What's a "Yaki?" and Why are They so Delicious?
Japanese foods and food culture continue to be welcomed into mainstream western society. Nowadays, most of us have eaten sushi, tempura, and maybe even tasted some sake. Of course, there are other styles of Japanese cuisine as well: yakitori and teppanyaki, for example, are two genres that require food to be cooked over a heat source and served to the customer right away. The stem they have in common, —yaki, refers to this cooking style.
On its own, yaki translates to “grilled, broiled, or pan-fried”; but it can also be written in a way so that it is read as “night air” or “cool evening”. Knowing the places where one may enjoy all of Japan’s various yakis, this makes perfect sense. Truly, there is no better way to enjoy delicious, warm, and totally comforting okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and even sweet dorayaki than after some drinks with friends on a beautiful night. If you’re ready to venture out and try some of these amazing treats, read on and check out some of my favorite spots in New York.
Yakitori
Put it together with tori—the Japanese word for “chicken”—and you’ve got a variety of skewered poultry parts grilled over fire to perfection. While there are renowned restaurants all over that strictly serve expert-level yakitori (chicken only), there are other establishments that utilize other ingredients in this style, like seafood and vegetables.
Let’s start with the fire and charcoal, the foundation for yakitori: while chicken can be simply grilled over standard charcoal to achieve that smoky flavor, there is the mother of all charcoal—the Ferrari of charcoal, if you will—that does not impart such an odor and taste. It is called Binchōtan.
Binchōtan (white charcoal) has been used since Japan’s Edo period (1603-1868). It is derived from oak and contains a great amount of carbon (96-98%). Binchōtan therefore burns without a scent and at a very high temperature. As a result, the food being cooked does not absorb any intense charred or smoky flavors, and as the radiating heat makes contact with meat, its protein enzymes are basically “shocked”: when these amino acids within the protein structures are neutralized, its most natural flavor components are “locked in”, ensuring you get the most “chicken-y” piece of chicken you’ve ever had. If that weren’t enough, most skewers are brushed with a “tare” sauce, a thickened and sweetened soy sauce that keeps reeling you in one skewer after the next.
Besides chicken, any izakaya or izakaya-inspired restaurant may also offer skewered vegetables, seafood, beef, offal, and much, much more. Yakitori shows that nose to tail cooking can be as simple as sticking sticking some meat, grilling it over fire, and brushing it with some sauce. Try a chicken heart, a beef tongue, or a cow intestine. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Yakitori in Kyoto, Left to Right: Octopus brushed with basil pesto, bell pepper with tare, and eggplant dolloped with a sweet, yellow miso mixture.
Enjoy Yakitori in New York:
Yakitori Torishin: $$$$, authentic Tokyo style, chicken-only
Yakitori Tora: $$, very casual, Izakaya-style, small plates and skewers of various types. (Try the Tsukune!)
Yakitori Totto: $$, an Izakaya with a more elegant aesthetic, small plates and various skewers
Yopparai: $$$, a sake bar with various skewers, noodles, and other small plates
2. Okonomiyaki
Okonomi translates “how you like” or “what you like”. This makes sense, given all the options and iterations of this meat-seafood-vegetable pancake. As a result, Okonomiyaki is pure pleasure, an ultimate comfort food.
Japan conceived two siblings of these “yakis”. In Hiroshima, the pancake is made with soba noodles (called yakisoba), acting as the base for the other ingredients that are piled on top and cooked in front of you on a teppan, a hibachi-style hotplate (we’ll talk about teppanyaki later). In Osaka, however, its main component is shredded cabbage; all ingredients are stirred together in a bowl—rather than layered—and poured on to the griddle to cook. Both versions contain flour, eggs, grated yam, and long strips of (uncured) pork belly. From there, it’s okonomi: throw in octopus, squid, or shrimp, and veggies like green onion and konjac (those “baby corns” we all love). Additional toppings include bonito flake (katsuobushi), seaweed flake (aonori), and maybe even pickled ginger and cheese. But most important are those two distinct squiggles of white and brown sauces. The white is a sweet and creamy Japanese mayo, while the brown is a hybrid of Worcestershire and oyster sauces.
In Hiroshima, my sister and I (excitedly) enjoying Okonomiyaki for lunch.
