Let’s Use Yakiniku Sauce for Dishes Besides Grilled Meat!

By Midori Yamamura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:30 JST, June 16, 2024

Commercial yakiniku sauce for grilled meat is essential if you want to enjoy yakiniku easily at home. However, I suspect that many people do not use it for anything other than yakiniku and end up with leftover sauce.

Marie Wakana, a time-saving cooking expert, shared her ideas for using the sauce for other dishes.

According to a survey conducted last year by Oisix ra daichi Inc., a major food delivery company in Tokyo, yakiniku sauce ranked third among condiments that are difficult to use up.

“Although there is growing concern about food waste, people seem to have difficulty using yakiniku sauce in ways other than on grilled meat, and are unable to use it up,” an Oisix company spokesperson said.

Wakana posts recipes using commercially available sauces, such as “chicken breast with yakiniku sauce,” on her blog, “Tsukuri-oki Shokudo” (Prepared-food eatery).

“Given the fact that each manufacturer has developed a secret formula to make grilled meat taste good, there is no reason not to actively use it if you want to cook with ease,” she said.

Ingredients for yakiniku sauce include soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and garlic.

She recommends using the sauce when you want to add depth of flavor, but do not want to use several different types of seasonings.

The first dish she introduces is the classic Chinese dish “stir-fried shredded beef with green pepper.”

Even if you have no oyster sauce, you can prepare the dish using yakiniku sauce and chicken broth base.

Despite its simple seasoning, this dish has a rich flavor that makes you want to eat more rice.

Another dish that Wakana recommends is grilled and marinated eggplant.

The eggplants soak up the seasoning and the flavor spreads with a sizzling sensation in the mouth. It also has acidity and freshness.

“Eggplant absorbs oil easily, so it is important not to add oil to the eggplant while it is cooking,” Wakana said. “If you leave this dish overnight in refrigerator, the flavors will soak in even more, making it ideal for a prepared dish.”

Stir-fried shredded beef with green pepper

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

200 grams pork, chopped into small pieces

120 grams boiled bamboo shoots (sliced)

4 green peppers

2 tbsp yakiniku sauce (medium hot)

2 tsp chicken broth base

Directions:

1. Cut the green peppers into strips. Cut the pork into 10-centimeter lengths if large. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Mix the yakiniku sauce with chicken broth base and 1 teaspoon of potato starch to make a seasoning mixture. Potato starch makes it easier for the ingredients to absorb the flavors.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a frying pan and add the pork. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, turning the meat occasionally until cooked through.

3. Add the bamboo shoots and green pepper to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, then add the seasonings and cook for another minute.

Marinated grilled eggplant

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

4 medium-size eggplants

20 grams green onion

1 small piece of ginger

1 tsp roasted white sesame seeds (roasted)

2 tbsp yakiniku sauce (medium hot)

4 tbsp triple strength mentsuyu noodle broth

Directions:

1. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, remove the stems and cut a crosshatch pattern into the skins. Cut the green onion into small pieces and the ginger into thin strips. Making incisions in the eggplant skin will help the eggplant soak up the flavors and give it a nice appearance.



2. Heat 4 tablespoons of sesame oil in a frying pan and add the eggplants, skin side down. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the eggplants skin side up, cover again and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Cook until the surface of the eggplants is well browned.

3. Pour the yakiniku sauce and mentsuyu noodle broth along with, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water into a storage container and mix together.

4. Place the eggplants in a container, top with green onion, ginger and white sesame seeds, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.