Smoky Sweet Yakitori Don

Make the tare sauce by combining the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes until the sauce reduces by about one-third and becomes syrupy and glossy. Set aside.

Thread the chicken pieces and green onion segments alternately onto skewers if grilling, or leave them loose for pan cooking. Either method produces delicious results.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes per side until charred on the edges and cooked through.

During the last minute of cooking, pour half of the tare sauce over the chicken in the pan. Toss and cook for 60 seconds, allowing the sauce to caramelize onto the meat and create a sticky, lacquered glaze.

Divide the hot steamed rice between two bowls. Arrange the glazed chicken and charred green onions over the rice. Drizzle with the remaining tare sauce.

Create a small well in the center of each bowl and gently place a raw egg yolk in it. Garnish with sesame seeds, nori strips, shichimi togarashi, and pickled ginger. Mix the egg yolk into the rice just before eating for a luxuriously silky coating.