Omma'S Korean BBQ Sauce

Name: Omma's Korean Bbq Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: about 4 cups (950 ml)
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 cup (preferably low sodium) (240 ml) Soy Sauce; 1/2 Onion; 1/2 (or Fuji apple) Asian Pear; 4 green onions Scallion; 1/2 Red Pepper; 10-12 cloves Garlic; 1 tsp fresh (5 ml) Ginger; 1 pinch (0.5 g) Msg; 1/4 cup brown rice syrup (60 ml) Rice Syrup; 2 tbsp (30 ml) Mirin; 1 tbsp (15 ml) Rice Vinegar; 1/2 cup (or sparkling water) (120 ml) Soju; 1 tsp (5 ml) Liquid Smoke; 1 tsp (2.5 g) Pepper; 2 tbsp (slurry with 1/4 cup water) (16 g) Potato Starch

Independent adaptation of a publicly published Joanne Lee Molinaro recipe. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Joanne Lee Molinaro.

Ginger-Soy from a national-award-winning chef.

Ratio

Soy Sauce 240 mlGinger 5 mlRice Syrup 60 mlMirin 30 mlRice Vinegar 15 mlSoju 120 ml

Ingredients

Soy Sauce — 1 cup (preferably low sodium) (240 ml)
Onion — 1/2
Asian Pear — 1/2 (or Fuji apple)
Scallion — 4 green onions
Red Pepper — 1/2
Garlic — 10-12 cloves
Ginger — 1 tsp fresh (5 ml)
Msg — 1 pinch (0.5 g)
Rice Syrup — 1/4 cup brown rice syrup (60 ml)
Mirin — 2 tbsp (30 ml)
Rice Vinegar — 1 tbsp (15 ml)
Soju — 1/2 cup (or sparkling water) (120 ml)
Liquid Smoke — 1 tsp (5 ml)
Pepper — 1 tsp (2.5 g)
Potato Starch — 2 tbsp (slurry with 1/4 cup water) (16 g)

Method

This sauce is cooked on the stove — the jar is for storing it, not making it.
Cook ingredients gently according to the published technique, adapted here as pantry quantities only.
Finish off heat; adjust seasoning.

Provenance

Joanne Lee Molinaro is a cookbook author working in Korean / plant-based; recognized with James Beard Book Award: Vegetable-Focused Cooking 2022 (The Korean Vegan Cookbook).

Originally published as Omma's Korean BBQ Sauce.

Adapted from a recipe published by Joanne Lee Molinaro in The Korean Vegan (thekoreanvegan.com).

FAQ

Can this go in a shake jar?

No — this one needs a blender or stove, so make it from this page. Jars only carry pour-and-shake sauces.

What do the quantities mean?

Amounts follow the published recipe in household units (with metric in parentheses). On a jar, every sauce scales to the same fill height.

Where did this recipe come from?

Adapted from The Korean Vegan (thekoreanvegan.com) (published as “Omma's Korean BBQ Sauce”). Full citation lives in Provenance.