GOASIAPLUS October 2018

THE FACE OFF
INGREDIENTS
Yakitori is usually grilled over charcoal fire
in Habachi stoves. Typical of the clean and
clear taste of Japanese cuisine, Yakitori
style cooking rarely requires marinating
the ingredients before grilling. However,
a dash of salt, pepper or a splash of tareh
Yakitori sauce on the sticks of meats before
grilling magically elevates its taste and
aroma to a different level. Tareh is made of
soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar.
POPULARITY
Satay is sold at many street corners or
coffee shops but also found in the menu
of high end restaurants offering local
cuisines. Many Malaysians and also
travellers are most probably familiar
with the highly popular Kajang Satay,
which got its namesake from Kajang
town in Malaysia’s Selangor state. But
food adventurers and Satay enthusiasts
wanting to deviate from the ‘beaten
track’ could also explore different
versions of this delicious dish. One
example is Stall No. 16, Medan Satay
which serves exceptionally juicy and
reasonably priced Satay (RM0.90 per
stick) in the Medan Selera local food
court in Section 14, Petaling Jaya City.
YAKITORI
ORIGINS
‘Yakitori’ is one of the most popular
comfort food for most Japanese after ramen
and o-sushi. The Yakitori style of cooking
was discovered more than 200 years ago in
Japan. Back then, there were poor farmers
who could only afford to eat leftover odd
chicken parts. They found that grilling
tough pieces of skewered chicken parts
over a low flame and long cooking time had
made it tender. Yaki literally means to grill
or barbeque, and tori means bird. Today, the
term Yakitori is also used in reference to
grilling other types of skewered meats such
as pork, beef and mutton, and even seafood
and vegetables.
VARIATIONS
More ‘adventurous’ versions of the typical
Yakitori skewers of meats and vegetables
include the gyutan (ox tongue), shiro
(chicken small intestines), reba (chicken
liver), nongkatsu (chicken cartilage) and
bonjiri (chicken butt). Some deviations
from the classical Yakitori menu include
shiitake mushrooms, ginko nuts, and
different combinations of rolled bacon
and cuts of meat or fish roe, shrimps,
and different types of vegetables. Most
importantly, they actually pair very well
with cold beer, Japanese sake or shochu.
POPULARITY
Yakitori is basically a go-to comfort food
which is available in many Japanese street
corners, most izakayas (Japanese pubs
or bistro) and even in high-end Japanese
restaurants. Yakitori is most popular
among families, foreign visitors and
especially ‘salarymen’ (Japanese office
workers) who enjoy eating these tasty
sticks of meat with glasses of cold frosty
beer and other alcoholic beverages. In
Kuala Lumpur, a popular Yakitori place
and watering hole is SUMIKA (in Japanese
literally meaning ‘charcoal house’), tucked
in a commercial area in SS15 Subang Jaya.
It offers a variety of tasty and medium to
high price Yakitori delights ranging from
RM6-15 per stick.
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