You and I can both agree that Japanese food is the best! And you know what’s so good about them? Their tasty flavors and recipes! Two popular dishes you’ve probably heard about are Hibachi and Teriyaki. But let us try to understand more about these two dishes.
Hibachi isn’t just a dish, it actually refers to a type of cooking surface as well. When you order Hibachi, you usually get a dish that’s dressed with soy sauce. It’s pretty straightforward and simple. Now, Teriyaki, on the other hand, is a specific kind of dish. If you’ve had the pleasure of trying Teriyaki, you know it’s bursting with flavors. Seriously, it’s like a party in your mouth!
It is normal for you to wonder what the difference is between these two dishes. So, if you want to know more about Teriyaki and Hibachi then this is the exact right place for you!
We will look at these special dishes separately to understand their differences! Continue to read further to know more.
Hibachi – What Is It?
The meaning of Hibachi can differ based on who you ask. According to traditional Japanese culture ‘Hibachi’ is known as firepot or hot pot. This is a term used to describe a place where you can cook your food.
On the other hand, some would describe Hibachi as a dish prepared on grills. The popularity for these dishes have grown over time. You can now easily find these grills anywhere you go.
You can make your own Hibachi by just using these four ingredients: cooked rice, soy sauce, a veggie, and any type of meat. It is an easy recipe and you can make it at home whenever you feel like eating some tasty Hibachi!Hibachi.
Teriyaki – What Is It?
Simply put, Teriyaki is a cooking dish just like Hibachi. For those of you who might be aware, Teriyaki is called “glossy roast” in Japan.
You can easily get confused between this dish and Hibachi since the preparation is almost the same.
Teriyaki is nothing but a dish that you can cook which consists of glossy thin sauce. And you know the best part? You can make this sauce at home using just these few ingredients: brown sugar, mirin, soy sauce, sake, and spices (which are optional).
Teriyaki and Hibachi – Is There Any Difference?
Now we can say that Teriyaki and Hibachi are different. You may love the taste of both, but if you actually look at them closely you can see what we mean when we say that Hibachi and Teriyaki are different.
So, if you really want to know more about what is different between the two dishes then take a look below!
Appearance
As we mentioned above, when you take a look at these two dishes you will instantly understand the difference between the two. For starters, when both the dishes are served to you, you will notice that Teriyaki is more saucy while Hibachi is comparatively dry.
Adding to this, if you’re served with a plate filled with veggies, pasta, rice, and meat in a brown color sauce then it is a Hibachi dish. While, if you’re served with a plate that has shiny and glazed meat along with veggies then it is a Teriyaki dish.
Sauce
It is quite obvious that the main difference between the two dishes are their sauces. Even though both these dishes are made with soy sauce you will be able to tell the difference between both of them.
Starting with Hibachi, you will be able to see that there are three different dry spices added to this dish: Sesame, Ginger, and Garlic. There will be certain times where you can notice a strong garlic-y taste and smell, but this does not affect the dish at all.
Moving on to Teriyaki, you will need sugar, soy sauce, and spices to prepare this dish. For certain types of recipe you may even require some type of alcohol in it. Traditionally, you will find this sauce being prepared with mirin or sake providing this dish with an amazingly sweet taste.
Taste
You already know how famous Japan is for their unique cuisine taste. As you may have already read, both these dishes are made with soy sauce. However, when you taste them you will notice a huge difference between the two.
Hibachi is known to have a mild and delicious taste to it. Even though it is dipped in soy sauce with ginger and garlic they will give you the perfect blend with any veggies and rice.
Teriyaki on the other hand has a very sweet, strong, and lingering taste. This is why you may notice that Teriyaki is generally served with steamed or bland rice with veggies.
Ingredients
As we mentioned before, Hibachi is made using simple ingredients. However, you must know that when Hibachi is served there are other ingredients that come in the dish such as meat and stir-fried vegetables served with hot and steamed rice.
But you will notice that Teriyaki dishes are more glazed with sauce on their meat and are generally served with only steamed veggies.
There are so many ways you can make both the dishes. So there can be times where you might love how these dishes are prepared in some restaurants and dislike it sometimes in certain places. You can also make these dishes at home based on your taste and preference, and we are sure that you will love it!
Preparation
Cooking these beautiful and amazing dishes are so different, so you need to read this part carefully.
When it comes to Hibachi, you need to first dip your food in soy sauce and then grill it on high heat for a while. This will help you to leave the meat a little dry but tasty.
On the other hand, when you prepare a Teriyaki dish you will need tiny pieces of cut meat while cooking it and you need to add the sauce later on during the cooking process. This will make sure that the meat you are preparing remains tender but delicious at the end.
Nutrients
This is one of the most important things that you need to keep in mind when it comes to differentiating between Hibachi and Teriyaki.
If you want to eat a much healthier dish then you should choose to eat Hibachi. This dish actually has more veggies and very less sugar and sodium. You can pair this dish perfectly with steamed rice to make it an even more healthier option.
Teriyaki, on the other hand, has more sugar and sodium which means that it has more calories. This dish is not generally served with any veggies, and you can eat this with fried rice as well.
Final Thoughts
So are Teriyaki and Hibachi the same? Nope, Teriyaki and Hibachi are not the same thing at all. You must keep in mind that Hibachi refers to how the meat is prepared and Teriyaki is a glazed dish. There are so many different styles of dishes under both Hibachi and Teriyaki.
You may often get confused as people around you can mix the names of the two dishes. Well, in that case, we hope that this article will help you understand the difference between Hibachi and Teriyaki!