Save your money and make Teppanyaki at home. Living in Japan taught us many things and Teppanyaki was one of them. Simply use an electric or gas griddle and fresh ingredients. Preparation and "mise en place" along with a homemade Teppanyaki Sauce or two is a must.You can use 1/4" thinly sliced beef, whole chicken breast, thawed shrimp, lobster tails, fresh salmon, chopped cabbage, bean sprouts, seasonal vegetables, rice, eggs, shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, kabocha squash, carrots, shishito peppers, zucchini, broccoli, eggplant, and sweet potatoes. Heck, anything you want, you can make it better than at your favorite teppanyaki shop (thinking Kobe or Benihana, anyone?)All you need are the proteins and vegetables of your choice.Itadakimasu!
1 Griddle electric or gas (I use my Blackstone Tabletop Griddle - propane)
Ingredients
Teppanyaki
4ozgreen cabbage
3ozcarrot
4ozkabocha squash
3.5ozbean sprouts
2ozshimeji mushrooms
2ozking oyster mushroom
2ozshiitake mushrooms
1tbspcanola oil
1tspkosher salt
1tspfreshly ground black pepper
12ozfilet mignon (meat)Sliced to ¼ inch thickness.
Yakiniku Sauce (焼肉のタレ) also called Teppanyaki Sauce
1TbspsakeClassic Junmai
2TbspmirinTakara Mirin
2Tbspsugar
4Tbspsoy sauce
½tspgingerfreshly grated
1clovegarlic
1tsproasted sesame oil
1tsptoasted white sesame seeds
Goody-Goody Sauce
1 ¼cupmayonnaise Duke's is best
¼cupwater
1tsptomato paste
1tbspbuttermelted
½tspgarlic powder
1tspsugar
¼tsppaprika
dashcayenne pepperoptional
Yummy-Yummy Sauce
1cupsesame seedstoasted
6tbspsoy sauce
½cuprice vinegar
3tbspsugar
2tspkosher salt
2tspvegetable oil
1tbspsweet misoSweet Miso is a MUST and cannot be left out or substituted. Can be found at any oriental marketplace.
Instructions
To prepare Yakiniku Sauce
Gather all the ingredients. I highly recommend making the sauce a day before.
In a small saucepan, add sake, mirin, sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, miso, katsuobushi, and simmer for 1 ½ minute.
Strain the sauce. If you plan to preserve the sauce for a longer time, pour the sauce in a mason jar (or airtight container), and do not add grated apple and sesame seeds (next step) yet. It will last longer without a grated apple. Keep refrigerated for up to a month.
Add the sesame seeds and grated apple to the sauce. Now it's ready to use. I recommend keeping the sauce sit overnight in the refrigerator for melding all the flavors together. The sauce may taste too salty by itself without grilled meat. When you actually dip the meat in the sauce, the two flavors complements each other.
To prepare Goody-Goody Sauce
Using a fork or a whisk, blend all ingredients together thoroughly until the sauce is well mixed and the sauce is smooth.
Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
The sauce will NOT taste right if you don't let it sit overnight. And please don't try to substitute ketchup for tomato paste! The water is needed to bring this to the right consistency.
To prepare Yummy-Yummy Sauce
Toast sesame seeds in a hot skillet, consistently shaking to prevent burning.
In a food processor, add toasted sesame seeds with all other ingredients. Blend until the sauce is smooth.
Add water to thin to desired consistency.
To prepare Teppanyaki
Gather all the ingredients. Serve the meat on a serving platter and keep in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook.
Remove the tough core of the cabbage leaves, and cut them into 1-inch squares.
Peel the carrot and slice into ⅛ inch thick slabs.
Remove the seeds from the kabocha and cut it into ⅛ inch slices.
Poke a few holes into the shishito peppers to avoid popping. Cut off and discard the ends of the shimeji mushrooms and separate them.
Remove the stem of shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps into thin ⅛-inch thick slices.
Cut the king oyster mushroom in half lengthwise and then slice into thin slabs.
Put all the vegetables and mushrooms on another serving platter. Bring the meat and vegetable platters to the table where you set up a portable electric griddle.
To Cook Teppanyaki
If using an electric griddle, preheat it to 375º F and oil the cooking surface with oil.
If using a propane griddle or Teppan, set it at med-high and oil the cooking surface.
Put all the vegetables on a section of the Teppan, season, and cover them with a domed lid or upsidedown mixing bowl for about 3-5 minutes.
Add the meat in a different section and leave unseasoned and uncovered.
Uncover the vegetables and cook to desired tenderness and/or caramelization.
Flip the meat to cook both sides evenly to the desired temp. (Use a thermometer - 135˚F is perfect for beef, 163˚F for chicken) Remember, the proteins will continue to cook a couple of degrees after taking them off the Teppan.
Serve with Fried Rice and/or Buttered Noodles (blame Pam and Ashley) and Teppanyaki Sauce (and for those who have been brainwashed - Goody-Goody and/or Yummy-Yummy sauce)
Restaurant Fried Rice makes it just like going out and spending $$$
Oh, in America, the terms Teppanyaki and Hibachi have become synonymous - but they are two totally different things: Teppanyaki is a cooking method using an electric or gas griddle (a Teppan or "Hot Plate" (ホットプレート)), and a Hibachi (火鉢) is an ancient indoor heater where you warm your hands and boil water for tea. Not sure how these became synonymous.