Japanese Classic Cumin-Tomato Yakitori Skewers

About This Recipe

Yakitori is the backbone of Japanese street and izakaya grilling — small skewers of chicken, cooked fast over intense charcoal heat and brushed repeatedly with a savory-sweet glaze called tare. This version adds a light dusting of toasted cumin and a quick tomato relish on the side, a nod to the way modern yakitori stalls sometimes borrow spices from outside Japan while keeping the core grilling method untouched. The glaze, or tare, is built the traditional way: soy sauce, mirin and sugar reduced until syrupy, then brushed onto the chicken in layers as it grills so it builds up a lacquered, slightly charred coating rather than a single wet dunk. Serve the skewers hot off the grill with the tomato relish spooned alongside — not on top, so the skewers keep their char instead of steaming under a wet topping.

Ingredients

Serves 5

• 700 gboneless chicken thighs(cut into bite-size pieces)
• 0.33 cupsoy sauce
• 0.33 cupmirin
• 2 tbspsugar
• 2 tbspsake
• 1 tspcumin seeds(toasted and lightly crushed)
• 2ripe tomatoes(diced small)
• 1 tbsprice vinegar
• 1 tspfresh cilantro or scallion(chopped)
• 12bamboo skewers(soaked in water 20 minutes)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the tare

   Combine soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until reduced by about a third and slightly syrupy.

2. 2

   Toast the cumin

   Toast cumin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then lightly crush with the back of a knife.

3. 3

   Skewer the chicken

   Thread chicken pieces onto soaked skewers, leaving a small gap between pieces for even cooking.

4. 4

   Make the relish

   Toss diced tomato with rice vinegar, half the toasted cumin and cilantro or scallion. Set aside.

5. 5

   Grill the skewers

   Grill over medium-high heat (or a hot grill pan), turning every 2 minutes and brushing with tare each time, for about 10-12 minutes total until the chicken is charred in spots and cooked through.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Dust the finished skewers with the remaining toasted cumin. Serve immediately with the tomato relish on the side.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken thigh with skin left on for extra crisping if grilling over charcoal.

• •

  Swap cumin for shichimi togarashi for a more traditional yakitori spice profile.

• •

  Alternate scallion pieces between the chicken on the skewer for negima-style yakitori.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked skewers up to 2 days. Reheat briefly in a hot skillet or under the broiler to recrisp; the relish is best made fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions