Grilled chicken skewers glazed in a soy-mirin tare with a background note of toasted cumin and fresh tomato.
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.
Serves 5
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.
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.
Thread chicken pieces onto soaked skewers, leaving a small gap between pieces for even cooking.
Toss diced tomato with rice vinegar, half the toasted cumin and cilantro or scallion. Set aside.
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.
Dust the finished skewers with the remaining toasted cumin. Serve immediately with the tomato relish on the side.
Brush the tare on in thin layers over multiple passes rather than one heavy coat, so it caramelizes instead of burning.
Soak bamboo skewers for a full 20 minutes or they'll char and split on the grill.
Keep the tomato relish separate until serving so the skewers stay crisp instead of steaming.
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.
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.
Yakitori developed as an affordable way to grill chicken over charcoal at postwar street stalls in Japan, using nearly every part of the bird on skewers brushed with a soy-based tare. This version's cumin and tomato addition is a modern crossover rather than a classic izakaya combination.
Yes, a hot cast-iron grill pan or even a broiler works well — just watch closely since indoor heat sources can char the glaze faster than an open grill.
Mix 2 tablespoons sugar with 2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry as a rough substitute if mirin isn't available.
It likely needs a few more minutes of simmering — tare should reduce until it lightly coats the back of a spoon before you start brushing it on.
Per serving (180g / 6.3 oz) · 5 servings total
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