Yakitori Party Recipes

Steps:

• Light a charcoal grill or konro to medium-high heat.
• For the tare: Combine the soy sauce, mirin, maple syrup, salt, black pepper, MSG, garlic, onions and ginger in a large stovetop pressure cooker. Lock on the lid and cook over medium-high heat until pressure is reached, then immediately turn off the heat and allow it to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure. Strain the tare and reserve until ready to grill.
• For grilling: Preheat a charcoal grill over medium-high heat.
• Break down the chickens by setting aside the giblets, then cutting off the thighs, oysters, legs, breasts, tenders, skin, tail, wishbone and wings. Cut off the keel bone, soft knee bones, and neck meat if desired. Debone the thigh meat. Cut the thighs and breasts into bite-sized pieces. Cut the skin into strips about 1/2-inch wide.
• Skewer like parts with like parts, using two skewers for wings or large pieces. Skewer the scallions with the chicken parts as well, if desired. It's a party!
• Combine the wasabi powder with 1 tablespoon kosher salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• Brush or sprinkle each skewer with desired flavorings: salt, wasabi-salt mixture, ume furikake or tare, or a combo of all. Again, it's a party!
• Grill the meats over the charcoal until cooked through.
• Season everything with black pepper and serve with lemon wedges.

Steps:

• Place water in sauce pan over high heat in medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add rice, stir. Cover rice and reduce heat to low. Cook rice 18 minutes or until tender.
• Preheat coals for tabletop hibachi or preheat grill pan over medium high to high heat.
• Combine sherry, sugar, dark soy and oil in a shallow dish. Turn cut chicken and scallions in marinade and let stand 10 minutes. Wash hands.
• Combine ginger and soy, oil and sesame oil in a second shallow dish for the beef. Cut raw meat against the grain in thin strips. Thread strips on to skewers, reserving several skewers for chicken, set into ginger and soy mixture. Season meat lightly with steak seasoning blend and turn in ginger and soy to coat. Set meat aside. Wash hands.
• Toast sesame seeds in a small skillet over moderate heat until they pop and are lightly toasted. This process will develop the flavor of the sesame fully. Combine the sesame seeds with five-spice powder and grill seasoning blend on a piece of wax paper or on a plate. Coat tuna with a scant drizzle of oil and sesame oil to help seeds and spices adhere to fish. Coat fish pieces in sesame and spices.
• Cook chicken pieces and scallions in a single layer over hot coals or on hot grill pan for 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken and scallions to a serving plate and set several bamboo skewers on the edge of the plate for spearing meat and scallions.
• Place beef skewers on hot grill surface and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side in a single layer, turning once. Transfer to a serving plate.
• Cook fish on hot grill surface 1 to 2 minutes on each side and transfer to a serving plate. Tuna will be rare. Serve with several skewers on plate's edge for spearing.
• Transfer pickled watermelon rind, pickled ginger and pickled onions to ramekins and place along side grilled meats and fish for condiments. Serve with hot rice and extra soy sauce for dipping. Kiwis, tangerines and Asian pears are a nice offering of fresh fruit to round out this light menu.

Steps:

• Soak bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes (or use metal skewers).
• While the skewers soak, make the shoyu tare. Combine the sake, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce heat, then stir in 1 cup soy sauce. Heat until just simmering, about 3 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. The shoyu tare can be stored in a nonreactive glass or metal container in a cool, dry place or the refrigerator for about 3 months.
• Skewer 2 or 3 pieces of chicken and 2 or 3 pieces of onion, alternating, on each skewer. Start with the larger pieces of meat so they end up at the tip, which will cook more quickly. Make sure there are no gaps between the meat and onions, as bamboo skewers will burn in the gaps. Skewer the vegetables and eggs on their own skewers, about 3 or 4 pieces per skewer, depending on the size of the vegetables.
• Heat a bichotan (or charcoal fire) grill, or heat a gas grill to medium-high, or preheat the broiler. Lightly baste the chicken with the oil. Grill the chicken and onions for 3-4 minutes, turning the skewers several times, until the chicken and onions begin to char. Remove the chicken from the heat and baste with the shoyu tare.
• Return the chicken to the heat and cook for 2 more minutes, turning the skewers several times. Remove from heat and baste again. Repeat one more time, until the chicken is cooked through and slightly charred, about 8-10 minutes total. Lay the skewered vegetables and quail eggs on the grill and brush them with oil. Grill the vegetables and eggs, turning them over several times, until the vegetables are soft and charred, 5-8 minutes (the vegetables have different cooking times, so monitor each type for desired doneness). Brush them with the shoyu tare or season them at the table.
• Serve the chicken, eggs, and vegetables with shichimi togarashi, sansho pepper, yuzu kosho, and salt.

Steps:

• Cut chicken into one-inch pieces and place in a shallow dish.
• In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce or tamari, mirin, sake or sherry, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Bring to a simmer and cook for 7 minutes, until thickened. Reserve 2 tablespoons sauce for serving. Pour remaining sauce over chicken, cover, and chill for at least one hour (and up to 4 hours).
• If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak them in water for one hour. Preheat grill or broiler. Thread chicken pieces onto skewers, and grill or broil, turning halfway, for about 3 minutes for livers, 10 minutes for gizzards and 6 minutes for thighs. Serve drizzled with reserved sauce and garnished with scallions.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the first 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; set aside half the mixture for serving., Thread peppers onto 2 metal or soaked wooden skewers. Thread chicken onto 6 metal or soaked wooden skewers. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat until meat is cooked through, 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally and basting frequently with soy sauce mixture during the last 3 minutes. Grill peppers, covered, until tender, 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally. Grill onions, covered, until lightly charred, 1-2 minutes, turning occasionally. Serve chicken and vegetables with reserved sauce for dipping.

Steps:

• Soak the skewers in a bowl of water while you prepare everything else, to prevent them from burning. Tip the soy, mirin, sake and sugar into a small saucepan, and cook over a medium heat for about 15 mins until the sauce is glossy.
• Remove the skewers from the water and thread each one with a piece of chicken, followed by a piece of spring onion. Repeat twice more so the skewer is well stacked. Fill all four skewers.
• Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat - you want to cook the chicken fairly gently so it soaks up the sauce. Put the skewers in the pan, then brush with the sauce. Cook for 10 mins, turning regularly and brushing in all the sauce. Serve immediately.