Japanese restaurants in Japan; Teppan yaki and Yakitori
There are many kinds of Japanese restaurants in Japan. Some specialize in special type of dishes. For example, as you have read in previous entry titled " Ryotei restaurant ", if you go to ryotei restaurant, you will get dishes made from local grown, seasonal fresh ingredients.
If you go to Japanese restaurant here in the states, what you mostly expect is sushi bar, and Teppan yaki style dishes. Some Japanese restaurant in the states call the cooking method on grill "Hibachi style" but it is actually called "Teppan yaki style" in Japan. Teppan yaki dish is a dish made with small griddle. How our family cooked Teppan yaki dish?? Her is how my family back in Japan did when we have Teppan yaki dish.
<How to make Teppan yaki dish>
1. Chop ingredients of your choice; onion,green pepper,beef marinaded in special sauce, bean sprout, potato sliced very thin with tool called "mandolin", carrots, wiener, Hakusai (Chinese cabbage. You can see picture here at Japanese about.com website) etc..
** When you use mandolin to slice potato very thin, outcome is like potato chips, and potato cooks very fast. After slicing the potato thin, put them into water to take out the starch
** When I was a kid, I helped my mother a lot when we do Teppan yaki dish. My job was to cut the weiner. My mother taught me how to make Octopus or crab with weiner, and I had so much fun cutting them.
** How to make Octopus with weiner?
Slice length wise and make 2 slits one side about half an inch or so. As it cooks on grill, it becomes like octopus although legs is not 8 legs with this way
** How to make crab with weiner
Slice weiner length wise and make 2 slits each on both side and small baby slits diagonally on top to make it look like crab's eyes. As it cooks on grill, it will look like crab weiner
2. When griddle became hot on surface,wipe the griddle with beef fat. I think it is called suet in English. My father used beef fat as opposed to oil on griddle. When we did not have beef fat on hand, we used a little bit of butter on griddle.
3. Then, put whatever ingredients you have prepared onto griddle, and sprinkle salt and pepper and as it cook through, you will pick with chopsticks and dip in Yakiniku no tare (special sauce for grilled meat) and eat with rice.
I remember we cooked Teppan yaki dish at the deck and placed picnic mat on floor and low table on top and put small griddle, and enjoyed the dish ...
Hibachi is heating device in Japan. Not cooking tool. The word "Hi" means "Fire" in Japanese. "Bachi" means "bowl" so, it is fire bowl if you translate it to English. It usually made with ceramic and it contains charcoal to keep the room warm.
According to wikipedia, Hibachi cookware sold in the states are inspired by Shichirin in Japan ; small charcoal cooking device, and it was marketed as "Hibachi grill".You can see Shichirin at wikipedia website here . Also, you can read more history and picture on Shichirin at Shichirin chopsticks NY website here .
If you like to taste the real authentic Japanese food, look for the restaurant run/cook by Japanese staff. If you live in VA, "Tachibana restaurant" at McLean serves very authentic, tasty Japanese dish.
On the talk of grilling, you will find many roadside stands that serve hot dogs or pretzels in New York. In Japan, you will find stand that serves Yakitori (grilled chicken with vegetable stuck in skewer). You can also find restaurant specialize in Yakitori.
Yakitori is basically shish kebab in a sense here in the states. Usually, cut up boneless chicken thigh, chicken liver, and leeks in skewer and it is seasoned with either salt or sauce. Then those are grilled over charcoal grill. You can see picture/read more on yakitori at wikipedia website here .
Yakitori is actually easy to make at home.
How do you make Yakitori? I prefer to make just chicken and leek so, recipe bellow has no liver. Also, for easy cooking,I cook in the skillet without skewer. Traditionally, raw ingredients are skewered,and grilled over charcoal grill.Then, mirin,sake,soy sauce mixture is brushed while it is grilled.
Here is how.
<How to make Yakitori dish>
1. Cut boneless chicken thigh to bite size pieces and rough chop leeks
2. Pour a little bit of vegetable oil to skillet, and add chicken thigh.When it is about half done, add rough chopped leek in the skillet and cook through
3. In the small sauce pan, add 3tbs of soy sauce, 3tbs of Mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine), and 1tbs of sake and warm them up and pour some sauce over chicken and leek and serve.
