What is yakiniku?
Yakiniku is a Japanese term for grilled meat. The Japanese grill meat on small fireproof clay grills called konro. The charcoal used is very specific and is called binchotan.
The meat is thinly sliced and grilled by the minute. It is then eaten as is, with rice, or can be used in a more elaborate dish. In Japan, there are small tabletop grills that allow everyone to cook their meat while eating, to keep it hot.
What is the origin of yakiniku?
If meat was once consumed in Japan, its popularity drastically decreased with the arrival of Buddhism in the country. It was not until 1871, with the Meiji Restoration and the opening of Japan to Western culture, that the consumption of beef became legal again.
The first mentions of yakiniku are in a cooking manual, Seiyo Ryoritsu, that is to say a manual of so-called western cooking. Yakiniku could be translated as “steak” or “grilled meat”. The dish would have become popular, especially after the Second World War.
Some sources suppose that yakiniku could be of Korean origin and that it would have spread thanks to Koreans living in Japan. For this reason, yakiniku is often compared to bulgogi and galbi, two Korean dishes made with barbecued meat.
With the decline in the price of beef in Japan from 1991 onwards, the dish has become widely popular among all classes of society. In Japan, August 29th is the official day of yakiniku and this since 1993.
How to prepare yakiniku
Grilled beef is usually accompanied by a very fragrant sauce. Beef broth, cornstarch, miso paste, katsuobushi, soy sauce, grated apple, sake, mirin (sweet rice wine) and brown sugar are combined.
The sauce is brought to a boil and left to rest for many hours. It is then filtered and can be used to flavor meat. This sauce is enriched with wok-fried alliums such as spring onions, onions and garlic.
Japanese coals called binchotan are lit with a flashlight or directly by the gas flame. Once very hot, they are placed in a refractory grill.
A small grill is then added and the pieces of meat are cooked directly on it. Because the temperature is so high, the meat cooks almost instantly. It is then placed in the reduced sauce.
Yakiniku prepared in this way can be served hot on a bowl of steamed rice and garnished with beni shoga, pickled ginger petals, kewpie sauce, a local variant of mayonnaise, and fresh scallion stems. The dish is eaten hot.
The selection of the meat is essential. A fairly lean piece of beef is preferable. It is sliced very thinly to cook evenly and quickly. Other pieces than the fillet are sometimes used such as shoulder slices, rib eye, skirt, tongue, tail, tripe.
When it comes to grilled pork, it is the belly that is favored for its different parts alternating between fat and lean. Cheek, offal such as liver, tripe, heart, and even the sow’s uterus can also be used.
What are the variations of yakiniku?
If there is no charcoal grill, yakiniku can be prepared on a hot plate or in a wok. Although beef is the preferred meat for this type of preparation, it is sometimes replaced by chicken, offal or even game meat.
The main element of the plate is still rice and grilled meat, but it is not uncommon for the bowl to be garnished with marinated or sautéed vegetables such as chilies, carrots, mushrooms or kimchi, the famous spicy and fermented cabbage from Korea.
There are also versions with grilled fish. The most famous seafood grills are based on squid or shellfish of all kinds. Wild mushrooms, squash, eggplant or asparagus can also be grilled.
Yakiniku
Ingredients
- 1½ lb beef tenderloin (or scoter, thinly sliced)
- 1 large onion , thinly sliced
- 7 cloves garlic , minced
- 6 scallions , sliced
- ½ cup beef stock
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons Japanese sake
- ½ fuji apple , peeled and grated
- 3 teaspoons mirin
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds , roasted
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon miso
- ¼ teaspoon katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- Beni shōga , pickled ginger
- Kewpie (Japanese mayonnaise)
- Vegetable oil
- Japanese steamed rice
Instructions
- 6 hours before cooking the meat, in a saucepan, whisk together the beef broth, cornstarch, miso, katsuobushi, soy sauce, grated apple, Japanese sake, mirin and brown sugar.
- Bring to a boil over medium to high heat then lower the heat and simmer over very low heat for 2 minutes.
- Leave to infuse for 4 hours at room temperature.
- At the end of these 6 hours, filter the mixture and reserve it.
- In a wok, pour 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, heat it over medium heat and, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, sauté the garlic, onion and 1 stalk of sliced chives, for a few minutes without burning them. Set aside.
- In the same wok, pour another 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and heat it over medium heat.
- Simultaneously grill the sliced beef on the barbecue for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour the previously strained sauce into the wok, bring to a boil over medium heat and stir until it thickens.
- Add the garlic/onion/scallion mixture and the grilled beef.
- Stir to evenly distribute the sauce and turn off the heat.
- To serve, place some hot steamed rice in a large bowl, drizzle with kewpie, then sprinkle with sliced scallions, toasted white sesame seeds and pickled ginger.
- Place the beef and a few pieces of sliced scallion on top.
- It is also possible to serve all the ingredients separately.
- Serve immediately.
Sources
Wikipedia (FR) – Yakiniku
Cuisine Japon
Esther and Morgan are the two foodies behind Renards Gourmets. They are based in Paris where they develop four-handed recipes and culinary photos.
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