Teriyaki is a popular cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine which uses a soy-sauce based sweet and thick sauce called “Teriyaki sauce.” Teriyaki sauce can develop various cooking methods such as to marinate ingredients and grill, to coat ingredients in layers while broiling, or to add in a pan directly and stir-fry. The sugar content in Teriyaki sauce adds a luster to ingredients when cooking with the sauce. Along with it, the savory smell of cooked soy sauce sharpens our appetite. Teriyaki sauce is worthwhile to keep at hand in every kitchen because its long lasting luster and the sauce coated around the ingredients do not lose its delicious flavor even if it cools off.
～ Teriyaki Chicken ～
2 (600g) chicken legs, 3 tbs. plain flour, 1/2 tbs. oil
3 tbs. soy sauce, 2 tbs. sake (Japanese rice wine), 2 tbs. mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine), 1 tbs. sugar
1 bunch spinach
1.Poke chicken skin thoroughly with a fork.
2.Coat chicken with flour lightly and remove off the extra flour.
3.Heat oil in a frying pan and cook ②the chicken from the skin side over low heat with a lid for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken to cook the other side for another 5 minutes.
4.Remove the extra oil and slowly pour in the mixed seasonings. Flip the chicken several times to coat with the sauce thoroughly. When the chicken becomes glazed, remove from the heat.
5.Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and garnish with boiled spinach.
～ Teriyaki Tsukune (Minced Chicken Pattie) ～
300g ground chicken, 150g long onion (naganegi) or onion, 2 tbs. plain flour, 1 tbs.soy sauce
1 tbs. oil
2 tbs. soy sauce, 2 tbs. sake (Japanese rice wine), 2 tbs. mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine), 1/2 tbs.sugar
4 egg yolks, 1 long onion (naganegi) or onion
1.Mince long onion.
2.Add the minced long onion, flour, soy sauce to ground chicken and knead thoroughly until the whole becomes smooth.
3.Divide ② the chicken patties into 12 pieces and shape into small ovals.
4.Heat oil in a frying pan. Place ③ and cook with a lid over low heat for about 5 minutes. Flip to cook the other side for another 5 minutes.
5.Pour in the seasonings and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook until glazed as flipping occasionally.
6.Place on a plate. Cut long onion finely into thin strips and garnish on top of Tsukune. Sprinkle Shichimi (blend of seven spices with hot pepper). Serve with an egg yolk as a dipping sauce, if desired.
～Teriyaki Hamburg Steak ～
300g ground beef (or mix of beef and pork), 150g onion, 3cm carrot, 1 egg, 1/2 cup panko (breadcrumbs), 4 tablespoons milk
A pinch of salt and pepper, 1 tbs. oil
3 tbs. soy sauce, 2 tbs. sake, 2 tbs. mirin, 1 tbs. sugar
Several kinds of leafy vegetables
1.Mince onion and carrot. Heat oil in a frying pan and stir-fry minced onion and carrot until soften. Remove from the pan to cool down.
2.Add ①, an egg, and panko to ground beef. Pour milk over panko, sprinkle salt and pepper, and knead well until it becomes smooth. Divide into four portions and shape into ovals.
3.Heat oil in a frying pan and cook ② for 5 minutes. Flip to cook the other side. Pour 2 tablespoons of water, place a lid, and cook for another 5 minutes.
4.Pour in the seasonings and cook until glazed.
5.Place the Hamburg Steak on a plate and garnish with green salad.
～YAHATA MAKI ～
300g beef round slice, 1 carrot, 1/2 burdock, 1/2 tbs. oil
3 tbs. soy sauce, 2 tbs. sugar,
Mizuna leaf
1.Scrape off burdock skin and cut into halves or quarters. Boil for about 5 minutes and drain. Peel and cut the carrot into almost the same sized pieces as the burdock sticks.
2.Lay beef slice on a cutting board, place 2 sticks of burdock and carrot each on the edge of beef near you. Roll up the beef firmly, away from you. Place the beef roll in a frying pan with seam side down.
3.In the same frying pan, pour the seasonings and water over the beef roll till it just covers. Lid the pan and shimmer it over low heat for about 20 minutes. If juices evaporate, add water little by little.
4.Cut into adequate sized portions and place on a plate. Garnish with boiled MIzuna.
～Sukiyaki ～
400g beef round slice, 1 tbs. oil
1 onion, 1 pack of shirataki, (noodles made from devil’s tongue yam), 2 long onions (naganegi), 1 bunch shungiku (Garland chresanthemum), 8 pieces shiitake mushrooms
1 seared firm tofu
6 tbs. soy sauce, 4 tbs. sugar, 4 tbs. sake
4 eggs
1.Cut onion into halves and slice 1cm wide pieces. Cut long onion diagonally into 1cm long. Cut shungiku into 10cm long. Cut off a hard stem of shiitake mushrooms. Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces. Boil shirataki and drain.
2.Heat oil in a wide, shallow steel-pan and stir-fry beef quickly. Add vegetables, sugar, sake, and soy sauce. When cooked, dip the ingredients into a beaten raw egg. Add tofu at an appropriate timing. When cooked, dip in a raw egg as well.