Yakitori-Style Shrimp & Veggie Skewers
with Rice, Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Sesame Seeds
- Soy
- Wheat
- Shellfish
- Sesame
Time Out, known for their Best Of City guides, has partnered with HelloFresh to bring a taste of Osaka, Japan straight to your kitchen. "Yakitori is chicken grilled on a skewer over charcoal and seasoned with tare sauce or salt, and it's a cornerstone of izakaya culture across Japan. And, nowhere does it land more naturally than in Tenma. Just one stop east of Osaka Station on the JR Loop Line, but a world away from its department stores and tourist crowds, it's where you'll find Osaka's cluttered, raucous living room: A dense labyrinth of covered shopping arcades branching into impossibly narrow side streets, each one crammed with tiny eateries, standing bars and smoky grills. Anchored by the sprawling Tenma Wholesale Market—a professional market supplying the city's restaurants—the nearby izakayas is where Osaka salarymen stop on the way home, where the art of hashigo-zake (hopping from bar to bar) is practiced not as a novelty but as a weekly ritual. These Japanese-inspired chicken and vegetable skewers are glazed with sweet-savory yakitori-style sauce and served over rice (the Japanese way of making a drinking dish into a meal) while the pickled cucumbers cut through the richness exactly the way the best izakaya food always does."
Ingredients
4 tablespoon
Katsu Sauce
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
5 teaspoon
Rice Wine Vinegar
1 unit
Zucchini
10 ounce
Shrimp
(Contains: Shellfish)
2 unit
Mini Cucumber
4 tablespoon
Sweet Soy Glaze
(Contains: Sesame, Soy, Wheat)
8 unit
Wooden Skewers
1 tablespoon
Sesame Seeds
(Contains: Sesame)
1 unit
Lime
2 unit
Scallions
1 unit
Bell Pepper
¾ cup
Jasmine Rice
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
In a small pot, combine rice, 1¼ cups water (2¼ cups for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until tender, 15-18 minutes.
Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
While rice cooks, wash and dry produce.
Trim and thinly slice cucumbers into rounds. Quarter lime. Trim scallions, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Core, deseed, and dice bell pepper into ¾-inch pieces. Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; cut crosswise into ¾-inch-thick half-moons.
Place skewers in a shallow dish and cover with water to soak (this helps prevent them from burning!).
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine vinegar, 1 tsp sugar (2 tsp for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt.
Stir in cucumbers and cover with plastic wrap; microwave for 30 seconds.
Stir in half the sesame seeds; set aside to pickle in refrigerator, tossing occasionally, until ready to serve.
In a second medium bowl, combine katsu sauce, sweet soy glaze, and juice from one lime wedge (two wedges for 4 servings).
Reserve half the yakitori sauce in a small bowl for serving.
Pat chicken* dry with paper towels and cut into 1-inch cubes.
Carefully thread chicken, scallions, bell pepper, and zucchini onto skewers, alternating ingredients. (You should have 6-8 skewers; 12-16 for 4 servings. If you have extra veggies, save for another use.) Season generously all over with salt and pepper.
Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large pan (or grill pan) over medium-high heat. (It may get smoky!) Working in batches, add chicken skewers in a single layer; cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side.
In the last 2 minutes of cooking, brush a thin layer of remaining yakitori sauce onto skewers. TIP: Wipe out pan between batches and add another drizzle of oil if needed. If skewers begin to brown too quickly, lower heat.
Fluff rice with a fork.
Divide rice between shallow bowls. Top with chicken skewers and pickled cucumbers. Drizzle skewers with reserved yakitori sauce and top with remaining sesame seeds. Serve.
