I'm pretty excited about taking part in this challenge, I enjoy cooking for my family and always try to experiment and come up with ideas to modify and better standard recipes according to my own or my friends' tastes. This is what I'm gonna be doing today as well, I couldn't decide for a while what I should prepare so I asked my husband @matt-a about the most common appetizers he saw in Japan when he visited Tokyo last year, I wasn't surprised when he told me that it was skewer food as everyone likes kebabs, don't they? Back where I'm from they are called shashlik (Russian) they are so much bigger and primarily made of marinated pork, however I am not going to do that today, I've done it too many times haha.
It is going to be my first time cooking yakitori, so I chose to make assorted ones because sometimes when you're at a restaurant you kind of want to try a lot of things, but you also might not want to eat much, and I also wanted to include a vegetarian option for everyone out there who doesn't eat meat, so here's my yakitori medley for you!
Ingredients:
- 50 ml (about 1.6 fl. oz) soy sauce;
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar;
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger;
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard;
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional);
- 200-250g (about half a pound) fresh salmon fillet cut into cubes or whatever shape you like.
Directions:
In a small saucepan bring soy sauce, ginger and brown sugar to a boil stirring occasionally, remove from heat and stir in mustard. Heat your grill pan on a medium heat, soak salmon in the mixture, I'm going to let the fish sit in the marinade for about 10-15 minutes before grilling it and brush it with the remaining juice while cooking, cooking time depends on the size of your salmon chunks.
Ingredients:
- 10 medium peeled shrimp;
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce;
- 30 ml (about 1 fl. oz) dry sake or rice wine vinegar;
- 0,5 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce;
- 0,5 teaspoon sugar (optional);
- lemon juice (optional).
Directions:
Whisk soy sauce, sake (vinegar), sugar and Worcestershire sauce together and simmer for about 1 minutes, let it cool to room temperature, add in shrimp and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Thread shrimp onto skewers, grill for 2-3 minutes each side or until done, remove from heat and sprinkle some lemon juice on shrimp before serving.
Ingredients:
- 300 g (about 1 lb) boneless chicken breast;
- 50 ml (about 1.6 fl. oz) soy sauce;
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar;
- 1 tablespoons honey;
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger;
- 2 cloves fresh crushed garlic;
- freshly chopped cilantro for garnish (optional);
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional);
- 6 tablespoons teriyaki sauce for glaze (optional).
Directions:
Combine the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, ginger, and garlic in a bowl. Add in the chicken and marinate for approximately 30 minutes. Grill over medium-hot temperature until brown glazing with teriyaki sauce occasionally. Once done sprinkle some sesame seeds and chopped cilantro over the chicken, serve hot.
Ingredients:
- 1 small cousa squash or a zucchini, sliced into thick rings;
- 6 medium white or shiitake mushrooms, halved or whole, whatever you prefer;
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed;
- 1 tablespoon honey;
- 50 ml (about 1.6 fl. oz) soy sauce;
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar.
Directions:
Bring rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey and crushed garlic to a boil in a medium-sized sauce pan. Set aside to cool. Place the squash and mushrooms into the mixture and let sit for about 20 minutes. Thread the mushrooms onto skewers, alternating with squash. Preheat the grill pan over medium-high heat, once hot grill the squash and mushrooms skewers about 3-4 minutes on each side or until done, baste with remaining marinade if desired.
Note:
I didn't mention any spices like salt, pepper, red pepper flakes or anything else because I feel like everyone can add them to taste or spice level they prefer, I like my meat spicy so I am always adding some red pepper flakes to the marinade, you can also use chili oil on your grill pan if you like (I make my own and often mix some of it with sesame seed oil when I cook Asian dishes). Don't forget to soak your skewers in water before using them to make sure they don't burn.
For best results cook the yakitori on an actual grill, however it is not necessary.
I like fresh vegetables and fruits and often use them for garnish, they are optional and you can pretty much use whatever is around. I got some Navel oranges, Poblano pepper and some dried cranberries today.
My Yakitori Medley is best enjoyed with some sake, both me and my husband @matt-a love it. It's light, flavorful and delicious!
