Yakitori with chicken and a side dish of rice and green beans

Ingredients:

Chicken skewers

• 0.9 kg skinless and boneless chicken thighs
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sushi rice
• About 3 tablespoons of neutral vegetable oil
• About 0.5 cups dark soy sauce or tamari
• 1/4 cup mirin (rice wine)
• 1/4 cup sake
• 2 tablespoons light brown or brown sugar
• 4 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2.5 cm ginger root
• 1 large bunch green onions, trimmed
• Special equipment: bamboo skewers 15-20 cm long, soak in water

Green beans with tofu and sesame sauce

• 450 g (1 lb) trimmed green beans (2 x 8 oz packages or trim 450 g (1 lb) fresh beans)
• 4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• About 1 tablespoon soy sauce (dark soy sauce or tamari) for salted beans
  or mirin, you can use sake for sweeter beans
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 110 g of firm tofu

Preparation:

1. Pour 2 cups of chicken broth into the saucepan and bring to a boil, then add white rice and a pinch of salt. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer for 15-18 minutes until tender. Fluff the rice and leave it covered.
2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, adding vegetable oil for 3 turns. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce or tamari, mirin, sake, brown sugar, grated garlic, and grated ginger. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for a couple of minutes until thickened, then remove from heat and set aside about a third for serving; add the brush.
3. Meanwhile, cut the chicken and green onions into small pieces. Drain the water from the skewers and thread the chicken and green onions onto them, pressing them tightly together.
4. Grill the kebabs in a skillet for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally and brushing with sauce after each turn of the chicken and onions. Reduce the heat slightly if the pan begins to smoke.
5. Serve the kebabs on a bed of rice and green beans.
   
   Green beans with tofu and sesame sauce:
   Pour a few centimeters of water into a deep frying pan and bring to a boil. Cut each green bean into thirds.
6. Place the toasted sesame seeds in a mortar. Add the soy sauce, mirin or sake, and sugar. Grind with a pestle until a paste forms, incorporating small sesame pieces, about 2 minutes.
7. Cook the green beans in boiling water for 4 minutes, until crisp-tender (add salt to the water if not using soy sauce). Drain the beans in a colander and run them under cold water for 1 minute; drain. Crumble about 4 ounces (110 g) of tofu between your fingers. Sprinkle the tofu and sesame mixture over the top and serve.