over time.