Yakimono: 6 Popular Yakimono Dishes in Japanese Cuisine

Yakimono is an umbrella term that describes a variety of grilled or pan-fried Japanese food. The word “yakimono” refers to a dish cooked over direct heat: “yaki” means “grilled” or “fried,” and “mono” means “thing.”

Yakimono dishes can feature many different types of meats, including chicken, beef, pork belly, or shellfish. Ingredients like rice wine and miso often add flavor to yakimono dishes.

Crispy, smoky, and savory yakimono dishes often appear towards the end of the meal in Japan—just a few bites are enough to satisfy. Here are some popular yakimono dishes in Japanese cuisine:

1. 1. Gyoza: Gyoza are Japanese dumplings, first pan-fried until golden brown and crispy, then steamed, resulting in a tender chew and juicy, cooked filling. Traditionally, gyoza contain a filling of ground pork, green onions, garlic, and occasionally cabbage, but vegetarian versions may feature shiitake mushrooms and other assorted veggies. Gyoza usually come with a dipping sauce of soy sauce combined with rice vinegar and a bit of rayu/la-yu (chili oil).
2. 2. Kushikatsu: Also called kushiage, kushikatsu refers to deep-fried skewers of fruit, proteins, or vegetables served with a thin, savory dipping sauce. In Japanese, “kushi” refers to the bamboo skewers, while “katsu” refers to a cutlet (as in tonkatsu, fried pork cutlets), and “age” means “fried.” In Japan, restaurants serve kushikatsu platters with a cabbage slice to use as an additional sauce vessel.
3. 3. Okonomiyaki: Okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese pancake fried on a griddle until both sides are golden brown and finished with various sauces and garnishes. The basic components for an okonomiyaki include a batter made with dashi stock and wheat flour, shredded cabbage, crispy bits of tenkasu (tempura scraps), beaten egg, and grated yam. You can add a garnish of bonito flakes to this common Japanese appetizer and comfort food.
4. 4. Teriyaki: Teriyaki dishes can feature grilled chicken, fish, pork, or any other meat brushed with a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and sake which then gets grilled or fried. The word “teriyaki” is a compound that describes both the marinade and cooking technique: “teri” means “gloss,” and “yaki” means “to cook, fry, or grill.” Learn how to make chicken teriyaki.
5. 5. Unagi: Unagi is the Japanese term for freshwater eel, particularly Japanese eel. In Japan, chefs often prepare eel kabayaki-style, which involves dipping the fish in unagi no tare, a soy sauce-based tare sauce, and then grilling it over charcoal. In Tokyo, the eel gets grilled, steamed, sauced, and grilled again, in a method called shirayaki.
6. 6. Yakitori: Yakitori—from “yaki,” meaning “grilled” and “tori” meaning “chicken”— is a Japanese chicken dish of grilled skewers. To make yakitori, a chef cooks the skewers over a narrow charcoal grill until every piece is juicy and flavorful, with the right amount of char. Grilled chicken is often the center of yakitori. Still, the offerings of a Japanese yakitori restaurant are vast: chicken thighs with scallion (negima), chicken breasts (mune), individually grilled wings (tebasaki), gizzards (sunagimo), bits of crispy chicken skin (kawa), chicken meatballs (tsukune), chicken hearts (hatsu), and chicken livers (reba).

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