Teriyaki!
Teriyaki – a Japanese technique of grilling or
broiling food in a thick glaze. Teriyaki is not a dish by itself but a preparation
technique. Teri refers to shine or lustre and Yaki refers to the actual cooking
method of broiling or grilling.
My first encounters with teriyaki cuisine was
at a little Japanese chain in Manila called Teriyaki boy! It was an instant
hit! Sweet, sticky, moist and some dishes with a tinge of ginger and citrus.
This week I had long day at work and Resh had a long day with the kids. We have
a pact, in the work week when she takes the kids out for a day long activity, I
do the cooking. I was tired from work, so I wanted to make something quick,
easy yet comforting. I didn’t have any second thoughts, Teriyaki chicken it
was!
For the rice:
250 gm Sushi rice or Thai Jasmine rice.
330 ml water
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1-inch ginger root finely chopped
1 ½ tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp wasabi or horseradish paste
400-500 gms diced chicken breast
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3 fresh green chillies
½ cup soya sauce
2 tbsp honey
2-3 garlic pods finely chopped
1-inch ginger julienne
1 tsp cornflour mixed with water as the
thickening agent
1 tbsp sesame oil
Salt and pepper per taste
Start by marinating the chicken with ginger
garlic paste, salt and pepper and leave that aside for about 30 mins. Now take
the rice and wash with cold water at least 3-4 times. Add the water to the rice
pan and bring this to a boil. Add a bit of extra water in if needed. Once it
had boiled, simmer on a medium flame for about 10 minutes. Cover with a lid and
set this aside to cool down. While the rice rests, heat a pan and add sesame
oil. Once the oil start smoking, add the fresh garlic, ginger and chillies.
Once these starts catching a bit of a golden brown colour, add the chicken. Let
the chicken sear well. Since this is happening on a high flame, the chicken
will get a nice colour quite quickly. Now reduce the flame and add the soya
sauce, honey, ginger. Let this cook on a low flame for about 20-25 minutes with
a lid on. You need to occasionally stir it while it cooks.
Let’s get back to the rice, so mix the rice
wine vinegar, finely chopped ginger root, sugar, salt and wasabi or horseradish
paste and mix it well in a small bowl. Spread this all over the rice and mix
well to make sure the rice gets coated well. For extra flavour, just put a drop
or two sesame oil on the stirring spoon and then mix the rice and the vinegar
sauce with that spoon. Cover it with the lid and set aside again.
The chicken should be done by now and is ready
for the final touches aka. the cornflour paste. Add the paste and mix well.
Once the sauce is thick as per your liking put the flame off.
Tanoshī (enjoy in Japanese) your easy quick work week TERIYAKI CHICKEN!
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