Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatics
- 15 g fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 garlic, minced
Liquids
- 60 ml soy sauce
- 45 ml sake
- 30 ml mirin
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 18 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 2 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 339 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Potassium
- 35 mg
- Calcium
- 3 mg
- Iron
- 0.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 5 mg
- Phosphorus
- 12 mg
- Zinc
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 0 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.01 mg
- Niacin
- 0.1 mg
- Folate
- 1 mcg
- Water
- 9 g
- Alcohol
- 1 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Grate the peeled fresh ginger using a fine grater over a cutting board or small plate, ensuring you collect both the fibrous pulp and all the extracted juice.
Transfer the grated ginger and its juices into a mixing bowl, then pour in the soy sauce, sake, and mirin.
Whisk the mixture vigorously until all liquids are fully combined and any optional additions are evenly distributed.
Chef's Notes
- Using a traditional Japanese ceramic grater (oroshigane) is ideal for ginger, as it efficiently separates the tough fibers from the flavorful juice.
- The enzymes in raw ginger act as a natural meat tenderizer. This makes the marinade excellent for tougher cuts of beef or pork.
- Do not substitute dry sherry or white wine for sake if you want an authentic flavor profile. The mild, slightly sweet amino acids in rice-based sake are critical to the synergy with soy sauce.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight glass jar.
Freezer: 3 months — Can be frozen in ice cube trays for easy portioning.
Troubleshooting
Marinade tastes excessively sharp or alcoholic
Cause: The alcohol in the raw sake and mirin is too forward for delicate proteins
Fix: Simmer the finished marinade for 3 minutes to burn off the alcohol, then chill in an ice bath before using
Prevention: For delicate fish or brief marinades, gently heat the sake and mirin beforehand to evaporate the alcohol, then cool completely
Marinade makes the protein too salty
Cause: Protein was marinated for too long, or an overly concentrated soy sauce was used
Fix: Rinse the raw protein briefly under cold water and pat dry before cooking
Prevention: Limit marinating time to 30 minutes for seafood or thinly sliced meat, and up to 4 hours for whole poultry cuts
Cultural Context
The combination of soy sauce, sake, and mirin forms the foundational trinity of many traditional Japanese sauces, including teriyaki and sukiyaki bases. Ginger, known as shoga in Japanese, is frequently incorporated into marinades for seafood and meat dishes not just for its warming spice, but for its functional ability to neutralize strong odors and tenderize proteins.
