Yaki-tomorokoshi (grilled corn) recipe 焼きとうもろこし (ya-key toe-moe-roe-koe-she)
If you like corn on the cob you will absolutely love this recipe. I am willing to bet you will think this is the best corn on the cob you have ever eaten. There is also a video at the end to help make it easier to follow. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
The only two things you might have trouble finding locally are Mirin and Japanese 7 spice. I have included the Amazon links here if you can’t find them at your local grocer.
- Corn
- Soy Sauce (3 Tablespoons per 4 cobs)
- Mirin (3 Tablespoons per 4 cobs) Mirin is sweetened Sake (rice wine)
- Shichimi Togarashi Japanese 7 Spice. (You will never use regular pepper again)
- (optional you can add more sugar or mirin to the sauce if you want it slightly sweeter and less if you prefer it saltier)
For the sauce, you want a 1:1 combination for as much as you want to make. Mix 1 part soy sauce with 1 part mirin and bring to a boil over the stove then reduce to low heat and cook around 4 or 5 minutes then turn off the heat. If you added extra sugar make sure it is dissolved. The amount of sauce you make depends on much much corn you plan to cook.
Shuck the corn and remove the silk and husks. Drop them in boiling water for around 3 minutes and remove them. This pre-cooks the corn and allows it to cook faster on the grill or oven if you prefer.
Grill Bake – Then simply coat the corn with the sauce and put them on the grill. Turn corn often and keep coating with sauce often.
Oven Bake – If you want to use an oven instead of your grill, preheat to 400 degrees and cook for around 20 minutes. Time can vary depending on corn type and size. Turn and coat with sauce often (around 3 or more times) and be careful not to under or overcook.
After the corn is ready if you want to add butter that is fine. I think butter goes well with this recipe. I wouldn’t add any salt though since soy sauce provides enough. Instead of pepper try Shichimi Togarashi which is sold in most grocery stores. It is like a seasoned pepper that most people will love.
The last step is to enjoy! Oishii desu ne? That means, it’s delicious, isn’t it?
どうぞ召し上がれ！(Dozo meshiagare! Bon Appétit! in Japanese) Pronounced: Doe-Zoe Meshy-Gah-Ray)
If you are feeling a little more adventurous you can add a bit of oomph to the sauce and take it to the next level with an authentic teriyaki sauce. This of course will taste great on the corn as well as any other vegetable, steak, chicken seafood, pretty much anything you can bake or grill.
Real Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
This is a very simple teriyaki-type sauce. For the traditional teriyaki sauce simply add 1/4 cup sake, 2 Tablespoon sugar, 1/2 inch piece crushed ginger, and 2 crushed garlic cloves to this recipe and you will have real teriyaki sauce far better than the imitation sauce you thought was teriyaki sauce at restaurants. Cook on the stove for around 5 to 8 minutes low heat after it starts boiling.
You can add a dash of corn starch if you prefer your sauce thickened. Just make sure to dissolve the corn starch with some water or soy sauce before you add it to the pot.