Yakitori: Grilled chicken brochette
On a hot summer evening, there's nothing like eating outside. And what better way to do so than to have a barbecue? Many Spanish people have barbecue cookers in their gardens or on their rooftop terraces. You can always tell summer is near when every evening is filled with a sweet barbecue smell coming from the neighboring houses. In fact, this week, like every summer, the city of Cadiz on the southern coast of Spain will host one of the biggest barbecues in Spain, with over 2,000 people gathering on the city's beaches.
But barbecue often rhymes with cheap, over-cooked meat. When I was shopping in quest of some nice, tasty meat for barbecue, I noticed that many supermarkets now sell pieces of meat skewered together with vegetables, brochette-style. These brochettes reminded me of the Japanese yakitori, the Japanese-style brochette. Smaller in size than a traditional European brochette, it's easy to prepare, and its incomparable taste is guaranteed to please your palate.
The Meiji Restoration brought a big change in Japanese eating habits. One of the biggest changes was the introduction of eating meat. When it first appeared, chicken meat in particular was considered an upper-class delicacy. After the second World War, large quantities of chicken meat were imported from the U.S.A., while at the same time, domestic production increased. The price of chicken dropped, making it more accessible. Chicken meat gained popularity and street stalls began to serve low-grade chicken meat at a very affordable price; thus yakitori was born. Nowadays there are also many sophisticated yakitori restaurants where you can enjoy native Japanese breeds of chicken called jidori ("local chicken").
In fact, yakitori is not limited only to chicken flesh but also includes chicken heart, chicken liver, or even ground chicken meatballs (tsukune). You can also try your own ingredients, using vegetables such as green peppers or even fish or seafood such as scallops. Don't forget to make a tare sauce, using soy sauce and sake. This sauce is sure to enhance the flavor of the ingredients you choose for your yakitori. So if the hot weather inspires you, or you just feel like trying something new, here is the recipe. Enjoy it with your friends and family.

Written by Yuko Tamaki-Welply
A member of TranNet and freelance translator based in Southern Spain

♦ INGREDIENTS
(4 servings)
g    = gram (about 0.0353 oz)
cc   = cubic centimeters (about 1g or 0.0353 oz)
T    = tablespoon (about 1/6 oz)

300 g / 10 oz  chicken thigh, cut into bite-size pieces
Several          bamboo skewers (8 inches or longer)

Tare sauce
50 cc / 1 T  soy sauce
50 cc / 1 T  mirin (sweet cooking sake)
50 cc / 1 T  sake

*Mirin and sake can be found at Asian markets.

♦ How to make Yakitori
1. For tare sauce; mix soy sauce, mirin and sake.
2. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, marinate in sauce.
3. Skew pieces of chicken, allowing excess sauce to drain.
4. Boil remaining sauce. If desired, add a bit of sugar.
5. Pre-heat the grill. Grill the chicken on a low fire. Make sure it does not burn and the inside of the meat is well done before serving.
6. Brush the tare sauce on the chicken frequently while grilling. Rotate skewers to make sure the inside of the meat is well cooked.

How do you study the written Japanese characters known as kanji? You stare at each kanji and make up a story in your head that you can mentally "attach" to the kanji to help you recall its meaning when you meet it again in the future. Some types of kanji have retained their pictographic forms and look very much like the objects they represent.