Summer is grilling season. This summer, how about try making Japanese grilling dishes for fun?
Enjoy!
If you go to Japanese restaurant here in the states, what you mostly expect is sushi bar, and Teppan yaki style dishes. Some Japanese restaurant in the states call the cooking method on grill "Hibachi style" but it is actually called "Teppan yaki style" in Japan. Teppan yaki dish is a dish made with small griddle. How our family cooked Teppan yaki dish?? Her is how my family back in Japan did when we have Teppan yaki dish.
<How to make Teppan yaki dish>
1. Chop ingredients of your choice; onion,green pepper,beef marinaded in special sauce, bean sprout, potato sliced very thin with tool called "mandolin", carrots, wiener, Hakusai (Chinese cabbage. You can see picture here at Japanese about.com website) etc..
** When you use mandolin to slice potato very thin, outcome is like potato chips, and potato cooks very fast. After slicing the potato thin, put them into water to take out the starch
** When I was a kid, I helped my mother a lot when we do Teppan yaki dish. My job was to cut the weiner. My mother taught me how to make Octopus or crab with weiner, and I had so much fun cutting them.
** How to make Octopus with weiner?
Slice length wise and make 2 slits one side about half an inch or so. As it cooks on grill, it becomes like octopus although legs is not 8 legs with this way
** How to make crab with weiner
Slice weiner length wise and make 2 slits each on both side and small baby slits diagonally on top to make it look like crab's eyes. As it cooks on grill, it will look like crab weiner
2. When griddle became hot on surface,wipe the griddle with beef fat. I think it is called suet in English. My father used beef fat as opposed to oil on griddle. When we did not have beef fat on hand, we used a little bit of butter on griddle.
3. Then, put whatever ingredients you have prepared onto griddle, and sprinkle salt and pepper and as it cook through, you will pick with chopsticks and dip in Yakiniku no tare (special sauce for grilled meat) and eat with rice.
I remember we cooked Teppan yaki dish at the deck and placed picnic mat on floor and low table on top and put small griddle, and enjoyed the dish ...
Hibachi is heating device in Japan. Not cooking tool. The word "Hi" means "Fire" in Japanese. "Bachi" means "bowl" so, it is fire bowl if you translate it to English. It usually made with ceramic and it contains charcoal to keep the room warm.
According to wikipedia, Hibachi cookware sold in the states are inspired by Shichirin in Japan ; small charcoal cooking device, and it was marketed as "Hibachi grill".You can see Shichirin at wikipedia website here . Also, you can read more history and picture on Shichirin at Shichirin chopsticks NY website here .
If you like to taste the real authentic Japanese food, look for the restaurant run/cook by Japanese staff. If you live in VA, "Tachibana restaurant" at McLean serves very authentic, tasty Japanese dish.
On the talk of grilling, you will find many roadside stands that serve hot dogs or pretzels in New York. In Japan, you will find stand that serves Yakitori (grilled chicken with vegetable stuck in skewer). You can also find restaurant specialize in Yakitori.
Yakitori is basically shish kebab in a sense here in the states. Usually, cut up boneless chicken thigh, chicken liver, and leeks in skewer and it is seasoned with either salt or sauce. Then those are grilled over charcoal grill. You can see picture/read more on yakitori at wikipedia website here .
Yakitori is actually easy to make at home.
How do you make Yakitori? I prefer to make just chicken and leek so, recipe bellow has no liver. Also, for easy cooking,I cook in the skillet without skewer. Traditionally, raw ingredients are skewered,and grilled over charcoal grill.Then, mirin,sake,soy sauce mixture is brushed while it is grilled.
Here is how.
<How to make Yakitori dish>
1. Cut boneless chicken thigh to bite size pieces and rough chop leeks
2. Pour a little bit of vegetable oil to skillet, and add chicken thigh.When it is about half done, add rough chopped leek in the skillet and cook through
3. In the small sauce pan, add 3tbs of soy sauce, 3tbs of Mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine), and 1tbs of sake and warm them up and pour some sauce over chicken and leek and serve.
Summer is grilling season. This summer, how about try making Japanese grilling dishes for fun?
Enjoy!
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