Hibachi is a Japanese catch-all word for any style of grilling done on a flat hot grill. Hibachi is a common name that is particularly popular amongst those with a soft spot for Japanese cuisine and those who enjoy dining out or trying out various grilled Japanese cuisines at home. Hibachi-style has come to signify grilled Japanese cuisine, which generally refers to the grills they are cooked on and the restaurant these cuisines are served. Well, we are going to find out is hibachi healthy.
In addition, Hibachi generally refers to a small cooking stove heated with charcoal called a ”Chicherin”. Hibachi is also used to refer to an iron girdle for cooking food called a ”teppan” in Japanese. Teppan is often used in teppanyaki restaurants. Typically, when you eat at a hibachi restaurant or Japanese steakhouse, you eat at a teppanyaki restaurant. The unique taste of these dishes has allowed them to become popular worldwide, especially in the United States.
IS HIBACHI HEALTHY FOR YOU
Is hibachi healthy for you? This is a regular question asked by lovers of Japanese cuisine, especially the Hibachi dish. Hibachi dishes have one thing that sets them apart from all other Japanese dishes, and that is the caloric and nutritional value. It is advisable to stick to hibachi if you are looking for a healthier version of a Japanese recipe.
Hibachi contains more vegetables and less sugar and sodium. Moreover, if you opt for steamed rice in place of fried rice, the dish will be even healthier. So if you are thinking about a healthier option, always go for a Hibachi dish first, making sure to tell your chef what portions and the kind of soy sauce you prefer.
HEALTHY HIBACHI SERVINGS
Here are a few simple and practical strategies to help you ration your hibachi servings and stick to a healthier hibachi menu.
• Choose lean protein, such as fish or chicken instead of beef, or better will, stick to an all-vegetable portion
• Make your hibachi chef understand that you like limited oil in your portion.
• Put your sauces in a light quantity, especially the sweet sauce and soy sauce. If your restaurant offers low-sodium soy, please ask for it when making a Hibachi order.
• Choose squeezed lemon instead of soybeans.
• Opt for steamed brown rice or white rice instead of fried rice with egg yolk. Or order whole wheat noodles, if available.
HIBACHI INGREDIENTS
You don’t necessarily need to go to a Japanese restaurant to enjoy a Hibachi dish, Below is a compiled list of hibachi ingredients, all you need is a few basic ingredients to make it all in one pan.
- Chicken
- Soy sauce
- Vegetables
- Ginger, Garlic
- Ginger sauce
- Teriyaki sauce
- Pepper
- Butter
- Sesame oil
IS HIBACHI SAUCE HEALTHY?
Let’s consider the kind of sauce used in a hibachi dish, and then, we will be able to ascertain if the sauce is healthy or not. Firstly, ginger sauce, soy sauce, and yum yum sauce are the most popular Japanese steakhouse hibachi sauces. If you’ve been to the popular Benihana Japanese Steakhouse chain, you’ll discover that their ginger sauce is their staple and most popularly requested sauce.
IS HIBACHI CHICKEN AND RICE HEALTHY?
Hibachi chicken and rice when served in moderate proportions are healthy, especially because these dishes often meet the body’s nutritional requirements. Hibachi chicken is low in carbohydrates and high in protein. One serving of the hibachi chicken meets 42 percent of your daily protein value.
WHAT YOU CAN COOK ON HIBACHI GRILL
There is presently no rule that says you can only prepare a single dish on a hibachi grill. Moreover, hibachi grills can be used to cook a wide variety of food items. These food items include; chicken, quails, prawns, fish, and various vegetables.
Hibachi grills are commonly used to prepare;
1. Yakitori: Yakitori, which means ‘grilled bird’, is a Japanese type of skewered chicken. It is prepared by skewering the meat with Kushi. A Kushi is a type of skewer that is made of steel, bamboo, or any similar material. But this is not the only delicious dish you can cook on a hibachi grill. However, thinly sliced meat often forms the basis of every hibachi recipe, alongside various vegetables like zucchini, garlic, onion, ginger, and soy sauce.
2. Hibachi chicken: Hibachi chicken is thinly sliced chicken seared over high heat in butter, garlic, ginger, and an Asian stir-fry sauce and finished with a drizzle of sesame oil.
Hibachi chicken is generally cooked using the hibachi method. It’s usually made with sauteéd vegetables and served over fried rice with some soy sauce.
IS HIBACHI AND TERIYAKI SAME THING?
Hibachi and teriyaki are slightly different. This difference is usually observed in the mode of preparation. While there are some similarities like soy sauce and meat used in both cuisines, Keep in mind that hibachi refers to the way the meat is prepared on the hot grill or pot, also, hibachi dishes are prepared with three different dry spices.
These spices are usually ginger, sesame, and garlic, while Teriyaki, on the other hand, refers to a “glossy roast.” Teriyaki involves grilling food with the addition of an extremely flavorful glaze with added soy sauce, spices, sugar, and some kind of alcohol, which leaves the dish with a glossy finish and a unique taste.
Both dishes can easily be prepared at home, all you need is the right tool, some basic ingredients, and the passion for making these yummy and delicious Japanese recipes.
CONCLUSION
Hibachi simply refers to the cooking of meat, vegetables, seafood, noodles, and rice over super-high heat on a flat and hot grill. Cooking your food for the right amount of time and amplifying the flavors with healthy spices such as salt and pepper is the key factor to eating healthy, this generally applies to your hibachi servings as you can typically regulate your portions as well as the type of hibachi sauce you will be using for your cuisine.
To be safe and on the healthier side, if you’re going to use skewers to cook your hibachi, choose meats or vegetables that are softer and easier to thread, such as mushrooms, onions, eggplant, zucchini, and thin slices of meat.