A Simple Summer Classic

Grilled Corn with Soy/Butter Glaze

Butter is not native to Japanese cooking (neither is corn for that matter), but both have been embraced and celebrated by modern Japanese cooks. The combination of soy sauce and butter has a wonderful nutty/fermented/dairy flavor that reminds me of parmigiano reggiano. For this dish, make the glaze by melting some butter and then adding soy sauce to taste. Use a good quality Japanese soy sauce like Kikkoman or Eden. I'm sure that there are some fine Chinese soy sauces out there, but most of what you get in the U.S. and Europe is just brown salt water. Shuck the corn and brush with the glaze, then grill over a medium hot fire, turning every few minutes and basting with the glaze until the corn is "golden brown and delicious". You can also use a butter/soy sauce mix to flavor popcorn. For seasoning popcorn, the ratio of soy sauce to butter is very important. It should be mainly butter and look like an emulsion. If you add too much soy sauce it will be too watery and the popcorn will get soggy.