This weekend, as Americans kick their already red-lining nationalism into high gear and laud the grandeur of war by blowin' stuff up, some Bud Light Lime-woozy, smoke-choked minds will hungrily turn to a more genteel arena of combustibility: the grill. But not everyone will be blarin' the J.P. Sousa and cruising around, Burt Reynolds-style, with the T-tops off in an '88 Pontiac Firebird on the fourth. As regional royalty, you see, I can't help but view American independence and the whole democracy thing as sort of a mixed bag: progress some say, sure, but it well nigh put we barons outta business. Some people don't even believe that I am low-level nobility, and no one on my block responds to my requests for land tax. Philistines, you all! But I've got a skewered counterpunch with which to serve the Home of the Brazen its comeuppance, au style du Baron. Today, my feeble resistance comes in the form of Japanese food for the Fourth of July weekend. Such blasphemy (the cuisine of a former enemy as communion in the holiest cathedral of jingoism!) probably puts me on some CIA watchlist.
Yakitori is one of the most common--and delectable--staples of Japanese pub (or izakaya) food. This idea is just to yaki (grill) your tori (chicken) on a skewer. Tonight, we're knocking out a typical variety called negima, which is just chucks of chicken grilled on a skewer with scallions. That's pretty straightforward: just be sure to soak the skewers in water for 20 or so minutes so they don't get blow'd up on the grill, and don't crowd the chicken onto the skewers. Honor the homesteaders by giving those dogs space to roam.
Gotta say, though: Chicken skewers are great 'n all, but they're really just a vehicle for the sauce. And this sauce is versatile, since you could use the ingredient line-up as a marinade for the chicken, or thicken it up with roux (as I do) and slather it on the chicken before service. Or you could Double Down and do both--if you like livin' on the edge.
Ideally, tradition tells us, you've got some mirin (sweetened rice wine mix-mash) or sake around to use as a base. I don't because I can't stand the flavor of either. So, I start with white wine, add some soy sauce, hoisin, grated ginger, wasabi and/or siracha. Whisk those together and season with salt and pepper. You can also add chopped green onions if you're looking for something to do with the pieces you didn't put on the skewers. At this point, you've got what could be a marinade.
To sauce 'er up, throw the above mash into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer/low boil. Let the flavors come together for a moment, and then taste. Too sharp? Add more sweet stuff like hoisin or brown sugar. Too bland? Re-season with salt and pepper, as well as some more ginger and wasabi. Pretty damn delicious? Go blow something up to celebrate.
Thicken it up with a roux (equal parts oil and flour), and let the sauce overcome the chicken skewers like an illegal occupying force deployed by a cowboy-president backed by a knuckle-dragging electorate and a spineless congress. Your sauce should not be the edible equivalent of a non-binding resolution.
I served this up with a light, crispy summer salad. Combine sliced jicama, cucumber and carrot in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and brown sugar (this is the quick pickling method of David Chang). I'd probably go two parts salt to one part sugar. Refrigerate for 10 'er so minutes. Eat.
See? It tastes good to not be a provincial nationalist!
Leave a comment