The Yaki Chicken Don is a popular Japanese dish which is related to “teriyaki” as “teri” refers to the reduction of sugar and soy sauce while the word “yaki” refers to the grilling method of the ingredients. The word “don” usually refers to the bowl and “donburi” is a Japanese rice bowl paired with chicken, fish, vegetables or meat which are placed on top of the rice.
The essential part of this dish is the grilling of the ingredients after being glazed and marinated in teriyaki sauce. This allows the teriyaki sauce to flavour the meat and adds that shiny look to the components which make the food more appealing and delicious.
What is Yaki Chicken Don?
As for the yaki chicken don, the main highlight of this dish is the tasty grilled chicken cooked till perfection and topped on fragrant Japanese rice to create a hearty meal for consumption.
The teriyaki chicken dish becomes more appealing as it is cooked with the cameralised sugar combined with mirin. With the simplicity and exquisite taste of the teriyaki sauce, this chicken dish is found in various Japanese restaurants. You can even cook this yourself at home with ease.
Elements in a Teriyaki Sauce
One of the primary ingredients of teriyaki sauce is sake or mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine ) which have been a part of Japanese cuisine since 400 years ago.
To make the teriyaki sauce, three ingredients which are mirin, soy sauce and sugar are mixed and heated to combine them. Besides that, there are also other versions of teriyaki sauce made with ginger, garlic, honey, vinegar, corn starch and red pepper flakes.
History of Teriyaki Sauce
It is believed that teriyaki sauce can be traced back to Japanese chefs in the 17th century in which the discovery and creation of the unique sauce were made using local products such as pineapple juice blended with soy sauce.
Since then, various new styles and flavours of cooking the teriyaki dishes gradually became more popular in the United States during the year 1960. This was when more Japanese restaurants began to incorporate grilled meat such as pork, chicken, fish or beef with mirin, sugar and soy sauce.
Types of Teriyaki Don
There are various types of teriyaki donburi dishes depending on the region. The teriyaki chicken or teriyaki fish dishes such as trout, yellowtail, mackerel and salmon are mainly found in Japan, whereas meat such as beef, pork and lamb are more often used in Western countries. These dishes are still quite similar in the sense that teriyaki sauce is used as the key ingredient.
Where to find Yaki Chicken Don in Malaysia
The yaki chicken don can be found in most Japanese restaurants such as Sushi King and Niko Niko Onigiri. There are also small Japanese shops or night markets which sell yaki chicken don as well.
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