Ikayaki Osaka

Method

1. 1 Clean the squid but leave it whole, including the head and tentacles.
2. 2 The inside of the squid's body is scored with dragon scale-like cuts to prevent it from curling up when exposed to fire.
3. 3 Simmer soy sauce with mirin, sake, and sugar for 5 minutes until thickened.
4. 4 Grill the squid on a very hot cast iron griddle for 2 minutes on each side.
5. 5 Brush the sauce three times in the last 90 seconds; brushing too early will cause the sauce to burn before the squid is cooked through.
6. 6 Slice into rounds, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with pickled ginger and a squeeze of lemon.

With an appliance

• Charcoal grill 28 min

  Grill over charcoal, keeping it 10 cm above the grill for 4 minutes; brush with sauce during the last 60 seconds.