Name: Yakitori
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japonesa
Ingredients: 500 g chicken thigh (cut into 2cm cubes); 8 pieces bamboo skewers (soaked in water); 0.5 cup tare sauce (soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar); 4 pieces scallions (cut into 2cm pieces); 1 pinch salt

Yakitori

Yakitori: the charcoal chicken skewers of Japan's izakaya bars. Why the skewers are soaked and exactly when to brush on the tare glaze.

30 min Medium Japonesa 4 servings

As night falls across Japan, the alleys fill with the smoke and scent of yakitori: charcoal-grilled chicken skewers eaten standing up or in small bars called izakaya, almost always with a cold beer in hand. More than a dish, it's an end-of-workday ritual, originally workers' food that took off once chicken stopped being a luxury in the twentieth century.

The word means "grilled bird," and the craft lies in using every part of the chicken. The thigh is cut into even cubes so the pieces finish cooking together, and the bamboo skewers are soaked in water first for a practical reason: damp wood resists the fire and won't char while the meat grills.

The heart of yakitori is tare sauce, a blend of soy, mirin, sake and sugar brushed on during the final passes over the flame. It goes on at the end on purpose: the sugar caramelizes in the heat into a glossy glaze, but applied too early it burns and turns bitter.

A sweet-and-savory smoke rises off the coals that defines Japanese night cooking. Try alternating brushes of sauce and turns over the fire to build up layers of glaze.

Ingredients

500 g chicken thigh (cut into 2cm cubes)

8 pieces bamboo skewers (soaked in water)

0.5 cup tare sauce (soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar)

4 pieces scallions (cut into 2cm pieces)

1 pinch salt

Instructions

Thread the chicken cubes onto the bamboo skewers, alternating with pieces of scallion.

Prepare the grill with charcoal until the embers are glowing red.

Place the skewers over the heat, turning frequently for even cooking.

Brush the chicken with tare sauce during the final minutes of grilling to caramelize the surface.

Serve immediately to enjoy the smoky aroma, keeping a professional and polished presentation.

Yakitori

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