Supper Partying: How to Host an Izakaya Party for $50 or Less

Hosting is not a cheap hobby, and spending time with our loved ones shouldn’t require you to spend half your salary on drinks at the bar or ingredients for a lush dinner party. But in an age where real-life connection is priceless and all too rare, many of us wish we could host more often.

In this series, I am testing the strength of the $50 note. Each month, I’m stretching a single pineapple for a different cuisine or occasion and hosting a party for four.

Why four? Well, just because I think it’s the perfect size for a gathering. Also, it’s the easiest number to double or halve if you’re hosting a bigger or smaller event – no size shaming here. We’ll use pantry staples, elevate overlooked ingredients and optimise food wastage to make the most out of a small budget.   

Before we head into bistro girl autumn, I’d like to enjoy izakaya summer properly while the sun is still hot. Luckily, izakaya at home is very $50-friendly: snack-driven, bite-sized and designed for drinking, these simple but punchy Japanese dishes are great to serve for any occasion, but especially at a games night or at a midweek debrief.

Here’s a rundown of the izakaya template and the recipes I used to keep the spending under $50. (Spoiler alert: I even had change.)

Our tips for an at-home izakaya

Japanese izakaya often serve yakitori and other fried meat or seafood dishes, like tempura, karaage or fried cutlets. With $50, you can pick up to two meat dishes and then make an additional two or three “side” dishes – one of which should be a carb while the others are vegetable-based.

If you go the yakitori approach, chicken wings and chicken offal is wonderfully affordable – it’ll cost you about $4 for 500 grams at most supermarkets. You can skewer hearts, gizzards, cartilage or wings and grill them with salt and/or tare. Sunagimo (gizzards) with chives is a common izakaya dish (jump to my recipe below), but be warned: it’s not for the texturally averse.

Alternatively, you can also break down a whole chicken (make sure you do it properly, with a very sharp knife and follow a tutorial) and use the thighs for karaage and the breasts for cutlets with curry sauce. Chicken skin is another izakaya staple and very cheap – sometimes even free at my local. My recommendation is to ask the butcher in the morning to save skin for you to pick up later that day or the next. Deep-fry or roast in a very hot oven and serve with lemony Kewpie mayo.

For carbs, I made yaki onigiri (grilled soy rice balls), which cost me just over $5 for four people. I used premium Hokkaido rice, which definitely inflated costs but made for a much better rice ball. You can also fill the rice balls with a protein if you’re looking for something more substantial.

Still hungry? Japanese-style potato salad with ham and boiled eggs is a light, carby side that pairs well with any salty, fatty food. And eggs marinated in soy and mirin are a welcome addition to any table.

When it comes to appetisers, I love vegetable-maxxing in a Korean barbeque “bottomless banchan” way. If you want to go the authentic route, do the classics: spiced edamame (~$4), cold-dressed silken tofu (~$6) and shio kyabetsu (~$3), otherwise known as “addictive cabbage”. Other great options include shredded cabbage dressed with mayo and lemon, tempura okra and pumpkin, or miso-glazed eggplant. If you end up with some spare change, you can always add another side – variety is key.

Recipe: Sunagimo (chicken gizzards) with Chinese chives

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes

Ingredients

1/3 cup Chinese chives, finely chopped
1/4 tsp chicken bouillon powder
1/4 tsp MSG
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp light soy
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Juice of 1/4 lemon (about 10-15 ml)
500g chicken gizzards, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup cornflour, potato starch or tapioca starch
1 tbsp neutral oil, like canola or sunflower

Method

Combine chives, chicken bouillon powder, MSG, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, soy, sesame oil and lemon juice together.

Season chicken gizzards with the other 1/4 teaspoon of salt, then toss in starch, ensuring every piece is coated.

Line a tray or plate with paper towel. Heat the neutral oil in a large pan on medium-high until the oil shimmers. Fry half of the offal until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and onto lined plate. Fry the rest of the offal.

Toss fried offal in chive dressing and serve immediately.

Recipe: Shio kyabetsu

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1/2 tbsp saké
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
1/4 tsp MSG
Pinch of salt
1/2 head of cabbage, thick stem removed and chopped into 5cm squares
Optional toppings: shichimi, furikake, black pepper, white or black sesame seeds

Method

Combine all the ingredients besides the cabbage until cohesive.

In a large bowl, pour the dressing over the cabbage pieces and massage the dressing into the cabbage until every piece is coated. Transfer to serving plate and garnish with toppings of choice.

Recipe: Yaki onigiri

Serves 4
Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
1 2/3 cups water
3 tbsp soy, divided
3 tsp sesame oil, divided
2 tsp white sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Method

Cook rice according to packet instructions. When finished, add 2 tablespoons of soy, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and sugar to hot rice and combine well.

Shape rice into onigiri moulds or shape by hand using cling film.

Heat a pan over medium. Grill and turn until both sides are lightly browned. Turn the heat down to low. Mix 1 tbsp of soy and 1 tsp of sesame oil and brush mixture on all sides. Cook and turn until glossy.

Keep up with Becca over on @supper.partying