Japanese in a Box: Fire Up the Home Grill with Yakiniku Ikouze! by Chef Luis Chikiamco

Chef Luis Chikiamco pursues his long-time passion project offering premium home D-I-Y Yakiniku kits with Yakiniku Ikouze!, one of the many new home-based food businesses that continue to emerge in this new normal. Dining at home and the popularity of D-I-Y Kits along with the rise of the food delivery culture and increased online usage are just some of the new consumer habits from the quarantine experience, and food businesses are adapting to the shifting trends. For Chef Luis, there's just no better time than now, despite the many challenges, to offer his own unique concept of the perfect yakiniku experience at home with Yakiniku Ikouze!

The quarantine experience continues to transform our daily routine and social distancing, contact tracing as well as masks and shields now make up the new normal. Staying home meant dining home too, and the surge in food deliveries in the past year continues to this day. D-I-Y Kits have also been increasingly popular, reflecting how food businesses have adapted and evolved with the times. Chef Luis Chikiamco, the Executive Chef of Discovery Primea, felt the time was right to launch his very own spin on yakiniku with his brand, Yakiniku Ikouze! Chef Luis brings together world-class and premium beef paired with special blended sauces for a sumptuous yakiniku feast, boxed up and delivered to your doorstep.

How does one achieve relevant differentiation from the clutter of food offerings available in the metro and online? Chef Luis adds value to his unique offering by combining premium beef and special homemade sauces for his own personal take on that perfect yakiniku experience at home with family, neatly packed in a box and ready for the home grill. 

The Yakiniku D-I-Y Kit (P 980) by Yakiniku Ikouze! includes all the components needed for the ultimate yakiniku experience at home, packed and sealed for the whole family to enjoy. The attractive packaging also makes it the perfect gift to friends and family. But you deserve a feast like this. Whipping up a sumptuous yakiniku feast for the family was never this easy.

Chef Luis adds his own specially blended yakiniku sauces with each kit, a sweet and flavorful soy-based sauce and a mildly spicy sauce with a subtle sharpness and just a whisper of heat. Sesame seeds and Shichimi Togarashi or Japanese 7 Spice blend, completes each boxed kit.

The yakiniku experience begins with the finest beef, and each D-I-Y Kit from Yakiniku Ikouze! includes the very best to transform and elevate dining at home...

...with fork-tender USDA Short Ribs...

...and buttery melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu Tender from Snake River Farms. The fine art of Japanese Barbeque isn't as daunting as it sounds. After all, you make your own rules in the kitchen. Or in this case, your dining table. But if you need some guidance...

...then, it's time to meet Toshi, the Yakiniku Master of Yakiniku Ikouze! The D-I-Y Kit includes an entertaining pamphlet that guides you through each step of the process with clearly illustrated instructions. 

The D-I-Y Kit by Yakiniku Ikouze! is well thought out, taking the guesswork out of the equation for that perfect yakiniku experience at home. It's details like this that sets Yakiniku Ikouze! from the rest.

And with the handy guide by Toshi, you're on your way to being a yakiniku master in your kitchen. It's a complete package, all you need to do is fire up the home grill or toss a pan on the burner. And some freshly steamed white rice. But it's the way the D-I-Y Kit is packaged that makes it special and different adding a festive vibe to the home dining experience.

If you don't have a table-top grill, no problem. I used a cast-iron skillet and it worked just fine. Simply heat the USDA Short Ribs and Wagyu Tender from Snake River Farms to your desired doneness and that's 3 seconds on each side for that rare finish with a juicy pink center, 8 seconds per side for medium rare and 10 seconds for well-done. 

Then, sprinkle some sesame seeds and the Shichimi Togarashi (also included in the kit) and it's ready to serve. Just like that. The aroma of freshly seared premium beef tempts the palate and feeds the eyes, but it's the experience shared with family at home that makes this yakiniku feast special. 

And that first bite of the fresh-off-the-grill slab of beef sets the tone for a memorable lunch or dinner. The Wagyu Tender from Snake River Farms is best served medium rare for that unctuous butter-like notes pairing perfectly with the spicy yakiniku sauce to temper the savory richness...

...while the bold beefy flavors of the fork-tender USDA Short Ribs are complemented by the sweet yakiniku sauce. But go ahead and try both sauces, it's all about enjoying beef your way. A sprinkle of sesame seeds adds both texture and subtle nutty notes with each bite while the Shichimi Togarashi adds a balanced sharpness to cut through the savory notes. Unlike beef short ribs of a lower grade, the USDA Short Ribs provided by Yakiniku Ikouze! are tender and juicy. Be sure not to overcook the beef or you'll end up with dry and chewy bites. You'll probably want an extra bowl of steamed white rice.

"Yakiniku" which means "grilled" ("yaki") and "meat" ("niku") is best experienced using premium beef. And Yakiniku Ikouze! by Chef Luis Chikiamco packs it all conveniently in a box for you. And "ikozei"? That means "let's go" which you'll want to do as soon as you receive your D-I-Y Kit from Yakiniku Ikozei!

Each D-I-Y Kit from Yakiniku Ikouzei! is good for two to four, containing the following components:

If you don't plan on immediately consuming the boxed yakiniku set as soon as its delivered (which is rare), be sure to keep the sauces and the premium meats refrigerated and consumed within two to three days. If you plan to consume it within the next three days, store the meats in the freezer and thaw before grilling. But I just don't see how you'll wait another day to fire up the home grill. The USDA Short Ribs... 

...and Wagyu Tender from Snake River Farms should be unboxed and grilled the moment it's delivered. Why let a good thing wait, right?

From the premium beef to the special yakiniku sauce blends, sesame seeds, Shichimi Togarashi and the serving wooden chopsticks, the D-I-Y Kit from Yakiniku Ikouze! by Chef Luis Chikiamco conveniently packages the perfect yakiniku experience at home in a box. 

Dining in the new normal will continue to change and evolve, but sharing a special meal with family and loved ones at home will continue to warm both the palate and heart in the long quarantine days ahead. And everything comes conveniently in a box for that memorable yakiniku experience. All you have to do is call or send a DM to Yakiniku Ikouze! by Chef Luis Chikiamco...