76 epicureasia.com
COOKBOOK CRITICparts of the chicken in an almost cut-by-cut
manner.
The layout of the book is similarly succinct. It
wastes no time in introducing readers to methods
and techniques of making yakitori, mainly the
equipment required and the ingredients used.
For the former, I make do with a barbecue pit
I have at home, but the book recommends a
narrow rectangular grill, which makes it easier to
manage the skewers. Binchotan is a must-have.
The specialty Japanese white charcoal may be
more expensive than regular ones but it burns at
a higher temperature and does not produce any
smoke or ash that would affect the taste. (Tip:
Redmart sells it at $10-12 a kilo.)
The art of making yakitori is pretty
straightforward: start by preparing the sauces
that will be used to glaze the meats. The book
provides three different sauces (regular tori sauce,
sweet sauce and spicy), which are designed to suit
certain cuts of meat. Then comes the butchering
techniques, where the level of difficulty depends
on the cuts that are being prepared. And finally,
getting the binchotan white-hot in order to grill
each skewer to a beautiful char.
Apart from trying to emulate Sakamaki’s
work of toiling over hot coals, I got to test out Yakitoriya’s stellar
side dishes. I managed to create a luxed up Chicken Wing Confit
despite using the technique usually reserved for stronger tasting
poultry like duck. Love making your own chicken stock? Reserve
the fat that accumulates after cooling the broth. Combine that
with some vegetable oil to impart loads of flavour into the confit.
Sakamaki also includes a helpful recipe for the chicken stock he
uses in Yakitoriya; he calls for a gentler, longer cook for the broth,
which results in a deeper, more robust chicken flavour. If you are
unable to get your hands on superbly fresh chicken, he suggestsAt a glance
Browse through the menu of any self-respecting
izakaya and you are bound to find a kushiyaki
section. After all, there’s no better comfort food
after a long day of work than skewers of beautifully
charred, grilled meats. Ostentatious cuts of meats
like Wagyu beef or Kurobuta pork are usually the
focus at more upscale izakayas, while the humble
yakitori plays second fiddle.
Toshi Sakamaki does things differently. The
purist has dedicated his Los Angeles establishment
to only serving skewers of chicken, paying tribute
to the essence of yakitori (a portmanteau for the
Japanese words for grill and chicken). Ever since
its opening in late 2010, Sakamaki has quietly
toiled in his unassuming restaurant, methodically
spinning each skewer to perfection. There are no
plaques or certificates gracing his restaurant walls,
yet Yakitoriya counts Nobu Matsuhita – who wrote
the foreword for this book – as one of its many
die-hard fans.
Chicken Genius: The Art of Toshi Sakamaki’s
Yakitori Cuisine by Bernard Radfar is a love letter
to Sakamaki’s deep approach to yakitori. While a
small portion of the book contains recipes of some
of the side dishes that are available at Yakitoriya,
the main focus is, on the preparation of the various
chicken skewers. From the basics of filleting a whole chicken to
the handling of fragile sweetbreads, this book is essentially an
encyclopedia of chicken butchery.
Road Test
With over 300 full-color images spread across the 164-page
turner, it’s easy to see why Chicken Genius is a must-have
addition to a foodie’s home library. There is no lengthy text; the
pictures tell a story on their own. The butchery section of the
book stands out, displaying photos on how to prepare different
It’s a great big s-tori
Chicken, the world’s most consumed poultry, is treated with great reverence at chef Toshi Sakamaki’s
Los Angeles restaurant, Yakitoriya. Destin Tay learns to prepare the humble bird in more ways than
one from Sakamaki’s first cookbook.PHOTOS BYARAM RADFARChicken Genius:The Art... is published by Rare Bird BooksChef Toshi Sakamaki