Teriyaki: The Golden Ratio and How Japan Cooks It
Teriyaki (照り焼き) joins teri, shine, and yaki, grilled. In Japan it names a way of cooking rather than a bottled sauce: fish, chicken or meat grilled or pan-fried and basted with a sweet soy tare until it catches the light.
This guide explains how Japanese cooks make teriyaki, the "golden ratio" behind the sauce, and regional teriyaki from Kyoto and Aichi. It sits inside our Pantry Masterclass.
Our own teriyaki sauce: Kōmi Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce, 1L, a ready glaze. To make your own: Kōmi Gluten Free Tamari, 1L and Hinode Hon Mirin, 1L.
The Golden Ratio: 1:1:1
Japan's Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF), through its Let's Wagohan project, calls one mix the first "golden ratio" every cook should learn: soy sauce, sake and mirin in equal parts, 1:1:1 by the tablespoon. It is an all-purpose sauce, and it is the one used for chicken teriyaki.
The same page gives other golden ratios worth knowing:
- Simmered fish: sake, soy sauce and mirin at 6:1:1.
- Nimono, simmered vegetables: dashi, soy sauce and mirin at 8:1:1.
- Oden broth: dashi, soy sauce and mirin at 12:1:1.
It also explains sa-shi-su-se-so, the five basic seasonings in the order they go into the pan: sugar (satō), salt (shio), vinegar (su), soy sauce (shōyu) and miso.
Source: MAFF Let's Wagohan page on seasoning golden ratios. Facts extracted and reworded.
How to Make Chicken Teriyaki
Mix soy sauce, sake and mirin in equal parts. Cook the chicken in a pan, then add the sauce at the end and spoon it over as it bubbles and thickens to a glaze.
Hon mirin matters here: its sugars form the film that gives teriyaki its shine. If you use a ready glaze, brush it on in the final minutes, in two or three thin coats, because the sugars burn over direct heat. See also our chicken teriyaki recipe.
Source: MAFF Let's Wagohan page on seasoning golden ratios; Kōmi and Hinode product specifications. Facts extracted and reworded.
Yellowtail Teriyaki
The classic fish teriyaki is buri no teriyaki, yellowtail. A MAFF rice recipe marinates the fish overnight in soy sauce, sugar and a mirin-style seasoning, grills it, and serves it with grated daikon.
Source: MAFF Mezamashi Gohan yellowtail teriyaki recipe. Facts extracted and reworded.
Kyoto: Grilled Hamo
Hamo, pike conger, is essential to Kyoto cooking, so much so that the Gion Matsuri is also called the Hamo Matsuri. MAFF's Kyoto page notes that grilled hamo is eaten either salt-grilled or teriyaki-style, basted with a soy-based tare.
Its recipe uses dark soy sauce, sake and mirin at 4:5:1: grill skin side first, cooking the flesh about 80% and the skin 20%, then pour on the tare and grill again, two or three times.
Source: MAFF Uchi no Kyōdo Ryōri page for Kyoto grilled hamo. Facts extracted and reworded.
Aichi: Tamari for Teriyaki
Aichi is home to tamari, soy sauce made almost entirely from soybeans rather than soy and wheat; Handa's tamari is well known. MAFF notes that Aichi uses it widely, including for sashimi, sushi and teriyaki. Its thicker body clings well to a glaze.
Source: MAFF Aichi area story. Facts extracted and reworded.
Popular Products
A ready glaze, or the tamari and hon mirin to make your own.
Kōmi Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce, 1L
Our own ready teriyaki glaze, for chicken, salmon, tofu and aubergine.
Kōmi Gluten Free Tamari, 1L
Our own tamari, brewed from soybeans by an eighteen-generation family brewery.
Hinode Hon Mirin, 1L
True brewed mirin, around 14% alcohol, from King Brewing in Hyōgo. Also Honteri low-alcohol mirin, 400ml.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does teriyaki mean?
Teri means shine and yaki means grilled: food grilled with a glossy sweet soy glaze.
What is the ratio for teriyaki sauce?
MAFF's golden ratio is soy sauce, sake and mirin, 1:1:1.
What is the difference between teriyaki and kabayaki?
See our kabayaki vs teriyaki guide.
Is teriyaki sauce gluten free?
Not usually, as most soy sauce contains wheat. Kōmi teriyaki sauce and tamari are made gluten free; always check the label.
When should I add teriyaki sauce?
Late in cooking, so the sugars glaze rather than burn.
Where to Buy Teriyaki Sauce in the UK
Our own Kōmi Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce is a ready glaze; to make your own, we stock Kōmi Gluten Free Tamari and Hinode Hon Mirin.
For more, browse the Pantry Masterclass. Read next: Japanese rice vinegar guide · What is ponzu?
Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan: Let's Wagohan page on seasoning golden ratios; Uchi no Kyōdo Ryōri page for Kyoto grilled hamo; Mezamashi Gohan yellowtail teriyaki recipe; Aichi area story; retrieved 5 November 2026; Kōmi and Hinode product specifications. Facts extracted and reworded, not reproduced.