3. Yakisoba
We mentioned the use of soba noodles in Okonomiyaki. Soba is the Japanese name for buckwheat, and while the most luxurious soba is made from 100% buckwheat, yakisoba is more often derived from wheat flour. Nonetheless they have a wonderfully chewy texture, which make them perfect for frying up into slightly crunchy, slick and satisfying yakisoba. After boiling the noodles and tossing them with a mixture of oil and oyster sauce, bite-sized pieces of pork and chopped vegetables such as cabbage, green onions, bean sprouts, and carrots are added before frying. Yakisoba can even be wrapped in an omelet, creating another satisfying beast called omusoba.
In 20th century Okinawa, stationed WWII Americans actually began to appropriate yakisoba. As a result, the westernized dish was prepared from spam, spaghetti, ketchup, and any available vegetables. Chopped hotdogs also became a popular addition, as well as ham, chicken, and pork; these iterations are still eaten in Okinawa today.
In the convenience stories of Tokyo and Osaka, you’ll sometimes find yakisoba-pan, a packaged sandwich comprised of a hotdog bun stuffed with yakisoba. Its 50 shades of brown are not visually appealing, but take a bite after a long night of bar hopping for utter gustatory pleasure.
Munch on some Yakisoba in New York:
Rai Rai Ken Yakisoba: $$, Smorgasburg Locations (add the whole grilled squid!)
Izakaya Mew: $$, spiffy-casual Izakaya with omusoba
DokoDemo: $, simple and straight forward
4. Takoyaki
Tako is the word for octopus, and the –yaki of the takoyaki derives from the fried flour and egg mixture that is cooked with sliced octopus, pickled ginger, and green onion. To achieve its circular shape, the ingredients are poured into a piping hot pan shaped by small holes and then rapidly turned. In addition to those addictively delicious sauces (the mayo and Worcestershire), a serving of 6-7 takoyaki may also be topped with bonito flake, more green onion, and aonori. The street snack is very popular in Osaka, but I can still remember the first time I tried this dish at a popular stall in Kyoto’s Nishiki Market: ooey, gooey, chewy goodness.
5. Taiykai
Tai, a reference to sea bream (or red snapper), and —yaki, referring to ingredients that are grilled (or baked, in this case), create this delicious and playful treat. Sandwiched between two fluffy sides of a fish-shaped mold filled with pancake batter is an earthy, yet very pleasantly sweet, paste. It is made by first boiling red or “adzuki” beans until they are cooked and softened. Then they are carefully mashed with sugar, transforming the beans into a semi-smooth paste. Adzuki filling (sometimes also called “anko”) is the most traditional, but you can now find taiyaki of both sweet and savory persuasions: custard, chocolate, cheese, and sausage are also common.
Many hypothesize that this “wagashi” (traditional Japanese confection) sweet took form in the Meji era (1868-1912) when actual Tai was a highly regarded and expensive fish, far too expensive for the average Japanese citizen to purchase on a daily basis. The sweet was thusly created to pay homage to this aquatic delicacy as a more accessible and joyful delight to be enjoyed by all.
6. Dorayaki
Much like the Japanese cartoon character Doraemon, I too could probably eat a whole pile of this delectable wagashi sweet. Similar to Taiyaki, the base for dorayaki is akin to pancake and waffle batter. Modern variations for fillings now exist, but my favorite is still that traditional red bean paste. There is something so undeniably addicting about biting into two fluffy little pancakes as the sticky, sweet, and slightly chunky anko sandwiched in the middle fills me with childlike happiness.
Dorayaki has also been called Mikasa. It is a reference to Mt. Mikasa in Nara prefecture, which is very close to Osaka, the street food capital of Japan.
Get Addicted to some Dorayaki in New York:
K. Minamoto Kitchen: $$$, authentic wagashi sweets shop; online ordering available
The Little One: $$, quaint and casual cafe with coffee and teas
We’ve really only just begun to scratch the surface of yaki cuisine. There is still teppanyaki, monjayaki, yakiniku, robatayaki, and much, much more! It’s time to expand your yaki vocabulary; so grab some friends, get some drinks, and stumble upon a yummy yaki spot one of these cool summer evenings.