Yakitori: A Japanese Comfort Food

Yakitori (焼き鳥)-The literal meaning of this dish is “A Dish of Chicken Pieces Grilled on a Skewer”. Yakitori consists of bite-sized pieces of meat (usually chicken) served on a bamboo skewer.

In Japan, yakitori can be a street food dish or a casual meal served in a parlor, frequently paired with Japanese beer or sake. They are made from all different parts of the chicken, such as the breasts, thighs, skin, liver and other innards. Usually made to order and cooked over charcoal, Yakitori is a popular, inexpensive dish. The best yakitori is served at specialty restaurants, known as Yakitori-ya, but it can also be found at many other types of restaurants across Japan, such as izakaya, and at festival food stands.

HOW IS YAKITORI PREPARED? 

 

Traditional yakitori will always be prepared over Binchotan, a Japanese white charcoal. This heat source burns very clean so it doesn't add flavor to the chicken skewers; all charred flavor comes from contact with the hot grill. When Binchotan isn't available, lump charcoal or briquette can be used for a similar flavorless option. The grill burns low, around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, so the meat cooks slowly. A chef will constantly stand at the grill rotating the meat and allowing it to be just kissed by the flames below. It is also up to this ever-present chef to monitor the moisture level of the meat and adjust it with a house sauce called tare. 

Other than high-quality ingredients, the flavor of Yakitori comes from this soy-based basting tare sauce. Ingredients in tare include Japanese rice wine (mirin), scallions, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, sake, and spices.

Part way through grilling, skewers will be dunked in the tare and returned to the grill. They will be dunked again or brushed with tare right before they are served to customers. This final dip creates a lacquer like surface on the chicken that is sweet and salty but still subtle enough to let the savory chicken flavor shine through.

HOW TO EAT YAKITORI?

Yakitori is an inexpensive and informal food that is easily found at specialized Yakitori-ya, as well as at most Izakaya and many other restaurants across Japan. At a typical yakitori-ya they are sold by the stick or a set of two sticks, and cost around 100-200 yen per stick. 

When ordering yakitori, you usually can choose whether you want your skewers seasoned with a sweet and savory yakitori sauce (tare) or with salt (Shio). Yakitori is meant to be eaten with your hands. You may directly eat them off the skewer or use your chopsticks to remove the meat from the skewer before consuming it. 

POPULAR YAKITORI:

NEGIMA: 

Negima (ねぎま) is one of the most popular types of yakitori and consists of pieces of chicken (usually thigh meat) skewered with pieces of leek in between.

MOMO:

Momo (もも) refers to the thigh meat, so momo skewers are made up of pieces of chicken thigh.

TSUKUNE:

Tsukune (つくね) are meatballs made of minced chicken, egg, vegetables and spices. They are typically formed into multiple small balls or made into one long patty.

TORIKAWA:

Torikawa (とりかわ), sometimes called just kawa (かわ), are strips of fatty chicken skin, which have been grilled until crispy.

TEBASAKI:

Tebasaki (手羽先) are chicken wings which have been grilled to a crispy golden brown. They are often served in pairs

REBA:

Reba (レバー) are skewered chicken livers, named after the German word for liver.

NANKOTSU:

Nankotsu (なんこつ) is the cartilage taken from the keel bone between the chicken breasts. Nankotsu has very little meat attached, but the cartilage has a crunchy texture and contains lots of collagen.

Most yakitori restaurants also sell some non-chicken skewers such as skewered Shishito Mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, or Enoki Mushrooms wrapped in bacon.