Vegan Yakitori Skewers
Yakitori are Japanese skewers often served in an ‘izakaya’- small bars in Japan that serve up alcohol and bar snacks.
The word yakitori in Japanese actually means ‘grilled chicken’ so technically these aren’t yakitori by name but everything about them is the same as authentic yakitori but we’re swapping out chicken for tofu to make them vegan.
I’m currently on a mission to make the BEST vegan skewers suitable for a bbq or even just a weeknight dinner with some sides.
Japanese yakitori is my first vegan skewer recipe- salt boiled tofu brushed with a sticky, sweet and salty glaze sandwiched in-between spring onion pieces. These skewers are the perfect snack.
Salt boiling tofu
Salt boiling tofu improves the texture of the tofu and the absorbency allowing the sauce to penetrate through to the middle of the tofu better. I recommend this step but you can skip it if you like.
Here are some more great tofu recipes
You'll love this vegan yakitori because its
Easy- Making tofu yakitori is simple- just break up the tofu and chop some spring onions, reduce the sauce and grill the skewers basting with the sauce.
Minimal ingredients- All you need is tofu, spring onions and a few bits that you probably have in your pantry already.
Versatile- The glaze is versatile and not restricted to tofu and spring onions only. Get creative and add another protein or vegetable.
Affordable- Tofu is a super affordable protein, along side some pantry staples these skewers are on the cheaper side.
What to serve with tofu skewers
Traditionally in Japan these skewers are served up as a bar snack along side some more skewers with other proteins and veggies on. I recommend serving these as a small plate with some gyoza, tempura vegetables and some fried rice to tie it together.
Notes on the ingredients-
- Tofu- You should use extra firm tofu for this recipe as the tofu needs to hold together when skewered.
- Spring onions- The white parts are used on the skewers and the greens are simmered in the glaze to give it extra flavour. You could use another vegetable in place of the spring onion whites if you prefer.
- Soy sauce- Light soy sauce is best for this recipe. This gives the salty element to the glaze. For gluten free use tamari.
- Brown sugar- Brown sugar caramelises and thickens the glaze and provides the sweet, caramel flavour. You can use maple syrup or agave but flavour will differ slightly.
- Mirin- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine used for cooking. The fermentation makes it alcoholic so if you are looking for alcohol free yakitori use rice wine vinegar instead.
Glaze troubleshooting
If your glaze is still too thin after cooking for 8-10 minutes make a small amount of cornstarch slurry and add to the sauce. If it’s too thick add water to get the desired consistency (it should be like syrup thickness).
Tofu yakitori skewers
Ingredients
- 150 g Tofu
- 3 Spring onion white parts
For the glaze-
- 120 ml Light soy sauce
- 60 ml Mirin
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1 spring onion green part
Instructions
- Break the tofu into small chunks.
- Add the tofu pieces to a pan of heavily salted boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
- Drain the tofu and leave to cool.
- Add all of the glaze ingredients into a pan and simmer on low heat for 8-10 minutes until thickened.
- Chop the spring onion whites into a similar size of the tofu chunks.
- Skewer a piece of tofu followed by a spring onion white until the skewer is full.
- Heat a pan or hot plate with a little oil.
- Fry the skewers for 30 seconds on one side, brush on the glaze and repeat this until the glaze has gone.
- Serve up and enjoy.
You'll love these recipes
Leave a Reply