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Yakitori with sansho pepper and sesame dip

Yakitori with sansho pepper and sesame dip

A classic Japanese grilling recipe, made at home Yakitori, literally "grilled chicken", is one of the most accessible preparations from Japanese cuisine. Street vendors and izakayas have been serving it for centuries: small skewers grilled over charcoal, lightly glazed and sprinkled with sansho pepper. The combination of smoky grilled meat and the tingling, citrusy sansho is one of those classic flavor balances that doesn't need much explanation. This recipe is a simple home version, ready in less than half an hour.

Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
12 min
Total
27 min
Difficulty
Easy
Servings
4
Yakitori with sansho pepper and sesame dip

Ingredients

  • 500 g chicken breast or thighs cut into 3 to 5 cm chunks
  • 8 pieces 3 cm spring onions
  • bamboo skewers (soak 30 min minimum)
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp sake or dry sherry
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp sansho pepper
  • toasted sesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp tahini or roasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 2 tbsp warm water

Cook Time

  1. 1
    Bring soy sauce, mirin, sake and honey to a boil in a small saucepan. Let it simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes until it becomes a lighter syrup.
  2. 2
    Set aside.
  3. 3
    Stir tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey until smooth. Add the warm water spoon by spoon until you reach a liquid dip consistency.
  4. 4
    Set aside.
  5. 5
    Thread the chicken cubes and spring onions alternately onto the soaked skewers.
  6. 6
    Grill the skewers on a grill pan or barbecue over high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
  7. 7
    Brush with the tare sauce after flipping for the first time.
  8. 8
    Repeat once more for a glossy glaze.
  9. 9
    Sprinkle the skewers immediately from the heat with ground sansho pepper and toasted sesame seeds.
  10. 10
    Serve with the sesame dip.

Tips

  • Sansho at the last moment: always add the sansho after grilling, not during, so that the citrus aroma remains intact.
  • Variation with salmon: replace the chicken with pieces of salmon fillet for a lighter version. The combination of salmon and sansho is classic in Japanese cuisine.
  • Vegetarian version: use cubes of firm tofu (well pressed first) or shiitake mushrooms instead of chicken. The same tare sauce works excellently.
  • Oven variant: if you don't have a grill pan, bake the skewers for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 220°C and brush halfway through with the tare sauce. Set to the grill setting for the last 2 minutes for color.
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