2022-01-01
By Nagoya Food
Japanese Cuisine
Marinade
Use the slow cooker’s "low" setting to slowly simmer your yakitori marinade. The long, gentle heat helps the soy sauce, sake, and sugar meld together, intensifying the flavor and making your marinade ready for meat or vegetables without any extra effort.
The Instant Pot’s "saute" function can quickly heat up your marinade, allowing the flavors to blend rapidly. Once combined, use the "pressure cook" setting for a few minutes to lock in those flavors and create a deep, rich marinade in a fraction of the time.
After marinating your skewered ingredients, the air fryer is ideal for cooking your yakitori. Use the air fryer’s "grill" setting (if available) or the "air crisp" function to get that perfect charred exterior, just like traditional grilling, while ensuring the meat stays juicy and tender inside.
Similar to teriyaki marinade, yakitori marinade requires a balance of sweet and savory flavors. The marinade typically consists of soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and sometimes ginger. Experimenting with different ratios of these ingredients can help you achieve the perfect balance for your taste buds.
Yakitori traditionally uses chicken, but you can use other meats or vegetables. Selecting the right cut of meat is important for creating tender and flavorful skewers. Chicken thighs are a popular choice because they have more fat and flavor than white meat chicken.
Properly skewering the meat can be a challenge to ensure it cooks evenly. Cut the meat into similar-sized pieces and thread it onto the skewers tightly. Leave a bit of space between the pieces to ensure heat can penetrate each piece evenly.
The marinating time for yakitori varies depending on the recipe, but it usually ranges from 30 minutes to two hours. Over-marinating can result in the meat becoming too salty, so it's crucial to monitor the marinade time carefully.
Yakitori is traditionally cooked over a charcoal grill to get the signature smoky flavor, but it can also be cooked under a broiler or on a stovetop grill pan. Whichever method you choose, it's important to monitor the heat carefully to avoid burning the meat.
Applying a light coat of the marinade to the skewers while cooking helps to enhance the flavor and adds a glaze to the meat. However, if the meat is brushed too much or too early, the sugars in the marinade can burn, causing the meat to become bitter. Brushing the skewers lightly towards the end of the cooking process can help to prevent burning while still achieving the signature flavor of yakitori.
Preparation Time 10 min
Cook Time 30 min
Total time 40 min