Grilled Corn Japanese Street Food Style

Fresh, locally grown corn is one thing that I look forward to in the summer in Ohio.  Grilling out these flavorful, juicy corn on beautiful summer weekends makes the short summers in Ohio that much sweeter.  We love the locally grown corn grilled plain, then simply slathered with butter and a bit of salt.  But you know me, I have to combine the best of two worlds sometimes to mix things up! Japanese street-food-style grilled corn is just the perfect addition to the rotation of grilled corn recipes!

Street vendor food in Japan

Rows of street food vendors are a familiar scene and an integral part of the festivals in Japan.  Simple yet homemade flavors of these traditional Japanese foods make the street vendor foods something to look forward to by locals and tourists from all over the world.  This type of grilled corn is exactly what you’ll get from these street vendors in Japan.  Nothing fancy, just using the basic Japanese ingredients found in most common Japanese recipes.

Related article: See all the Japanese street food you must try!

Japanese corn obsession

The love of corn in Japan is something that is hard to explain other than doing a Forrest Gump mimic with “Corn on the cob, corn on the salad, corn on pizza, corn soup, corn in ramen, corn rice…”  You’ll see corn in so many dishes.   

As matter of fact, Japan is one of the world’s biggest importer of corn, three-quarters of which come from the United States, which might explain why their corn dishes are so delicious!  But their coveted corn comes from Hokkaido, the northernmost of the four main islands of Japan.  I’ve heard that their corn is SO good that “Binge eating Hokkaido corn in Hokkaido” is seriously on my bucket list! Not to mention Hokkaido‘s national parks are some of the most beautiful places on earth…

Grilling naked corn

Not to be confused with “Grilling corn naked.” Corn is naked.  Not you. (But if that’s your thing, not judging!)  To get the best result, the way these corns are grilled is to grill them without the husk or wrapped in a foil.  You’ll get a nice caramelized grilled flavor this way.  But since you are putting the naked corn directly on the grill, be sure to:

• Rotate the corn often, once every 2 minutes or so.
• Don’t turn up the heat past medium-high.  Cooking them naked at high heat seems to dry out the kernels. Good gauge for ‘medium-high’ fire is that you should be able to hold your hand 5 inches above the grate for 3 to 4 seconds.

Japanese grilled corn recipe

Related article: Love Japanese street food? Check out the recipe for Okonomiyaki!

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