Copycat Bachan's Japanese Barbecue Sauce
Description
A no-boil copycat of Bachan's Japanese barbecue sauce — sweet-savory, soy-forward, and thick enough to cling. Ten ingredients, no water, no straining, ready in ten minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce, Japanese shoyu, full strength — not low-sodium
- 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 1/3 cup mirin, hon-mirin preferred
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, unseasoned
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 3 tablespoons green onion, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, grated (3–4 cloves)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Bloom the tomato paste. In a small saucepan, off the heat, whisk the tomato paste into the mirin until completely smooth. Skipping this leaves clumps that no amount of stirring will fix later.
- [3 tablespoons tomato paste, 1/3 cup mirin]
- Combine. Add the soy sauce, cane sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, green onion, garlic, sea salt, and sesame oil. Whisk together. Do not add water.
- [1 cup soy sauce, 3/4 cup cane sugar, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, 3 tablespoons green onion, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil]
- Warm gently. Set over the lowest heat and stir until the sugar dissolves completely and the sauce turns glossy instead of grainy — 2 to 4 minutes. It should feel warm to the finger, around 120–140°F. Do not let it simmer or boil. Bubbles at the edge of the pan mean pull it off.
- Cool and store. Let it come to room temperature, then pour into a clean glass jar. Do not strain — the green onion suspended in the sauce is part of what you're copying. It thickens slightly as it cools.
Equipment
- Small Saucepan
- Whisk
- Microplane or fine grater
- Glass jar with a tight lid
Notes
- Don't boil it. Mirin's aroma is volatile and evaporates. Raw garlic and ginger are bright because they're raw. Warming has one job — dissolving the sugar. Once that's done, turn off the heat.
- Don't strain it. Blooming the tomato paste in mirin first means there's nothing to strain out.
- Don't add water. Bachan's doesn't. It's a concentrated finishing sauce, not a thin marinade.
- Full-strength soy sauce only. Low-sodium versions taste flat here.
- Glazing: the sugar content means it burns. Brush on in the last 2–3 minutes of cooking, never before. In an air fryer, drop to 350°F for that window and use two thin coats.
- Marinade that touched raw meat gets discarded. Reserve a separate portion for glazing first.
- Storage: sealed glass jar in the fridge, 2–3 weeks. It separates; shake it. Freezes in an ice cube tray for about 3 months.
- Thicker glaze: pour off what you need, whisk in 1/2 tsp cornstarch slurried with 1 tbsp cold water, and heat that portion only.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 35kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.05gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 519mgPotassium: 40mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 33IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.3mg