Ikayaki. Ikayaki (いか焼き, イカ焼き, 烏賊焼) is a popular fast food in Japan. In much of Japan, the term refers to simple grilled squid topped with soy sauce; the portion of squid served may be the whole body (minus entrails), rings cut from the body, or one or more tentacles, depending on the size. Ikayaki (Grilled Squid, Ika Yaki, いか焼き, イカ焼き, 烏賊焼) One of the favorite Japanese street food varieties is a serving of tender grilled squid known as ikayaki.

Ikayaki Add in the squid, and spoon the marinade over to coat well. When it's time to cook, separate squid from the liquids, but reserve the marinade for later use. Ikayaki - grilled squid in sweet sauce - is a traditional summer street dish that you can easily recreate at home. You can have Ikayaki using 11 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Ikayaki

It's 500 g of whole squid (cleaned).
It's 2 tsp of fresh ginger (grated).
It's 2 tbsp of soy sauce.
You need 1 tbsp of aka miso (red miso paste).
You need 2 tbsp of mirin.
It's 1 tbsp of sake.
Prepare 2 tbsp of oil.
Prepare 2 tsp of sansho pepper (Japanese pepper, and more to serve).
It's of Lemon wedges (to serve).
Prepare of tools.
It's of Grill plate (optional).

In the original version, the squid is grilled whole, with only diagonal cuts in the flesh, but it's easier to eat if cut into rings. Ikayaki is bought by Japanese Outposts and foreign Merchants. Ika meaning squid, and yaki meaning to grill or cook. However, as is always the case with traditional Japanese cuisine, there's so much more to this story than just this mere simplistic outline.

Ikayaki step by step

To prepare the marinade, combine soy sauce, aka miso, mirin, sake, ginger and sancho pepper in a large bowl, and mix well..
Add in the squid, and spoon the marinade over to coat well. Set aside to marinate for 15 mins..
When it’s time to cook, separate squid from the liquids, but reserve the marinade for later use..
Cooking on a grill plate: Heat a well-oiled grill plate over stovetop. When grill plate is hot, place squid on the grill to cook for about 12-15 mins, turning occasionally, and glazing the squid with marinade. Cooking time will vary a little according to the size of the squid..
Cooking on a pan: Heat a well-oiled pan over medium-high heat. Add squid to cook on pan for about 4-5 mins on each side, turning occasionally. Add the marinade and cook a further 1-2 mins until the sauce thickens..
To serve, slice the squid into rings and place on serving plate. Add a dash of sansho before serving, and a lemon wedge on the side..
Squeeze lemon over hot squid and enjoy ikayaki with a cold beer!..

I remember the very first time I tried Ikayaki. To prepare the marinade, combine soy sauce, aka miso, mirin, sake, ginger and sancho pepper in a large bowl, and mix well. Add in the squid, and spoon the marinade over to coat well. When it's time to cook, separate squid from the liquids, but reserve the marinade for later use. Ika yaki, or cooked squid, is an flavoursome side dish that is strikingly easy to prepare and goes well with a glass of Japanese sake.