Technique

Shioyaki is a traditional technique of preparing fish. Shio means salt and yaki means to grill, so the shioyaki way is to salt fresh fish (usually overnight), then grill it to perfection, often in the morning, because shioyaki fish is sometimes served for breakfast in Japan. The fins should also be seasoned with salt in order to protect them from charring. Once the eye becomes white, the fish is turned and grilled on the other side. Some of the most common fish used for shioyaki include salmon, sardines, ayu, mackerel, and seabream. If properly prepared, the meat should be juicy and the skin crispy.

Shioyaki

China

This traditional Sichuan technique translates as water-boiled. It employs thin slices of meat or fish that are shortly cooked in water or broth and are then placed on a bed of various vegetables such as onions, mushrooms, spinach, bean sprouts, or celery. The dish is then doused in a fiery sauce made with fried chilis and Sichuan peppercorns, and lastly, it is finished off with generous amounts of sizzling oil. Shuizhu-style dishes are characterized by their pungent, spicy flavor, while the main ingredients stay fresh and tender. It is believed that the technique first appeared among the farmers who needed a quick and filling meal, and later it developed into a popular cooking style and a restaurant staple.

Shuizhu

Ssam is a South Korean technique that encompasses various dishes that are made by wrapping different ingredients in raw or blanched lettuce, other green leafy vegetables, as well as seaweed or other wrappers. The dishes are classified depending on the filling or the variety of a wrapper. The most popular ssam is sangchu which consists of a lettuce wrapper and various ingredients such as rice, pork, or kimchi. Other popular options include bossam, made with sliced and steamed pork and vegetable wraps, while the most basic variety is ssambap&mdash;which consist of rice wrapped in lettuce or other leaves. The most common condiments added to ssam include sliced vegetables such as onions or scallions and ssamjang&mdash;a spicy dip based on gochujang paste. In restaurants, ssam wrappers are usually assembled when the main dishes such as barbecued meat or seafood are served&mdash;and the guests are then allowed to stack their bite-sized ssam using preferred wrappers and condiments.

Ssam

United States

St. Louis-style barbecue uses spare ribs that are grilled (instead of being slow-smoked) and heavily sauced with a sweet, acidic, and sticky tomato-based barbecue sauce that is typically made without liquid smoke. The ribs are cut in a special way &ndash; sternum bone, rib tibs, and cartilage are removed so that the final product is a rectangular-shaped rack. It is believed that this cut originated with meat-packing plants in the region in the mid-20th century.

St. Louis-Style Barbecue

The most popular Indian dishes are those cooked over a blazing fire in the so-called tandoor, a cylindrical open-top clay oven fueled by wood or charcoal. The tandoori technique evolved from an old Middle Eastern method of baking bread, which spread to other parts of the continent, including northwestern India, where people began experimenting with cooking meats and other foods in tandoors, adding special marinades and spice rubs, both of which are now integral parts of Indian-style tandoori cooking. The marinade used in most tandoori dishes starts with yogurt; it holds well to the meat, lends a note of mild acidity, and keeps the herbs and spices in place. Even though the clay ovens themselves impart a special flavor to the food, most of it comes from the traditional combination of spices. Tandoori dishes are typically either intensely red or yellow colored, depending on the marinade ingredients: the red is provided by ground annatto seeds, while the yellow comes from saffron or turmeric. In addition, tandoori dishes are also traditionally flavored with ginger, garlic, coriander, cayenne pepper, and a combination of roasted and ground cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and black pepper called garam masala. This spice mixture imparts a mellow but savory flavor to tandoori dishes, whereas the heat can be adjusted to one's liking by adding more or less cayenne pepper. Apart from flatbreads such as naan, roti, paratha and kulcha, some of the typical tandoor-cooked dishes include a roasted paste of cashews, corn and cottage cheese called peshawari seekh; roasted potatoes stuffed with cottage cheese, vegetables and cashew nuts called balochi aloo; and Indian classics like paneer tikka, chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, and kalmi kebab.

