It’s one of America’s favorite take-out meals. Visit the state of Washington, and you’ll quickly discover that Chicken Teriyaki Seattle style has become iconic. I’m not sure how it became so popular in that region, or maybe I do. His name is Toshi Kasahara and he’s known as the godfather of Seattle style Teriyaki. What I love about Kasahara’s recipe is that it’s simple. Very, very simple. So that’s where I began with what I think is a fabulous recipe for Chicken Teriyaki. There is one additional ingredient added to Seattle style teriyaki, toasted sesame oil. It seems to smooth out the flavor and bring in a touch more of the Asian influence. Although Chicken Teriyaki’s predominant flavor is soy sauce, there’s another ingredient that I think is the rock star in the sauce. Mirin is a sweetened rice wine similar to sake, and it’s the perfect companion for the salty soy sauce. The Teriyaki comes together pretty easily. The liquid gets heated on the stovetop, cooled and then blended with garlic cloves, fresh ginger and the sesame oil. Now for the chicken. Sorry white meat lovers, but it’s gotta be skinless, boneless chicken thighs. There are three reasons for that; flavor, flavor and flavor. Having said that, if you must have chicken breast instead of thighs, I think the teriyaki sauce will save the day. It’s just that tasty! So, if you routinely order Chicken Teriyaki for take-out, give this recipe a try. I think it may stack up nicely to your favorite Japanese grab and go!
sesame oil
Easy Teriyaki Chicken
Island Grilled Steak Tacos
Chinese BBQ Pork
It’s called Char Siu. (Pronounced “Char Sue”) But we know it as Chinese BBQ Pork, and it’s of the most popular items on a Chinese Restaurant menu. I never thought of making it at home—it seemed complicated and intimidating. But when I finally decided to give it a try, I quickly found it is neither. It’s a fun, simple dish that ends up tasting exactly like the restaurant version! While it seems as though there are a lot of ingredients, it’s mostly inexpensive bottles of things like soy sauce, molasses, honey, rice wine vinegar—all things you can keep in your refrigerator so you can make this dish many times, which, I think you will! As far as the steps, it’s basically whisking the marinade ingredients, pouring it over the pork, refrigerating it overnight and then cooking it up! It’s that simple. The most important step is making sure you buy pork shoulder, as tenderloin is too lean. Char Siu may be your new favorite!
Watch my How To Video for Chinese BBQ Pork here!
Chinese BBQ Pork
Korean BBQ Tacos
One this is for sure about the American palate. Our taste buds love to travel to exotic places. They lingered on Chinese food for years; then, Italian, Mexican, Pacific Rim and most recently with the Thai food invasion. These days, our flavor buds have acquired an insatiable appetite for Korean food; in particular, Korean BBQ. Five years ago, the term Bulgogi (grilled thin-sliced marinated meat) would have been as foreign as the most remote village on the Korean Peninsula. But today, Bulgogi is the new Big Mac. There is a lot to satisfy the taste buds with Korean BBQ, and the simple ingredient and ease of cooking makes for a happy cook, too! Here, Korean BBQ finds itself tucked inside warm, charred tortillas, making for an East-Meets-Southwest delight!
Watch my HOW TO Video for Korean BBQ Tacos here!
