# World Sauces — Japanese Sauces

> Brad's reference for Japanese sauces — teriyaki, ponzu, yakitori tare, tonkatsu, okonomiyaki, miso dengaku, unagi tare, and more.

### Teriyaki Sauce
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 2:2:2:1 soy sauce:sake:mirin:sugar
- **Instructions:** Mix soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar in a saucepan and simmer until reduced by about 30% for a glossy glaze.
- **Typical Uses:** Glaze for grilled chicken, fish, beef, or vegetables

### Ponzu Sauce
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 1:1:0.5 soy sauce:citrus juice:mirin + kombu & bonito
- **Instructions:** Briefly boil soy sauce and mirin, steep kombu and bonito flakes, cool, stir in citrus juice, then strain.
- **Typical Uses:** Citrus-soy dip for sashimi, gyoza, shabu-shabu; salad dressing

### Tentsuyu (Tempura Sauce)
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 8:2:2:1 dashi stock:soy sauce:mirin:sugar
- **Instructions:** Combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar; bring to a boil, then cool. Serve warm with grated daikon if desired.
- **Typical Uses:** Dipping sauce for tempura (often with grated daikon)

### Yakitori Tare
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 2:2:1:1 soy sauce:mirin:sake:water + sugar
- **Instructions:** Boil all ingredients together, then simmer uncovered until reduced to one‑third of original volume. Cool before using.
- **Typical Uses:** Glaze/baste for yakitori chicken skewers and other grilled meats

### Sanbaizu
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 3:1:2 rice vinegar:soy sauce:sugar
- **Instructions:** Stir rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar (gently heat if needed) until sugar dissolves; cool before use.
- **Typical Uses:** Dressing for sunomono (vinegared salads), quick pickles, seafood

### Sukiyaki Warishita
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 5:5:5:1 soy sauce:sake:mirin:sugar
- **Instructions:** Combine soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar; bring just to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Use as hot‑pot broth base.
- **Typical Uses:** Broth base for sukiyaki hot pot

### Unagi no Tare
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 3:3:2:1 soy sauce:mirin:sugar:sake
- **Instructions:** Heat mirin, sake, and sugar; add soy sauce, boil briefly, then simmer ~10 min until slightly thickened. Cool; sauce thickens further.
- **Typical Uses:** Sweet glaze for grilled eel (unagi) over rice, anago

### Mentsuyu
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 4:4:1 soy sauce:mirin:sake + kombu & bonito
- **Instructions:** Simmer mirin & sake with kombu 5 min, add bonito 1 min, cool, stir in soy sauce, then strain for a concentrated soup base.
- **Typical Uses:** Concentrated broth/dip for soba, udon, somen; seasoning for simmered dishes

### Miso Dengaku Sauce
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 2:1:1:1 miso paste:sake:mirin:sugar
- **Instructions:** Combine ingredients over low heat, stirring 2‑3 min until smooth and glossy without boiling. Use as a sweet miso glaze.
- **Typical Uses:** Sweet miso glaze for tofu, eggplant, konnyaku, daikon

### Tonkatsu Sauce
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 10:9:4:4 ketchup:Worcestershire sauce:oyster sauce:sugar
- **Instructions:** Whisk Worcestershire sauce and sugar, add ketchup and oyster sauce, mix until smooth. Chill 30 min for flavors to meld.
- **Typical Uses:** Condiment for tonkatsu, korokke, fried chicken

### Okonomiyaki Sauce
- **Ingredient Ratios:** 8:7:4:3 ketchup:Worcestershire sauce:oyster sauce:sugar
- **Instructions:** Stir ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar until uniform. Ready to drizzle on okonomiyaki.
- **Typical Uses:** Topping for okonomiyaki, takoyaki

## Details

- **Category:** Cooking
- **Tags:** cooking, japanese, sauces, teriyaki, ponzu, yakitori, tonkatsu, okonomiyaki, miso-dengaku, unagi, tempura

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