When it comes to cuisines from across the globe, most of us would think of meaty dishes such as pork, beef, chicken and lamb. This is the case for Japanese cuisine as well. One of the fanciest meat dishes in Japanese cuisine is Yaki Ramu Rakku.
Yaki in Japanese means grilled, Ramu is the literal translation of ram or lamb, and Rakku is a type of traditional Japanese pottery. Hence, the name of this dish refers to grilled lamb rack on the traditional Rakku pottery bowl.
The History Of Rakku
Rakku pottery originated in the early 1500s in Japan. Back then, Japanese people used rakku pottery for traditional tea ceremonies. Raku in Japanese refers to enjoyment in freedom or happiness.
Since the ancient history of Japan, the country has been practising Zen Buddhism. Hence, the used of Rakku in their tea ceremony symbolised simplicity and humility, and the philosophy of Zen that avoids all sorts of luxuries.
What Is Yaki Ramu Rakku?
Chefs often make this dish for the middle class to the upper-class community, as the use of lamb or ram can be costly. This dish is not meant to be eaten on a casual basis or be included in the daily meal plan. Yaki Ramu Rakku is often served exclusively in certain Japanese restaurants, due to the rarity of Rakku pottery available.
Yaki Ramu Rakku is a mixture of western and eastern cuisine, with its grilled lamb concept derived from the Western countries. It is paired with oriental sauces to create a more Asian taste.
Yaki Ramu Rakku usually comes with a few side dishes; this includes cherry tomatoes, grilled garlic, mitsuba leaves with Yakiniku sauce.
The Use Of Lamb Rack
Typically, Yaki Ramu Rakku consists of lamb cutlets or lamb racks with bones so that the flavour can be forced out during the grilling process.
Before grilling, the lamb is marinated with all sorts of spices, such as rice wine, mirin, soy sauce, sake, sugar and ginger. This marination process ensures the flavours can seep into the meat and bones.
This dish is usually eaten as a side dish, so the portions tend to be small. But they are sometimes served as main meals as well. So it is possible to find larger portions of the dish being served.
Generally, most Japanese restaurants will serve Yaki Ramu Rakku as the main course with some other side dishes, as mentioned above. During the grilling process, you may choose to further lather the marinate sauce on the lamb for more flavour.
Sometimes, some restaurants may choose to marinate the lamb in miso. Even though the taste will be different from the typical grilled lamb rack, miso-coated Yaki Ramu Rakku is one of the common ways to prepare this dish.
The use of miso as marination is to cover the strong lamb smell. So if you can’t stand the strong lamb smell, you may want to request this type of marination.
Where To Find Yaki Ramu Rakku?
Since this dish is rather exclusive and extravagant, you can often find it in proper Japanese restaurants that serve fancy menus. However, it is possible to try to make this at home.
To get the flavour correctly, you need to ensure that you marinate the lamb rack or lamb cutlets long enough for the meat and bones to be coated in the flavour.
Here are also some local restaurants in Malaysia that serve this dish:
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