Tandoori

Japan

Tataki is the Japanese technique of preparing meat or fish, where the product is briefly seared and left raw in the middle. Most commonly, tuna steaks or beef tenderloin is employed in the tataki technique since perfect cuts allow equal searing on all sides. Meat or fish prepared tataki-style is primarily seared on all sides, then placed in an ice bath and left to chill. It is then sliced into thin pieces and neatly arranged on a plate. Although it is often regarded as a unique technique, meat and fish products prepared in tataki-style are often served alongside other sashimi dishes. It is also commonly eaten as a single dish in traditional Japanese restaurants, where it is usually offered as an appetizer. When the meat or fish is arranged on a plate, the whole dish is usually doused in soy or ponzu sauce that is mixed with citrus juice and aromatized with grated ginger, onions, and sliced garlic. Sakamoto Ryōma, a prominent figure in Japan in the 19th century, is believed to have invented this traditional Japanese technique in the ancient province of Tosa, which is now a part of Kōchi Prefecture. The region is known for skipjack tuna (katsuo) tataki in which pieces of tuna are seared over an open flame.

Tataki

Teppanyaki is a Japanese technique of grilling a variety of ingredients on an iron plate. Its name is derived from two words: teppan or an iron plate, and yaki, meaning grilled or broiled. Teppanyaki refers to a variety of dishes cooked in the aforementioned way. Steaks, seafood, chopped vegetables, rice, and dough-based foods such as yakisoba fried noodles are some of the most popular types of teppanyaki. In Western restaurants, the iron plate is often placed in front of the customers so they can watch the chefs work. In traditional Japanese restaurants, each table will usually have an iron plate so the food can stay warm as it continues to cook lightly. Although the history of teppanyaki is somewhat murky, some oral traditions trace it back to family dining in feudal Japan, when people would gather around the central fire and prepare simple grilled dishes. Others trace it back to the early 20th-century Kobe, where fishmongers used to grill the catch of the day in front of the customers. The first modern teppanyaki restaurant in Japan is called Misono, and it was opened in Kobe in 1945, while the first American teppanyaki restauarant was opened in Manhattan in 1964 by a young Japanese wrestler, and it quickly captivated New Yorkers before it spread to the rest of the country.

Teppanyaki

Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique in which the ingredients are broiled, roasted, or grilled after they have been marinated in teriyaki sauce, consisting of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. The word teriyaki is a combination of two words: teri, meaning luster, and yaki, meaning to grill or broil. Teriyaki dishes are characterized by their shiny and glistening visual appearance, achieved by the usage of teriyaki sauce. Food historians claim that teriyaki was first invented by Japanese chefs in the 17th century, along with a number of other dishes that incorporated grilled or roasted meat. Teriyaki dishes later became popular in the United States, during the 1960s, with the rising popularity of Japanese restaurants. Teriyaki chicken, pork, fish, or beef dishes still remain a popular choice throughout the United States.

Teriyaki

Tsukudani is a traditional technique of cooking small amounts of meat, seaweed, vegetables, or seafood in a combination of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. The ingredients are usually simmered in the mix for a long time. The resulting food is very sweet and savory, which helps to preserve the ingredients. Due to its strong flavors, ever since the Edo period, tsukudani has been served as an accompaniment to steamed rice. The most typical type of tsukudani is made with kombu seaweed. Once prepared, it&rsquo;s always served and enjoyed chilled from the refrigerator.

Tsukudani

Yakimono is a variety of Japanese dishes that are either grilled or pan-fried. Fish, shellfish, vegetables, or meat are some of the most common foods that get prepared in such a way. In the Japanese language, yaki means grilled or fired, and yakimono means fired thing. It is believed that yakimono was invented by soldiers who impaled chunks of meat on their swords and stuck them into a fire. A typical yakimono dish is cooked as small pieces of food on bamboo skewers, the most famous of these dishes in the West being yakitori, or skewered and grilled chicken. Most yakimono dishes are served piping hot, as an appetizer or as a part of a larger course of appetizers. There are also some other popular yakimono dishes that are not skewered, such as gyoza, pan-fried dumplings that are often filled with vegetables and pork. However, the basic type of yakimono is shioyaki, in which salt is coarsely sprinkled over the food before grilling.

Yakimono

Zarb or Bedouin barbecue is an ancient technique of preparing food in underground pits. The food is placed on metal racks and it's then slowly roasted in coal-filled pits that are carefully covered with blankets. Zarb is usually prepared with chicken, goat, or sheep, as well as various vegetables such as carrots, onions, potatoes, or tomatoes. The dish is traditionally served on large communal plates, accompanied by rice, salads, and various dips.