WAGYU STEAK WITH TEPPANYAKI VEGETABLES
SERVES 2 / PREPARATION 20 MINUTES / COOKING 15 MINUTES
Japanese food can be very simple and I love the flavours and quick cooking style of teppanyaki for a weeknight meal. A heavy frying pan works well for two people to achieve the fast cooking style of a teppanyaki grill plate or you could use a barbecue hot plate.
A cheaper cut of wagyu is perfect here, such as skirt or flat iron as the fat keeps it very tender and it is coated in sauce, but regular steak is good, too, and even better if you add a bit of butter when you add the sauce. For a plant-based version, pan fry tofu, tempeh or another vege alternative – they really soak up all the flavour of the sauce.
3 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 red chilli, finely chopped (discard seeds for less heat) 1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic, grated or crushed
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
300g piece wagyu steak
1 tablespoon plain oil, plus a little extra to rub the steak 6 shiitake mushrooms
1 medium carrot, peeled
⅛ green cabbage, sliced
2 spring onions, trimmed
50g oyster mushrooms
100g mustard greens, bok choy or similar leafy green 1 cup bean sprouts
2 tablespoons (30g) butter
To make the sauce, put the mirin, vinegar, sugar, chilli, ginger and garlic in a small saucepan over a gentle heat, stir to dissolve the sugar and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the tamari, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Set aside.
Heat a frying pan to hot. Rub the steak with a little oil and cook to your liking. In the last minute of cooking, pour over half the sauce and turn the steak in it to coat. Tip everything out onto a plate to rest while you cook the veges.
Wipe the pan with a wet paper towel. Add the oil to the pan to heat then start adding the vegetables in order of how much cooking time they need. I do shiitake mushrooms for a minute, then add the carrot, cabbage and spring onions for a few minutes then the oyster mushrooms and greens and finally the bean sprouts along with the butter and the remaining half of the sauce and stir through.
Slice the steak and serve with the vegetables. ■
CREDITS Noodle bowls from Yvette van Rader Ceramics. All other props are stylist’s own.
For full details see credits index, page 137.