Teppanyaki BBQ Grills: food, flavour, fun!

Relaxing with great food, good wine & friends on a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon is one of life’s simple pleasures. Alfresco & outdoor kitchens set the scene. Just picture yourself around the teppanyaki BBQ grill enjoying the convivial company of great mates & discussing your favourite sports. This is what teppanyaki BBQ grills are all about.

Great Food & Great Times

It’s so easy to make good wholesome meals no matter what level you are when it comes to cooking, the Teppanyaki BBQ Grill is so easy to use. It’s also a great way to cook wholesome vegetables that everyone can enjoy, with that wonderful, barbecued taste. And it’s easier to clean that your barbecue. Just wait for the plate surface to cool a little and wipe it down with a damp cloth (microfibre is best) or paper towel.

The idea to get the teppanyaki grill, came when a friend was talking about his eating experiences in Tokyo. The idea that all these Teppanyaki Grill bars serve the food right there on the grill in front of you – wow fantastic! Can we do that at home? Of course!

Not only is it quick, and something you can do on your own, you can also have that shared barbecue experience which will make for a great conversation stimulator.

What is teppanyaki?

Teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine that has found more popularity with an international audience over a domestic one. The word teppan translates to “iron plate” and yaki to “grilled,” which makes the translation of “teppanyaki” to something like “grilling on an iron plate.” In Japan, it is a more upscale form of dining and is usually eaten on special occasions.

What kind of food is Japanese teppanyaki?

A large variety of food is available to diners at teppanyaki, all made from fresh and high-quality ingredients. Protein is important and teppanyaki usually involves a protein-rich dish like meat or seafood, such as shrimp or octopus. Yakisoba and rice also pepper the menu, as a delicious carbohydrate option.

Chopped and sliced vegetables accompany the meal in the form of side dishes, as veggies are a nutritious and important part of every plate.

Okonomiyaki and monjayaki are two delicious dishes that compare closely to a savory pancake filled with cabbage, protein, vegetables and other toppings. As these are always made on a grill, they are also included under the banner of teppanyaki.

Depending on the restaurant, you’ll either have your own personal teppanyaki grill for cooking your dinner yourself, or a chef will make it for you with expert technique. Either way, you won’t leave hungry.

What is the history of Japanese teppanyaki?

Misono, the first teppanyaki-style restaurant, was opened by Shigeji Fujioka in Kobe in 1945. It claims to be the first restaurant to introduce the style of cooking Western-influenced food on a grill in front of diners.

It was soon discovered that this style of open cooking teppanyaki found more popularity amongst an international audience, compared to a domestic Japanese one. The performance aspect of teppanyaki increased as more overseas visitors flocked to these restaurants.

In 1964, the first teppanyaki restaurant was opened in New York City. Which restaurant was this? Well, of course, it was the notable Benihana restaurant.

Japanese teppanyaki restaurants are still well-known and celebrated today in the US & around the world, but they are known by a few other names as well: Japanese steakhouse and hibachi.

Teppanyaki vs Hibachi

While teppanyaki and hibachi are two separate (although similar) things in Japan, in North America, they are two words used interchangeably. In Japanese, hibachi translates to “fire bowl” and is actually a traditional Japanese heating device. They’re used for heating, not for cooking.

In contrast, the North American version of hibachi grills are actually called shichirin in Japanese. Shichirin are small cooking stoves or grills heated by charcoal.

To summarize, in Japan, teppanyaki (grilled style of cooking), hibachi (fire bowl heating device) and shichirin (small grill) are all different things. In North America, teppanyaki and hibachi are considered the same thing.

Teppanyaki vs Yakiniku

While teppanyaki is a type of cooking that uses an iron griddle to cook food, first made popular after WWII. It consists of all kinds of ingredients, usually grilling meats, seafood, eggs and vegetables.

Yakiniku, however, is specifically the grilling of meat, and is prepared on a wire grill over charcoal. Both are equally delicious, but separate types of traditional Japanese cooking.

The Secret to Beautiful Sirloin Steak on a Teppanyaki

The secret to cooking mouth-watering sirloin steaks (also called Porterhouse or New York steaks) on a teppanyaki BBQ grill.

Preparation – keep it simple with just good salt on both sides & give time for the salt to penetrate into the steak.

Heat the teppanyaki to max & first render the fat by placing the fat strip on top of sirloin directly onto plate.

When the fat is rendered, sear the steak on each side, making sure you get that beautiful caramelisation. The rendering of the fat and caramelisation is the secret to incredible flavour – flavour you cannot get the same with any other style of cooking!

Turn the heat down a little and cook through to your preferred finish (medium rare is best IMO)

Remove from teppanyaki plate & wrap in foil & rest the steak for about 5 minutes.

When you get it right the steak will be so juicy, tender & full of delicious flavour you really won’t want to cook it any other way again!

The UltraDine is more than a Teppanyaki BBQ Grill

Teppanyaki grills are typically a flat plate grill heated by gas or electricity. Cooking on a plate helps retain all the wonderful food flavours.

The UltraDine teppanyaki BBQ grill plate takes this to the next level.

How? When it’s heated the stainless steel plate deflects downwards forming a shallow bowl in the cooking area. This unique feature (called ThermoFlex®) transforms the plate & opens a vast array of different cooking options.

Want to poach an egg? No problem. Just add water, crack the egg & cover with a cloche for about 2 mins. And you can cook the bacon as well on a different part of the same teppanyaki plate.

Steam fish? Or veggies? Same deal.

And while you are grilling the steak you can fry some potato wedges or sauté mushrooms & broccolini

Love Asian & Indian food? Put away your wok & saucepans! There is nothing better than UltraDine teppanyaki cooked fried rice, stir fry or curry.

Hate cleaning the BBQ? Don’t worry, when the cooking is finished it’s so easy to clean! Just add a little water & wipe down while plate is still warm. None of this burning off the grill & scrubbing & scraping that plagues a standard BBQ!

So, while teppanyaki BBQ plates are good, UltraDine teppanyaki BBQ grills take you to the next level of cooking experience. Desirable, healthy, clean & beautiful. What else could you want?