Teppanyaki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Teppanyaki (鉄板焼き) is a type of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. The word "teppanyaki" is derived from teppan (鉄板), which means iron plate, and yaki (焼き), which means grilled.
In Japan, teppanyaki may refer to any of a number of dishes cooked using a teppan, including okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and monjayaki, frequently with the hot plate located in the center of the diners' table. The form of teppanyaki most familiar to North Americans consists of steak and other meats, along with vegetable accompaniments. In North America, it is also known by the name of hibachi, and the establishments are often referred to as "Japanese steakhouses."
Typical ingredients used for teppanyaki are beef, shrimp, scallops, lobster, chicken and assorted vegetables. Soybean oil is typically used to cook the ingredients. In Japan, many teppanyaki restaurants feature Kobe beef. Side dishes of mung bean sprouts, zucchini, garlic chips or fried rice usually accompany the meal. Some restaurants provide sauces in which to dip the food; usually, in Japan, only soy sauce is offered.
The originator of the teppanyaki-style steakhouse is the Japanese restaurant chain Misono, which introduced the concept of cooking Western-influenced food on a teppan in Japan in 1945. They soon found that the cuisine was even more popular with foreigners than with the Japanese, who enjoyed both watching the skilled maneuvers of the chefs preparing the food as well as the cuisine, somewhat more familiar than more traditional Japanese dishes. As the restaurants became more popular tourist spots with non-Japanese, the chain introduced changes increasing the performance aspect of the chef's preparation, such as stacking round slices of onion in the shape of Mt. Fuji and lighting oil contained within on fire, producing a flaming onion volcano.
In the United States, teppanyaki was made famous by the Benihana restaurant chain which opened its first restaurant in New York in 1964. Benihana and other chains of teppanyaki steakhouses continue to place an emphasis on the chef performing a show for the diners, continuing to introduce new variations and tricks. The show can include juggling utensils, flipping a shrimp into his shirt pocket, tossing an egg up in the air and splitting it with his knife, and flipping flattened shrimp pieces into the diners' mouths.
Teppanyaki is also popular in Taiwan (although usually without the showmanship by the chefs) and it inspired the creation of the similarly prepared so-called Mongolian barbecue.
The Teppanyaki Experience
In Japanese,teppan means an iron plate or a steel sheet, and yaki, stir-fried food or stir-frying. The whole experience of eating teppanyaki, however, proves this word is far more than the sum of its parts. Teppanyaki is stir-fried meat and vegetables cooked and eaten off a large, table-top grill. It is a mouth-watering form of cuisine which continues to increase in popularity as adaptations are made to suit local taste preferences.
Teppans are made of stainless steel of varying shape and size. A large teppan, including the surrounding counter from which diners eat, can seat as many as 20 people, allowing just enough elbowroom for diners to sit comfortably while watching the chef prepare their meal on the grill in front of them.
Teppanyaki chefs, even more than bartenders, have ample opportunity to demonstrate their skill. The flashing tools of their trade are a knife, a fork, and two metal spatulas. In spectacular displays of dexterity, chefs cut, stir, season, and divide each diner's portion onto plates on the teppan. As the food is prepared on the same surface that keeps it warm, meals are served as soon as they are ready. Teppanyaki has to be eaten leisurely. The chef only works on one course at a time; there is no rushing him. Watching the chef adroitly wield cooking tools over the shining teppan is fully part of the meal. While veteran teppanyaki-diners drink, eat, or converse while admiring the chef's expertise, first-timers may have difficulty taking their eyes off the performance in front of them.
Watching the chefprepare teppanyaki is an important part of the meal. The diners' plates rest on the hot teppan, assuring their food will not get cold.
Teppanyaki differs from traditional Japanese cuisine in many ways. With teppanyaki, the soup is served first, folowed by salad, the main course, vegetables, fruit, and dessert. Main courses usually consist of beef, lamb, chicken, and seafood. Soup, salad, and dessert are usually Western-style. Often made with a cream base, soup comes in many varieties: cream of mushroom, cream of corn, cream of seafood, cream of vegetable, French onion, or seafood consomme. Unlike its Western counterpart, the salad is rather small and the dressing usually sweet or sour.
Not restricted by seasonal availability, stir-fired bean sprouts are almost always served, along with a side dish of chopped onions. Seafood can include prawns, fish fillets, cuttlefish, scallops, clams, oysters, eel, lobster, and abalone. Fish is usually salmon, pomfret, or porgy, depending on season and availability. Sashimi (raw fish fillet), while not itself a teppanyaki-style dish, is often on the menu.
Beef is the most popular part of most teppanyaki meals; beef of different qualities and from different geographical areas can be selected. The more expensive varieties are Japanese beef from Matsusaka, Akita, and Kobe. They are often offered along with less expensive beef from the United States and New Zealand. Top-quality Japanese beef is said to come from cows nourished with apples and beer and mellowed with music and massage. All beef cuts are choice sirloin or tenderloin.
Light seasoning and fresh ingredients are the keys to teppanyaki's success. This is especially important because teppanyaki-style cooking enhances rather than covers up the original flavor of its ingredients. Seasonings are usually limited to soy sauce, wine, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Garlic is used generously when preparing bean sprouts, meat, and chicken.
There are clear advantages in going out for a teppanyaki meal. When ordering teppanyaki, the diners can tell the chef exactly how they want each dish prepared. Health-conscious customers can determine the variety and amount of seasoning and oil they want in each dish. With the chef working right in front of you, it is easy to make sure he follows instructions. In some restaurants diners can even select their own chef. The quality of teppanyaki ingredients also make it a healthy choice compared to other barbecue-type cuisines.
Originating in Japan, teppanyaki is a combination of Eastern meticulousness and Western finesse, Eastern flavors and Western side dishes. In Taiwan, over 100 middle-and high-class restaurants all across the island attest to teppanyaki's rising popularity. Its taste continues to improve as more variations are devised to suit local and international tastes. Visitors to Taiwan should take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the entertainment and unforgettable dining experience of an evening of teppanyaki.
Teppanyaki meals are delicious, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing.
Most teppanyaki restaurants are quality establishments, and so it is always better to make reservations beforehand. Many offer separate dining rooms for groups of customers, including such luxuries as a dessert-and-beverage bar and piano music. In some restaurants, dining rooms are equipped with sofas and coffee tables. Many also often offer luncheon specials.
The teppanyaki restaurant with the longest history in Taipei is the New Hama Steak House at 10 Nungan Street (Tel: 595-0990). The Hama Steak House chain, headquartered in Tokyo, sent chef Satayoshi Yoshida, now the general manager of its Taipei restaurants, to set up the New Hama in Taipei in 1971. Over the past 24 years the New Hama has done well. In fact, a number of teppanyaki chefs for restaurants across the island received their training under Yoshida. In 1993 New Hama opened another restaurant at 33 Kuangfu N. Rd., Lane 11 (Tel: 761-5616). Located in the bustling business district of eastern Taipei, the "newest" New Hama is large and modern. Besides having a spacious main dining area, it has six smaller dining rooms and a piano bar. Diners can select Japanese beef from Matsusaka, Akita, and Kobe, or beef from the United States and New Zealand.
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