We love “Da Sauce” from Local Boyz, a small Hawaiian Restaurant tucked away in the back upstairs corner of the Cobblestone Square, a small shopping center that butts up to Oregon State University. The delicious teriyaki sauce and marinade comes in small bottles that are put out on the tables and frequently would go missing as the plethora of college students and others eating at the establishment would decide to take home a bottle of the tasty sauce.
When I was a student at Oregon State University I would often make the trek to grab some of the marinated steak (marinated in “Da Sauce”) over white rice and macaroni salad on the side(copycat recipe here). It was a bit more spendy than my usual student fare but it was worth it. I would cover entire meal in “Da Sauce” and eat until I was stuffed, enjoying every bite.
When I graduated and we moved away I found myself missing “Da Sauce”. My wife, who also went to Oregon State, missed it as well. Our desire to have “Da Sauce” wherever we are has resulted in this recipe. I use it as a teriyaki sauce and as a Marinade for chicken, beef, and pork. It is also a component in other recipes I have developed and which I plan to share here later. It is a very simple, quick, and easy to make recipe that contains only five ingredients. With the right soy sauce it is even gluten free. I hope you enjoy this wonderful sauce as much as we do.
As a note, you don’t have to throw away the ginger slices produced by this recipe. You can eat them, use them as a garnish, or toss them as you see fit! I find them quite delicious myself.
"Da Sauce" Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade Copycat
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. ginger fresh, grated
- 1 head garlic approximately 8 cloves, peeled
Instructions
- Combine water, soy sauce and sugar in a medium sauce pan.
- Slice garlic cloves into large slices and put into sauce pan.
- Grate ginger put into a large tea strainer. Add to pan.
- Bring sauce to boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and let sit for 4-5 minutes to cool.
- Strain out garlic slices and remove tea strainer.
Your Rating Matters
When you leave a comment or star rating, it means more than you might think. It helps me understand what you’re enjoying, builds trust for other readers, and supports real, tested cooking content. If you have a moment, I’d truly appreciate you sharing your experience. - Mirlandra
A Note on Nutrition
Nutritional info is an imperfect estimate. Please take it with a grain of salt.
Anne Greene says
strain out garlic pieces and remove tea strainer
Mirlandra says
Thanks, Anne, I fixed the typo.
Luis Z says
Thank you for this! Local boyz is da best!
Mirlandra says
Yes they are! Enjoy 🙂
Jade says
Thank you! I missed Local Boyz since moving back to AZ and “da sauce” is the bomb!
Mirlandra says
You are very welcome! It really is a great sauce – I use it often to marinate or stir fry with!
Shiloh says
This is magic! I grew up in Corvallis and moved across the country after college—missing Local Boyz ALL the time. This sauce is BOMB and made me happier than I could say when I discovered this recipe. Thank you so much for working to figure it out.
Side note, I LOVE the Mac they serve too. The way I make it is SUPER easy: macaroni, mayo, tons of pepper, and da sauce. That’s it. Mix it to your desired profile. Yum!
Mirlandra says
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoy it! I just made a batch a few days ago and we used it today to marinate some steaks for the grill. I have a bit batch of my version of Local Boyz Mac Salad in the fridge just waiting for the steaks to be done! Mac Salad just makes everything better! It sounds like you have a great version you love. If you want my Local Boyz Copycat recipe for the salad you can grab it here: https://www.mirlandraskitchen.com/hawaiian_macaroni_salad/ Go Beavers!
Courtney says
We live in Corvallis love “Da Sauce” at Local Boyz. It seriously is amazing and your copy cat recipe is right on! Thank you so much. You have made my family VERY happy!! ( along with your Local Boyz macaroni salad and huli huli chicken recipe..
AMAZING)
Mirlandra says
I’m so glad!!! It is wonderful to know other people are enjoying these recipes as much as we do! Enjoy!!!
Jessica says
I don’t have a tea strainer- is there a different way to make this? Thanks!
Mirlandra says
Yep! You could strain everything out after using a colander! That is probably the easiest 🙂 Thanks for asking! Enjoy your sauce!!!
Rachel says
This sauce is just as good at from the restaurant. I’m not sure how long its supposed to last but its held up well and still tastes great!
Mirlandra Neuneker says
That is high praise! Thank you. I just got a new garage fridge and when we transferred everything I found a bottle of this I think I made more than five years ago? We ate it and it was still perfectly fresh! I don’t know that you should use that piece of crazy as a guideline but sauces made from soy sauce and sugar do last a very long time!
JD says
I lived in Corvallis for almost 2 decades and loved having lunch at Local Boyz. When we moved I was really bummed we would be missing this treat. You have nailed it and we now make the same meals at home that we used to get while living there. Thank you so much!!
Mirlandra Neuneker says
Hey JD – I love this! We have been gone about 14 years now and Local Boyz is much missed. There is just no other HI food like it. Frankly they had better mixed plates than we found many places on O’ahu last year! I’m glad you are enjoying these recipes and they are bringing a taste of home to you! – Mirlandra
P.S. Mad respect on your email address 😉