Yummy Yak

When I was a pre-teen, we lived in Japan. Every middle school day that I could get away with it and afford it, I took the base shuttle bus after school to the BX. Next to the BX was a place we called the "Yak Shak". It was a Yakitori stand that served up the most delicious seasoned beef for what was an affordable price.


The memories of that beef yakitori have carried me a long way, so when Allrecipes.com daily recipe dropped one for my childhood memory into my box, I had to try it.


The guys have been out in Colorado this past week so I haven't felt much like cooking, and my husband is the grill-meister anyway, so I planned it for yesterday evening.


I wish I had a photo of it but we ate it too fast. I made Japanese rice and heaped it in the middle of an oval platter, and then stripped the meat from the skewers on top of it.  It was heavenly.


So, the photo above is not mine, and the recipe below is not original, but if you make this, I guarantee you will enjoy the result (if you're a beef eater!).  Yummy Yak.  The things I would change are in red.

Yakitori

First, double it if you have two men at the table! You don't need to double the sesame seeds, but everything else.

·         1/2 cup soy sauce

·         2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·         2 tablespoons lemon juice

·         1 tablespoon sesame seeds

·         2 tablespoons white sugar

·         2 green onions, thinly sliced

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

·         1 pound sirloin steak, cubed

Directions

1.     In a glass or plastic bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds, sugar, green onions, garlic, and ginger.

2.     Thread the meat onto skewers. (If you are using wooden skewers, soak them 30 minutes first.) Don't use wooden skewers.  Walmart has 4 metal skewers for $1.97.  Place the skewers in a plastic or glass container just large enough to hold them, and pour the marinade over the meat, turning to coat well. Cover, and chill for a minimum of 4 hours. They're not kidding about the minimum.  The longer they marinate, the better they are.

3.     Preheat grill for high heat, and position grate 5 inches from coals.

4.     Brush grate with oil, and place skewers on grill. Grill for 10 to 15 minutes, occasionally turning kabobs to ensure even cooking.

NEXT TIME -- I will cut 5-7 crisp green onions in inch long pieces and thread them perpendicular to the skewers, in between the beef. It's the authentic touch from the old days that was missing.

Serve with a nice light, crisp salad.  I also had grapes and pluots (that's another post tomorrow), with the latter sliced up in wedges.