Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Garlic cloves | 4 | Minced |
| Warm water (or milk or stock) | 1 cup / 250 ml | |
| Brown sugar | ½ cup / 100 g | |
| Low sodium soy sauce | 1 cup / 250 ml | |
| Rice vinegar | 2 tbsp / 30 ml | |
| Ground ginger | ½ tsp / 5 g | |
| Sesame oil | 2 tsp / 10 ml | |
| Cornstarch | 3 tbsp / 24 g | For slurry |
| Water (for slurry) | 4 tbsp / 60 ml | |
| Sesame seeds | 1 tbsp / 9 g | Optional |
Cooking Principles
- Sauce thickens when cool: The sauce will look thin while hot. Add only half the cornstarch slurry first and wait to see how thick it gets once cooled before adding more.
- Toast sesame seeds: Toasting in a dry pan until light golden brings out a deeper nutty flavor.
Japanese
Sauce
5 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
2 servings
Yield
Cooking Steps
- Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ground ginger, minced garlic, and sesame oil to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a light boil and let simmer for 1 minute.
- Make a cornstarch slurry by stirring the cornstarch into the water. Once the sauce has simmered, add half the slurry and bring back to a light simmer. If the sauce is not thick enough, add more slurry and simmer again. Note: while hot the sauce will look thin — it thickens as it cools.
- (Optional) Toast the sesame seeds in a sauté pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly golden. Remove from heat and stir into the sauce.