What's in the fridge?

Someone asked me the other day for a spice rub or Asian mix to marinate his shrimp in. This is how this post was born, so I hope it is as useful as it was to him. 

One of the easiest ways that pack the most punch are a quick kind of teriyaki sauce. 

With a few ingredients you can whip this up. Then, dunk your protein in there and let it sit a couple hours, up to 24 hours and then grill or bake as you like. Maybe air-fry?

It also works really well for a veggie or noodle stir fry. Those don’t have to be marinaded. Once you find a great sauce it’s exciting because you can put it on everything. Maybe eventually you’ll even memorize it and not have to look at the recipe again. That’s where you feel like a pro!

I’ll share with you the basic ratio I use for each but play around with it and see what you like best. 

When you marinate your proteins in this sauce you are kind of brining it. See more on that here. But making a true brine requires a little more heating and measuring so this is your solution for a busy weeknight dinner. You can marinate your proteins a day or two in advance. 

Scale it up if you’re making more. There is some sugar in it so be mindful when grilling. It will caramelize quickly but I think a little char is nice. 

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Mix all together and marinade proteins in it. I use a microplane to grate the ginger and garlic to get the smallest mince. 

Use this to marinate or in your stir fries. When removing protein from sauce, try your best to wipe off garlic and ginger pieces to prevent them from burning. 

If you don’t have ginger or garlic you can just make it with soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil and it will still be great. Top your dishes with toasted sesame seeds to represent the sesame oil flavor and give some aesthetic appeal.

Enjoy!

• Chicken skewers
• Better Than Takeout Lo Mein Noodles
• Veggie ‘Bibimbap’

To your happy and healthy life, 

Joanna