In a small saucepan, stir together the 60ml soy sauce (or tamari), 30ml mirin (or the 20ml rice vinegar and 10g sugar), 30g honey (or brown sugar) and 10ml rice vinegar until the honey loosens and the liquid looks uniform. Add the 15g finely grated ginger and the 10g finely grated garlic, stirring until the pulp is suspended evenly with no clumps. Mirin contributes gentle sweetness and the glossy finish typical of Japanese glazes, and the rice vinegar and sugar swap is workable but less complex. That grating, rather than mincing, is what dissolves both aromatics smoothly into the sauce.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and warm the mixture, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles form around the edge and it reaches a light simmer. Do not let it boil hard, because the sugars are already beginning to concentrate and the sauce can climb the pan or catch on the base. If you used brown sugar instead of honey, check that the crystals have dissolved fully. That gentle start dissolves the sugars evenly before any real reduction begins.

Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 4–5 minutes, stirring frequently and watching closely, because the glaze thickens quickly once the sugars concentrate. It is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and holds a clean line when you draw a finger through it, looking glossy, slightly darkened and syrup-like. Take it off the heat at that point, since it keeps tightening as it cools. That spoon-coating test is what stops the reduction at lacquer rather than burnt toffee.

If the glaze reduces too far, stir in 15ml water and warm it over low heat until it loosens to a pourable syrup. For a thicker lacquer suitable for brushing onto proteins, stir the 2g cornstarch and 15ml cold water slurry again, whisk it into the glaze and simmer for about 60 seconds until it visibly tightens and turns slightly more translucent. Use one adjustment or the other, never both. That small correction is what lets one batch suit both brushing and drizzling.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the 10ml toasted sesame oil, then the 5g toasted sesame seeds, mixing until the oil is fully incorporated and the seeds are evenly distributed through the glaze. Taste a drop from the spoon: it should be deeply savoury, gently sweet and warmed by ginger, with a clean nutty finish. That off-heat addition is what preserves the sesame oil’s fragrance instead of cooking it away.

Use the glaze immediately while it is warm and fluid. Spoon out the amount you need for brushing first, so a brush that has touched raw protein never goes back into the pan, then brush it over salmon, chicken or tofu during the final 3–5 minutes of cooking until the protein is cooked through and the surface is glossy and caramelised. Alternatively, serve it as a dipping or drizzling sauce. That late application is what builds colour and flavour without giving the sugars time to burn.