Yakitori Negima: Chicken, Scallions, and a Pot of Tare

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I bought a little yakitori grill, one of those long, narrow konro boxes, and I am completely obsessed. There’s something about the binchotan charcoal glowing away while you fan skewers over it that makes you feel like you actually know what you’re doing, even on the first try. I made negima, the chicken-and-scallion skewers, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop.

The whole thing comes down to two ideas. First, cut everything roughly the same size so it cooks evenly. Second, make a pot of tare, the sweet-savory glaze, and treat it like a sourdough starter. Every time you grill, the drippings build it up a little more. Mine is exactly one batch old, so don’t take dipping advice from me yet, but it already tastes great.

Japanese on McGinnis, Will

Yakitori Negima: Chicken, Scallions, and a Pot of Tare