Sushi is delicious even in its simplest form, but with sauces it turns into a divine dish. Serve it with traditional teriyaki or ponzu sauces. Try giving it an intense flavor with Korean hot sauce or a creamy texture with spiced or ginger mayonnaise; if you prefer a fresher flavor, try a carrot and ginger sauce, which also gives the dish a hint of color.
Ingrediants
Teriyaki sauce
- Fresh ginger
- 1 clove of garlic
- 5 ml of sesame oil
- 10 m of olive oil
- 50 g of brown sugar
- 150 ml of soy sauce
- 150 ml of mirin
- 20 ml of sake
- Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Spiced Mayonnaise
- 30 ml of Kewpie mayonnaise
- 10 ml of sriracha sauce
- The juice of half a lime
- 2 teaspoons of capelin roe
Korean Spicy Sauce
- 100 g of fermented chili paste (gochujang)
- 25 g of granulated sugar
- 6 ml of soy sauce
- 6 ml of sake
- 7 ml of sesame oil
- 8 g of minced garlic
- 30 ml of apple juice
- 6 g of sesame seeds
Carrot and Ginger Sauce
- 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
- One and a half root of fresh ginger (one 8-10 cm piece) divided into two parts
- 2 tablespoons of honey
Ponzu sauce
- Edible kelp (kombu)
- 200 ml of soy sauce
- 200 ml of lemon juice
- 200ml dashi broth
- 200 ml of rice vinegar
- 100 ml of mirin
Ginger Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon of ginger paste
- 3 tablespoons of Kewpie mayonnaise
Steps
Method 1 of 6: Teriyaki sauce
Step 1. Slice the ginger and garlic
Take a fresh ginger root and cut a small piece, also removing the sides to remove the peel; in the end you should get a cube about 1-2 cm long. Peel a fresh garlic clove and reduce it to 1-2 cm per side.
- These two ingredients have a very strong flavor, which is why you only need a small dose.
- Always be very careful when handling sharp knives.
Step 2. Heat the oil
Put a saucepan on the stove pouring 5 ml of sesame oil and 10 ml of olive oil into it; turn the heat on to medium and let the ingredients heat up.
Sesame oil has a thick texture and rich flavor, while olive oil balances these characteristics
Step 3. Sauté the garlic and ginger
Add them to the hot oil mixture and let them brown for a few minutes; both should fry a little while cooking.
Let them turn slightly golden, do not let them get too dark, otherwise it is easy to burn them
Step 4. Pour in the brown sugar and liquid ingredients
Add 50 g of brown sugar to the saucepan and wait for it to melt; then incorporate the liquid elements, stirring the sauce as you heat it over medium heat. Here's what you need to use:
- 150 ml of soy sauce;
- 150 ml of mirin;
- 50 ml of sake.
Step 5. Reduce the teriyaki sauce
The sugar may harden at the bottom of the pan; then proceed with cooking the sauce over medium heat, while continuing to stir it to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat to low and cook for another 15-20 minutes, so that some of the liquid can evaporate; after this time, the reduced teriyaki is ready to use.
If you love thicker textures, put half of the sauce in a very small pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it becomes as fluid as you like; add a handful of toasted sesame seeds and serve
Method 2 of 6: Spiced Mayonnaise
Step 1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl
You need 30 ml of Kewpie mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons of capelin roe, 10 ml of sriracha sauce and the juice of half a lime.
You can also use regular mayonnaise, but Kewpie is made with rice vinegar which gives it a distinctive flavor
Step 2. Stir and flavor the sauce
Use a spoon to mix the ingredients, taste the mixture and modify the doses to adapt the flavor to your tastes. Eg:
- For an even spicier note, add more sriracha sauce;
- If you love tart flavors, increase the amount of lime juice (although it makes the sauce more liquid);
- For a creamier texture, add more mayonnaise.
Step 3. Serve the sauce
Bring it to the table immediately or refrigerate it until you are ready to use. You can put a spoonful on the plate with the sushi or transfer it to a kitchen bottle and pour it directly on the bites of raw fish.
Remember that the flavor becomes more intense when you store the mayonnaise in the refrigerator; taste it before serving and make changes if you have left it in the appliance for a long time
Method 3 of 6: Korean Hot Sauce
Step 1. Toast the sesame seeds
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 5-6 g of sesame seeds by cooking them for 3-4 minutes. During the process the seeds darken a little; when finished, set them aside.
You should be able to feel their light nutty aroma as they roast
Step 2. Put the ingredients in a bowl
To make Korean hot sauce you will need:
- 100 g of fermented chili paste (gochujang);
- 25 g of granulated sugar;
- 6 ml of soy sauce;
- 6 ml of sake;
- 7 ml of sesame oil;
- 8 g of minced garlic;
- 30 ml of apple juice;
- 6 g of sesame seeds.
Step 3. Stir and serve the sauce
Take a spoon or a whisk to work the ingredients until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. The sauce should be slightly thick and ready to serve.
Taste the mixture and adjust the flavor to your taste
Method 4 of 6: Carrot and Ginger Sauce
Step 1. Boil the ingredients
Wash and peel two carrots, cut them coarsely and place them in a pot of water with a peeled piece of fresh ginger; you can use 10 cm of root. Boil everything for 8-10 minutes or until both roots become soft.
Set aside a few boiled pieces, you can use them later, in case you need to adjust the flavor
Step 2. Blend carrots and ginger with honey
Transfer the vegetables to the blender very carefully, add two tablespoons of honey and another half a rhizome of raw ginger; operate the blender until the mixture is completely smooth.
Remember that fresh ginger must be peeled and cut into small pieces
Step 3. Taste and flavor the sauce
You may need to add more carrots, ginger, or honey. If you don't feel the spicy flavor of ginger root, add some fresh ginger root.
If, on the other hand, you want to increase the flavor of the carrots, remember that you can use the boiled pieces that you saved previously
Method 5 of 6: Ponzu sauce
Step 1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl
To make this sauce, you need a medium-sized bowl and:
- 2 pieces of edible kelp (kombu);
- 200 ml of soy sauce;
- 200 ml of lemon juice;
- 200ml dashi broth
- 200 ml of rice vinegar;
- 100 ml of mirin.
Step 2. Cover and refrigerate the sauce
Close the container in which you poured the ingredients and put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours, to let the flavors develop and intensify.
It is very important to keep the edible seaweed in the sauce while it cools to release its distinctive aroma
Step 3. Filter and use the liquid
Put a small colander over a bowl and pour the cold ponzu sauce; this foresight allows you to keep the kombu. You can use it immediately or transfer it to a sealable jar.
Ponzu sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two months
Method 6 of 6: Ginger Mayonnaise
Step 1. Mash the fresh ginger
Cut and peel a few small pieces of the root before passing them through a garlic press. In this way, you eliminate the juice and get a paste that goes through the thin holes of the tool. Transfer the product obtained to a small bowl to be able to dose it.
You can throw the juice away or save it for another preparation
Step 2. Blend the ingredients
Pour three tablespoons of Kewpie mayonnaise and one teaspoon of fresh ginger pulp into the blender; you can also use a small food processor for this.
If you don't have Kewpie mayonnaise, you can replace it with the one you usually use, but you don't get the same flavor as rice vinegar
Step 3. Blend and taste the sauce
Put the lid on the appliance and turn it on, blending the ingredients completely until you no longer notice any fragments of ginger; taste the mixture to adjust the flavor according to your tastes.
