This week’s blog header and tag line (see: Food for Thought) are in honor of my (finally!) completing the task of updating all of the images on all 1,021 posts (and counting) of this here web blog-thingy. The first-ever post was maple roasted bacon, and the first-ever Food for Thought was this quote from Auntie Mame:
“Life’s a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!”
Now with that particular monkey off my back, let’s begin a fresh week of new posts, starting with (pardon the conceit): Terryaki Sauce.
One of the cool parts of updating all those posts was revisiting recipes that I’d forgotten. After updating beer teriyaki pork chops, I was thinking about that sauce, and how it was… ok, but needed some work.
Then, it hit me; how about pineapple juice in place of the beer?
Well… as long as I’m changing the main liquid, I may as well rework a few spices.
Nice sauce! With, ermmm, just a bit of a kick (if you like a milder Terryaki, cut down on, or skip, the Tien Tsin peppers and/or Cayenne).
INGREDIENTS
•1-1/2 cup pineapple juice
•1/2 cup cider vinegar
•1/4 cup rice cooking wine (Mirin)
•1-1/3 cup soy sauce
•2/3 cup sugar
•1 tbsp ground ginger
•2 or 3 Tien-Tsin peppers
•1 knob crystallized ginger
•1/2 tsp Cayenne
•1/4 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
Lightly crush the Sichuan peppercorns with a mortar and pestle and add to a medium pot with the other dry seasonings and sugar.
Add the soy sauce, rice wine, cider vinegar, and pineapple juice and stir over medium heat until the sugar and spices have dissolved.
Note: the crystallized ginger will more than likely not dissolve if you leave it whole. Feel free to dice it into smaller pieces if you like.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
You now have a very nice (if a bit zippy) Terryaki sauce!
Part of this batch was a fine marinade for Banzai Burgers.
The rest worked a treat with these Ahi Tuna Steaks.
Those details, tomorrow.