Chicken Teriyaki

Today, I am preparing Chicken Teriyaki as a continuation of my last post. Teriyaki is one of the famous Japanese cuisines, usually served with fish or meat – chicken, lamb, beef or pork.

According to Wikipedia.org, the word teriyaki is derived from the noun teri, which refers to a shine or luster given by the sugar content in the tare, and yaki, which refers to the cooking methods of grilling or broiling.

Teriyaki is a sauce made by mixing and heating soy sauce, sake or mirin, with sugar or honey. The sauce is boiled and reduced to the desired thickness. Sometimes ginger is added and can be garnished with green onions or sesame seeds. Teriyaki sauce is what makes it perfect and actually the secret of the dish.

The first time I tried this recipe, it turned out too salty, maybe because of too much soy sauce. Or maybe, I was just too careful and nervous because it’s my first time to prepare a dish to impress that someone. Well, I can say... the more careful I am, the clumsier I become. Yeah, that’s the funny side of me! Haha..

With a little bit of my magic, adding water, walla! It did the trick. I cansay it’s not perfect but just fine to satisfyl our stomachs. We were starving so maybe it didn’t matter how it tasted. :)

The second time I tried this dish was all by myself. (congratulate me! lol) I was more relaxed and it turned out just fine. Actually, by the third or fourth attempt, I can say it was really good. I was so happy to finally get it right because it’s my favorite dish. First, it is chicken and I was mesmerized by the sauce.

Well, giving up is not an option. As long as you set your eyes to the price, you’ll probably have it in time. And I believe that truly, practice makes perfect.

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Ingredients:
1 kilo chicken, cut into pcs.
6 tbsp. soy sauce
4 tbps. vinegar
2 tbps. sugar
2 tbsp. cooking oil
6 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
salt and pepper to taste
sesame seeds (garnishing)

Preparation:
1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes.
2. In a pan, put the mixture, let it boil and simmer until chicken is tender and sauce thickens as desired.
3. Add cooking oil and teriyaki sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Garnish with sesame seeds.
 

Stir-fry Bean Sprouts

Stir-fry is one of the easiest and fastest ways of cooking. It is fast because you can spend as minimum as 5 minutes for the preparation and cooking. Isn’t it amazing?! It’s an Asian method of cooking meat and vegetable quickly to retain the texture and flavor. Frying over a high heat while stirring is the key.

When I was in college, I and my friends, we had a favorite Japanese restaurant frequented by us for lunch. My favorite menu was their Chicken Teriyaki with the side dish of stir-fry beans sprout. It’s really yummy… the teriyaki sauce was amazing and beans sprout was so delicious and crunchy. Actually, that restaurant is so memorable… funny, crazy things happened those days. Every time I remember it, I can’t help but smile, even on my own. I am wondering if the restaurant is still open. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant. Yeah… I forgot! So bad of me! :)

Bringing back the old days and also out of curiosity, I tried my very own stir-fry beans sprout. And it was a huge success!

I am planning to do the Chicken Teriyaki again to match my stir-fry beans sprout. Yeah, again… I tried it before but unfortunately didn’t turn out right. I am hoping that next time it will. Giving up is not an option! l.

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Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/8 cup onion, sliced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1/2 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste


Preparation:
1. Wash and drain mung bean sprouts, trim the ends if desired.
2. Add oil to heated pan (wok or heavy skillet).
3. When oil is ready, add the onion, stir-fry briefly.
4. Add all the bell pepper and mung beans sprouts and stir-fry briefly. 1 minute or so.
5. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.


Notes:
1. Wash and drain mung bean sprouts ahead of time to make it drain thorougly.
2. You can use kitchen towel or paper towel to drain and dry mung bean sprouts.
3. Do not overcook; sprouts should remain crunchy but lose their raw bean taste.