One of the places I love to hang out in Japan is the “izakayas” (shops or establishments that serve drinks, and alcoholic beverages, and also serve food. Izakayas are everywhere and are mostly open all night. The variety of food in their menu lists are not as long compared to ordinary restaurant but they do have their specialties.
My favorite izakaya is located just a few blocks away from my apartment and they offer quite a longer list of menus compared to the other izakayas that I know of. I often have dinner there because I love the food, the friendly atmosphere, and the reasonable prices of their food and beverages.
One of my favorites in the izakaya is pork kushiyaki. The term “Kushi” means skewer, “yaki” means grilled, and “buta” mean pork. I usually eat about eight kushiyaki every time I go there with some “sake” (Japanese rice wine) and one or two cups of rice.
Pork kushiyaki is not exclusive only to izakayas but is also an outdoor barbeque favorite. They are also sold at groceries prepared or cooked but making and cooking pork kushiyaki by yourself at home is relatively easy to do.
Pork Kushiyaki (for two)
Ingredients:
Marinade
– One tablespoon of Japanese soy sauce
– 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
– Two tablespoons of Japanese rice wine (sake)
– 1/4 teaspoon of peeled and crushed garlic
– 400 grams of pork
– One or two green bell peppers
– One cup of mushrooms
– One onion
– Barbeque sticks
Preparation:
– Cut the pork into small cubes
– Cut the green bell pepper in half and remove the seeds and the veins, wash and slice into quarters.
– Peel the onion and slice it into quarters.
– Stick the pork, onions, mushrooms, and green pepper to a BBQ stick in an alternating pattern.
– Marinade all the ingredients
– To cook, place all the ingredients on the grill side by side and turn them around regularly.
– While cooking, apply a thin coating of the marinade sauce using a cooking brush.
Best served with white rice and fresh salad.
This is the recipe my Japanese neighbor, a good friend of mine, taught me when we made pork kushiyaki at his house. The ingredients are not hard to find, the preparation is easy, and cooking is fun especially if you have a bottle of sake beside you. Please try this delicious recipe, I am sure you will enjoy it.
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