Lonely_Planet_Asia_September_2017

JAPANESE FOOD TOUR

PHOTOGRAPHS: JUNICHI MIYAZAKI PHOTOGRAPHY

overlooks Osaka Bay

In Kyushu, in far-southwest Japan,

yakitori is almost always made with pork,

and specifically pork belly – but it can be

made with chicken or beef instead, or

even seafood such as octopus. More than

anything, it’s cheap – around 100 yen

(70p) per stick. You slip some raw cabbage

in between the meat sticks and dip it in a

sweet and sour sauce. This is a meal

enjoyed by labourers, together with beer.

The fun of yakitori is in the limitless

variations. You can mix ingredients, and

sauces vary from traditional Japanese

flavours to Western styles.

Katsunori Yashima of the restaurant

Hachi-Bei in Fukuoka is a leading chef,

who takes this yakitori and serves it as a

cuisine comparable to tempura or sushi.

One elevated skewer becomes a complete

GRILLED MEAT

Take a 15cm (6 in) bamboo skewer, spear

meat on it, grill it on charcoals and eat it

with sauce. You have discovered paradise,

or as the Japanese term it, yakitori.

YAKITORI

SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 15 mins

100g (3½ oz) beef loin, thinly sliced

300g (10 oz) shungiku (garland

chrysanthemum) or watercress,

chopped into 4cm lengths

sake, for brushing

4 egg yolks, beaten, to serve

For the sukiyaki sauce:

100ml (3½ fl oz) soy sauce

50ml (1½ fl oz) mirin

50ml (1½ fl oz) sake

100ml (3½ fl oz) tsp sugar

You will need:

4 bamboo skewers, soaked in water

1 Lay a thinly sliced piece of beef flat on a

surface. Place 50g of shungiku or watercress at

one end, and roll them together towards the end

of the beef slice. Wrap tightly to ensure that it is

secure. Once ready, thread on to the skewers.

2 Preheat your barbecue and get the coals

burning hot. Brush the skewers with sake and

grill until browned, turning occasionally.

3 Meanwhile, place the ingredients for the

sukiyaki sauce in a saucepan over a medium

heat, stirring gently, until the alcohol has

evaporated.

4 Once grilled, dip the skewers in the sukiyaki

sauce and arrange on a serving plate. Serve with

the egg yolk on the side for dipping.

dish: take his chicken wings, splashed

with daiginjo sake then grilled on 900 ̊C

coals. When you bite into them, the

balance of the crispy skin and the meat,

with piping hot juices, is irresistible.

The delectable skewer with meat, mini

tomatoes, small green shishito peppers

and octopus allows you to savour both the

flavours of the ocean and the mountains at

once. Each of the ingredients stands out

with its distinctive texture and flavour –

the juicy pork, slightly acidic tomatoes,

bitter peppers and crunchy octopus.

The most popular of all the skewers is the

sukiyaki kushi. Slightly bitter shungiku, or

garland chrysanthemum, is wrapped with

beef, and this is eaten dipped in a salty-

sweet sauce with raw egg yolk. Your mouth

fills with the flavours of sukiyaki.

Chef Katsunori Yashima keeps an
eye on some skewers.
RIGHT His yakitori selection.
OPPOSITE Futomakizushi
(‘thick sushi rolls’)