Teppanyaki

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, as the good Asian food lovers we are, we love discovering new cooking techniques. Today we are travelling to Japan to tell you about the famous teppanyaki. Are you joining us?

Teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan, which means iron plate, and yaki, which means grilled. While the cook prepares the dishes, the guests place themselves around the griddle.

In countries such as the United States or Spain, where the number of Japanese food lovers is increasing, the cooks who perform this technique are usually Japanese. A Teppanyaki lunch or dinner is a real show for all those who experience it.

From the very first moment the cook starts cooking, there aren´t any pauses between the dishes. While diners enjoy the first dish, the next ones are already being prepared.

Typical ingredients used for teppanyaki are: beef, chicken, vegetables (especially onion, aubergine and courgette), seafood (prawns and scallops) and noodles and rice; all of them cooked with soy sauce.

These stainless steel plates let cooks prepare low-fat recipes. Eating meat, fish or vegetables cooked on these iron griddles is very healthy and light.

The authentic teppanyaki, besides offering a tasty and healthy menu, is a fun alternative for a special lunch or dinner. People witness how their food is prepared.

The cook, who is dressed up with a characteristic kerchief on his head, cooks all the ingredients showing his acrobatic skills with the cooking tools. He cuts the fish or meat by doing fast rhythmic movements with the spatula.

Teppanyaki is a relatively modern invention in Japanese cuisine. The Japanese restaurant chain Misono was the first to introduce the concept of cooking food on a teppan in 1945. Their objective was to catch the attention and interest of tourists showing the authentic “show-cooking” of the best Japanese chefs. Foreigners enjoyed both watching the skilled manoeuvres of the chefs preparing the food as well as the cuisine itself. Throughout the years, t heir success increased to the point of opening many teppanyaki-style restaurants worldwide.

If you are thinking about visiting our 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, during your stay you can´t miss our program of activities, courtesy of the hotel. Our suggestion: the Asian Cookshow, which will let you learn the different cooking techniques in Asia.