I was talking to a co-worker the other
day about eating low carbohydrate low fat (LCHF) and the on thing
that they mentioned was hard for them were condiments. You know
sauces such as ketchup, barbecue, teriyaki etc... Sauces in which you
can add to your meats or use when grilling. I mentioned that I have
recipes for quite a few sauces and or condiments on my blog, but
there was one flavor or sauce that he mentioned that I did not have
and that was teriyaki.
Traditionally, a teriyaki sauce as we
know it here in the Unites States is a thick, tangy, sweet and some
times sour sauce used for basting grilled chicken. While my local
Walmart carries many different brands of teriyaki sauce, they all
have one thing in common. Lots of high fructose corn syrup, which
means they have a ton of carbohydrates. So in this article I am going
to teach you how to make a dual purpose teriyaki sauce and marinade
recipe for grilling and basting.
Teriyaki, The Sauce and The Marinade
Most commercial preparations of this
condiment are labeled and sold as both a teriyaki marinade and a
sauce, but the two are distinctly different. A marinade, is a thin
liquid used cover a meat in order for the flavor of the marinade to
be absorbed into the said meat to impart not only the flavor of the
marinade but to sometimes to help tenderize the meat as well. A
sauce, is a thickened liquid used to add flavor to a cooked meat or
vegetable. It has more viscosity than a marinade and varies in
thickness depending on the purpose of the sauce. Sauces are generally
used as a finishing device added to grilled meats or vegetables
during the final phases of cooking, and or may be served as a side
for the meat and or vegetable. As mentioned, in this article, I will
be showing you how to make both, as well as adding a quick bonus
recipe for making great grilled teriyaki chicken thighs.
The Marinade
1 cup water
¼ cup soy sauce
8 drops sucralose or sweetener of your
choice
½ teaspoon ginger powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Combine all the ingredients in a small
bowl and whip together with a wire whisk and store it in the
refrigerator until ready to use.
LCHF Teriyaki Marinade
Per Cup – Calories 39, fat 0.425
grams, protein 5.6 grams, carbohydrates 3.6 grams.
Per Tablespoon – Calories 2.43, fat
0.26 grams, protein 0.35 gram, carbohydrates 0.225 grams.
The Sauce
1 cup water
¼ cup soy sauce
8 drops sucralose or sweetener of your
choice
½ teaspoon ginger powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ to ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
Combine all the ingredients in a small
bowl and whip together with a wire whisk and store it in the
refrigerator until ready to use. When using xanthan gum, make sure
you give each addition of gum 2 to 3 minutes to reach it's full
thickening potential before adding additional xanthan gum.
LCHF Teriyaki Sauce
Per Cup – Calories 44, fat 0.425
grams, protein 5.6 grams, carbohydrates 3.6 grams.
Per Tablespoon – Calories 2.75, fat
0.26 grams, protein 0.35 gram, carbohydrates 0.225 grams.
Chef's Note: Generally I make
my sauce just slightly thicker than what is required to coat the back
of a spoon. This allows the sauce to cling to the meat when it is
added at the end of the cooking process. A sauce that is to thin will
simply run or drip off of your meat and not impart any of it's
delicious flavor. For more information on using xanthan gum, check
out my article 'Xanthan Gum: A LCHF / Keto Thickener'.
Commercially Made Teriyaki Sauces
As you can see from the following
information, the amount of carbohydrates per brand of teriyaki
marinade and sauce varies considerably if you are to believe the
labels. Even if you purchased the Kikkoman Teriyaki marinade and
sauce which has the least amount of carbohydrates per tablespoon,
when you start making a dish such as teriyaki chicken which calls for
1 cup of sauce (16 tablespoons) then you begin to see the enormity of
the problem. The following are the nutritional values of som of the
most popular commercially produced Teriyaki sauces.
Great Value Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
Per Cup – Calories 480, fat 0 grams,
protein 16 grams, carbohydrates 48 grams.
Per Tablespoon – Calories 30, fat 0
grams, protein 1 gram, carbohydrates 3 grams.
Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
Per Cup – Calories 240, fat 0 grams,
protein 16 grams, carbohydrates 32 grams.
Per Tablespoon – Calories 15, fat 0
grams, protein 1 gram, carbohydrates 2 grams.
La Choy Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
Per Cup – Calories 320, fat 0 grams,
protein 16 grams, carbohydrates 160 grams.
Per Tablespoon – Calories 40, fat 0
grams, protein 1 gram, carbohydrates 10 grams.
LCHF Teriyaki Sauce
Per Cup – Calories 44, fat 0.425
grams, protein 5.6 grams, carbohydrates 3.6 grams.
Per Tablespoon – Calories 2.75, fat
0.26 grams, protein 0.35 gram, carbohydrates 0.225 grams.
Soy Vay Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
Per Cup – Calories 320, fat 0 grams,
protein 16 grams, carbohydrates 128 grams.
Per Tablespoon – Calories 40, fat 1
grams, protein 1 gram, carbohydrates 8 grams.
As you can see the homemade LCHF
Teriyaki sauce is by water the better ketogenic choice with once cup
only containing 3.6 grams. That's almost 10 times less than Kikkoman
which has the lowest amount of carbohydrates of the commercial
Teriyaki sauces at 32 grams per cup. The main primary reason the
sauces are so high is carbohydrates is..... You guessed it sugar and
or high fructose corn syrup.
Conclusion
So there you have it guys, my version
of a homemade Teriyaki marinade and sauce that I use for grilling and
marinating meats and chicken. It has 89% less carbohydrates then
Kikkoman, the commercial brand the least contains the least amount of
carbohydrates. So I hope that the next time that you decide to fire
up the grill and want to make some Teriyaki chicken, or are thinking
about making some Teriyaki style beef jerky that you make your own
Teriyaki sauce.
As I mentioned, you can use coconut
aminos in place of the soy sauce, or you can use an organic soy sauce
if you wish. If you have read any of my articles then you know I am
not an “it has to be organic or it's no keto kinda of guy”.
Rather I focus on carbohydrate counts first and then look at the
associated ingredients. If you want to find out more information
about coconut amino's then check out my article 'Soy Sauce VersusCoconut Aminos'. As always, I would like to ask that if you have
enjoyed the information in this article or found it useful, please
share that it with your friends and family. Don't forget to send me a
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