Chicken & spring onion yakitori (negima), grilled over binchotan on the Kasai.
Juicy chicken thigh, threaded tight with sweet spring onion, seasoned simply and cooked fast over intense heat. Finished with light layers of tare as the fat drips and the glaze caramelises, building flavour without ever masking the fire.
It’s a lesson in restraint: good ingredients, proper charcoal, and timing. Nothing more needed.

Step 1: Make the Tare

- Combine all tare ingredients in a small saucepan.

- Bring to a gentle simmer.

- Simmer 20–30 minutes until lightly syrupy.

- Strain and cool.

You want savoury-sweet, not sticky.

Step 2: Prep the Chicken & Onion

Chicken

- Cut thighs into 3–4 cm chunks.

- Keep skin attached.

- Lightly season with sea salt only.

Spring Onions

- Trim roots and dark green tops.

- Cut into 3–4 cm lengths (same size as chicken).

Step 3: Skewer (Traditional Order)

Thread alternately:

Chicken → spring onion → chicken → spring onion → chicken

- Press snugly, but don’t squash.

- End with chicken on both ends.

Step 4: Fire the Kasai

- Fully light binchotan.

- Spread into an even bed.

- Aim for fierce, clean heat.

Step 5: Grill

- Start skin-side down.

- Grill 2–3 minutes per side, turning often.

- Let the chicken fat baste the onions.

- Once mostly cooked, brush lightly with tare.

- Turn, glaze, turn — build flavour gradually.

Total cook time: 6–8 minutes

How it should end up:

- Chicken: mahogany glaze, slight char

- Onion: soft, sweet, lightly blistered

- Smell: borderline illegal its that good