I’ve had this sauce idea swimming around in my brain for quite some time, and I finally made it happen! Woo hoo! Actually, this recipe has been finalized for weeks, and I’ve been a slowpoke about getting it out into the world. Life, guys. It’s kicking my booty right now. It’s nothing major, just a lot of little things that stack up and seem big. Like, right now, as I type this, I am ergonomically challenged. I haven’t found “the perfect set-up” yet (if such a thing exists), so if it’s not my hip, it’s my lower back, or especially my neck and shoulders. And then, more recently, out of nowhere, plantar fasciitis. Gosh darn it to heck anyway, what’s up with this? So I’ve been limping all around my house and had to take break from Barre for a while (which is hurting me in other ways), and WHINE WHINE WHINE…sorry about that. My pity party is over now. Life is actually really awesome and this stuff is just, well, a pain. No biggie. Moving on. How are YOU doing? I seriously want to know, so please share if you feel led. 🙂
Let’s make date-sweetened teriyaki sauce! First, gather your ingredients.
To make Date-Sweetened Teriyaki Sauce, you need:
– Dates (obvi)
– Soy Sauce or Tamari for GF (the darker the sauce, the better, but check that it’s unsweetened)
– Unsweetened Rice Vinegar
– Ginger (fresh, please)
– Garlic
– Cornstarch (optional)
That’s it! 6 ingredients, endless possibilities.
Besides how yummy it is, my favorite part about this sauce is how dang easy it is to make. A rough chop of dates, ginger, and garlic, simmered with soy sauce, water, and rice vinegar, and then strained and thickened with cornstarch. AND, the pulp leftover from straining the dates, ginger, and garlic can be stored and re-used in other ways. I’m still tweaking it, but let’s just say a salad with a dressing featuring these flavors is coming. 😉
I’m totally teasing you with this one, but one way to use this sauce is tossed with crispy tofu and served along side some beautiful veggies, like this upcoming “rainbow rice” that’s not rice at all but has been gobbled up by my kiddos multiple times so it’s legit and you should be excited.
This one’s not a tease! These Winter Rolls are brand new and live and you should make them because it’s still Winter, folks, even though this crazy weather is getting me all confused. 50 degrees one day, 33 the next? I think we need some bright cheery flavors and amazing nutrition to help us cope. So here you go.
Ok, I’m off to assemble a desk from IKEA that I can crank up and down to the perfect height for my ergonomic needs. Apparently I’m high-maintenance, but maybe not quite THIS high-maintenance. Good golly, I love that movie.
Date-Sweetened Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup soy sauce (dark soy sauce is great if you can find it unsweetened)
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup medjool or deglet noor dates (pitted and coarsely chopped)
- 1 inch fresh ginger (chopped (about 1 of the root, peeled if desired))
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions
- Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Strain out date, garlic, and ginger pulp (reserve for a later use), and return the liquid back to the pan.
- Mix cornstarch and cold water together in a small bowl, then add to the saucepan, whisking to combine.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring often until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Hi Beth, I just made your terriyaki sauce and loved it! I’m having to hold back from diving in as it is for a potluck tomorrow. I wanted to mention one tweak that worked great for me. I followed your recipe exactly, with the exception of the straining bit and the water and cornstarch. Instead, I just simmered the first six ingredients (I didn’t even chop up the dates, just halved them), then threw the whole thing in the kitchenaid. The results was a naturally thickened sauce that retains the natural fiber from the dates. Thanks for a great recipe!
That’s brilliant. I mean, such a good idea that I had to comment.
Thank you, Beth, for the recipe, and thank you, Rebecca, for suggesting the no cornstarch idea!. I blended up everything (minus the cornstarch slurry) in my Vitamix first and then heated it up, but it really didn’t even need to be heated up. And no straining. It is a good recipe, and I plan to use it again.