Yakitori Sauce: Keto-Friendly Or Forbidden Fruit?

Yakitori is a Japanese dish of skewered chicken, grilled over charcoal and seasoned with a sauce called 'tare' or salt. The sauce is usually made with soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and sake, and is thickened with cornstarch. This combination results in a salty-sweet sauce. However, as it contains sugar and cornstarch, it is not keto-friendly. But there are keto-friendly alternatives to the sauce, which use sweeteners and thickeners that are compatible with a keto diet.

Yakitori sauce ingredients and alternatives

Yakitori sauce is a Japanese condiment traditionally used for grilled chicken skewers. It is sweet, savoury, and smoky, and is used as a basting sauce and glaze. The sauce is made from a blend of soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. Soy sauce provides the perfect savoury foundation for the sauce and helps to tenderise meats. Brown sugar adds a deep, smoky sweetness. Mirin, a sweet rice wine, adds a hint of extra sweetness and a glossy sheen. Finally, sake adds a tangy, complex flavour and further tenderises the meat.

There are several alternatives to the traditional yakitori sauce. For a gluten-free version, swap out the soy sauce for a gluten-free variety. You can also add extra ingredients to customise the flavour, such as lemon juice, grated ginger, honey, sesame oil, or chilli powder. Alternatively, you can remove the alcohol by using water instead of sake and mirin, and adding extra sugar.

Nutritional value of yakitori sauce

Yakitori sauce is a Japanese condiment used as a basting sauce and glaze for cooking chicken skewers. The name is derived from the words 'yaki' (grilled) and 'tori' (bird). The sauce is made from a blend of soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. The prime ingredient, soy sauce, lends an intensely salty and umami flavour to the blend. Mirin, a sweet rice wine, adds sweetness and a glossy shine to the sauce. Sake, another rice wine, is also added for flavour. Finally, sugar is added to enhance the sweetness of the sauce.

Yakitori sauce is typically used for grilled chicken in Japan, but it also pairs well with other grilled meats or vegetables. It can be used as a marinade or cooking sauce.

A 5-gram serving of yakitori sauce contains 10 calories, 2 grams of carbohydrates, and 0 grams of fat, protein, and saturated fat. It also contains 0.0 mg of vitamin C, iron, and calcium.

A 1-fluid ounce serving of yakitori sauce contains 36 calories, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 5 grams of sugar. It also contains 1 gram of protein and 0 grams of fat.

Yakitori sauce can be made without alcohol by substituting water for sake and mirin and adding extra sugar to compensate for the loss of sweetness.

Is yakitori keto-friendly?

Yakitori is a Japanese dish of skewered chicken, which is typically grilled over charcoal. The meat is seasoned with tare sauce or salt. Tare sauce is a sweetened, thickened soy sauce, often made with sugar syrup, and used for grilling, marinating, and dipping.

As a result of the sugar content in the sauce, yakitori is generally not considered keto-friendly. However, it is possible to make a keto-friendly version by substituting the sugar with a sugar alternative, such as Swerve Brown or BochaSweet. Other substitutions can be made to the sauce, such as using tamari instead of soy sauce, and omitting the mirin and sake.

There are also keto-friendly alternatives to yakitori that can be enjoyed when eating Japanese food, such as sashimi, miso soup, seaweed salad, and hand rolls without rice and with extra avocado.

How to make keto-friendly yakitori sauce

Yakitori is a Japanese dish of skewered chicken, grilled over charcoal. The chicken is usually seasoned with a sweetened, thickened soy sauce called tare sauce, or simply salt. The sauce is made by combining soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and sometimes sake and other seasonings like ginger, garlic, and cornstarch to thicken it.

To make the sauce keto-friendly, you can substitute some of the ingredients with low-carb options. Here is a recipe for keto-friendly yakitori sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons BochaSweet (or allulose)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (or glucomannan)

Method:

• Combine the tamari, BochaSweet, water, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and hot pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Bring the mixture to a boil.
• Sprinkle the surface with xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine.
• Continue boiling for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
• Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.

You can use this sauce to marinate chicken for yakitori. Thread the chicken onto skewers and grill, brushing with the sauce as it cooks.

Enjoy your keto-friendly yakitori!

Other keto-friendly Japanese foods

Yakitori, a Japanese dish of skewered grilled chicken, can be keto-friendly. The classic version of the dish is seasoned with tare sauce, a sweetened, thickened soy sauce. However, for a keto-friendly version, you can opt for the salt option, as it contains less sugar.

Miso Soup

Miso soup is a thin, broth-based soup made with fermented soybean paste. It is light, refreshing, and keto-friendly. It often includes cubes of tofu and vegetables like cabbage.

Oshinko Vegetables

Oshinko vegetables are pickles and can include daikon, lotus root, seaweed, and burdock. Daikon is a type of radish, burdock is similar to artichoke, and lotus root is its own unique vegetable.

Sashimi

Sashimi is raw fish served in thin slices, typically with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce. It is a keto-friendly option as it does not include rice.

Shabu-Shabu

Shabu-shabu is a Japanese dish where you cook thin slices of beef and vegetables in a hot bowl of broth at the table. It is a fun and interactive keto-friendly option.

Yakiniku

Yakiniku is a Japanese barbecue where you grill chicken, pork, and beef alongside vegetables. Stick to soy sauce for dipping to keep it keto-friendly.

Shirataki Noodles

Shirataki noodles are made from konnyaku (yam cake) and are incredibly low in calories, fat-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free. They are a great keto-friendly alternative to regular noodles.

Edamame

Edamame, or green soybeans, are a tasty snack or side dish. They are low-carb and can be enjoyed in small amounts.

Negamaki

Negamaki is grilled beef wrapped around green onions or asparagus, served with soy sauce. It is a delicious keto-friendly option, either as an appetizer or a meal.

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