Today’s blog is an Izakaya favourite, how to make Yakitori at home with using a frypan.
Everybody who visits Japan loves yakitori. I love Yakitori, especially from the small shops you find in the back streets of Japan.
When I was young I used to go to yakitori shops after work, they were dirty and smokey but cheap and the yakitori tasted so good. One yakitori was $0.80-$1.20 so I would eat lots.
You can make yakitori at home using a frypan or your BBQ if you prefer.
What you can use for yakitori
Thigh or breast chicken
Chicken skin
Chicken wings
Chicken tenderloin
Pork
Beef
Spring onion
Cherry tomato
Asparagus
Garlic
Mushroom
Onion
Jalapeno etc.
About Yakitori sauce
Soy base sauce
Salt
Actually, I like salt so when I go to yakitori restaurants or shops, I order salt.
YAKITORI
Ingredients
For Yakitori
- 650-750 g Chicken thigh or breast
- 80-100 g Spring onion White part
- 2-3 tbsp Yakitori sauce
- 2 tbsp Rice oil
For Yakitori sauce
- 3 tbsp Soy sauce
- 4 tbsp Mirin
- 1.5 tbsp Sugar
- 1.5 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Garlic Minced
- 1 tsp Ginger Tube
Instructions
- Cut chicken to bite-sized pieces.
- Cut spring onion (only use the white parts) to 2-2.5 cm pieces.
- Skewer the chicken and spring onion.
- Making the sauce, add all ingredients into a pot.
- Turn heat to mid and melt everything.
- Once ingredients are melted, turn off heat.
- Turn heat to mid and add 2 tbsp of rice oil into a frypan once it’s hot.
- Once the frypan is hot, add the skewered chicken and cook one side until light brown.
- Turn over the chicken (yakitori) and cook until light brown.
- Pour 2 tbsp of the sauce you made earlier over the chicken then turn over the yakitori few times. Cover the yakitori with sauce and cook the chicken through. (Check the heat if you need reduce heat to low and also you can add the sauce more if you need.)
- Place the Yakitori on a plate.
- If you prefer to salt your yakitori, use sea salt instead the soy-based sauce.
Video
About Yakitori shops
In Japan, you will find lots of Yakitori shops or restaurants. From cheap yakitori shops full of businessman eating with their boss or co-workers to pricy yakitori restaurants for couples or businessman to wine and dine their customers.
I prefer the cheap yakitori shops because they always have a good atmosphere and sometimes you talk with other customers. The fine dining restaurants are good atmosphere and good food but just not the same.
This recipe is using a frypan to make great tasting yakitori at home.
The sauce is so easy to make.
What you need for Yakitori sauce
Soy sauce
Mirin
Sugar
Honey
Kombu (kelp)powder (You can buy at Asian shops)
Using Kombu powder recipe@ https://grazingwombat.com/japanese-food-recipes/inari-sushi-recipe/
Using a frypan or hot plate
It is hard to cook at home using a Yakitori grill because your fire alarm will go off from the smoke. Of course, you can use the BBQ outside.
Also, if you have Japanese grill (Hibachi) at home and you can use charcoal.
About skewer
If you don’t have or want to use skewers you don’t have to. There’s NO RULES!! Hahaha
If you use BBQ or Japanese grill, before skewer chicken, soak skewers in water for 20-30mins so they don’t burn.
Theme (not just dinner you can use other)
Party
Picnic
BBQ with friends
School or work events
Etc
Anyway, yakitori is good with cold beer, especially in summer after working hard. Just drink cold beer and sink your teeth into a piece of yakitori ….“うめぇ〜” (ume-) meaning “ Yummy”. Don’t say it if you are a proper lady though. Hahaha.
