This is a one pot Ginger Chicken and Rice dish inspired by Hong Kong clay pot rice – except we’re using a regular pot today! You’ll love the ginger-forward flavour and the secret 2 ingredient sauce that I expect to show off again very, very soon.

One-pot Ginger chicken and rice

I wanted to call this “Hong Kong Ginger Chicken and Rice” because it’s inspired by the traditional method used to make Hong Kong claypot rice where plain rice is cooked in a claypot, topped with meat and vegetables that steams as it cooks, and finished with a drizzle of seasoned sauce at the end.

Everything was written up and ready to go. Then my brother saw it (yes, the same one who tried an early version of my Chilli Lime Fish and gave the famous feedback line “There is nothing about this that I like”), snorted with laughter and declared, “You can’t call it that. Hong Kong will mock you so hard!”🤣🤣

I huffed and puffed and laughingly tried to defend my creative writing. But truthfully, I knew the battle was lost from the moment it started given the absence of a claypot and that my sauce is a (magical! secret!) combination of 2 ingredients not commonly used in Hong Kong.

It’s killing me to think of the smug smirk on this face as he reads this. But I’m placated at the memory of him scoffing down a big bowl of this and giving it his nod of approval! Such is the hilarious banter in my team and family – which, hand on heart, is what keeps our recipe creation bar high.

Ingredients you need

Here’s what you need to make this wannabe-clay-pot chicken and rice. It kind of reminds me of Maze Gohan (“mixed rice”), a Japanese dish where rice is steamed with seasoned meat and vegetables – and my mother always uses Asian mushrooms – except this has a stronger flavour.

1. Chicken and rice part

• Long grain rice – This rice type works best because it is less sticky than other types like short grain, medium grain and jasmine rice which are prone to becoming a little too sticky in these sort of one pot recipes (though they will work). Basmati rice will also work but will add a non-Asian perfume of flavour to this Asian flavoured dish. 🙂

  Not suitable / recipe not written for these – Brown rice, risotto and paella rice. wild rice, quinoa.

• Chicken – I use boneless thighs as it stays juicier than using breast when cooked with the rice, though breast and tenderloin will work.

• Stock/broth – Using chicken stock makes a tastier rice than using just water. I always use low-sodium so I can control the amount of salt in a dish.

• Ginger – This recipe uses a good amount of fresh ginger, for unmissable ginger flavour! It uses both grated ginger and slices of ginger that is cooked with the rice as it steams.

• Garlic – More of a background flavour in this dish, where ginger stars.

• Green onion – We use the firm white part like onion, sautéed with the chicken, and the softer green part is tossed in at the end (it wilts within seconds in the hot steamy rice).

2. Any mushrooms

Try to use mushrooms favoured in Asian cooking. They add more interesting texture and flavour than regular button mushrooms, and they are often good value at Asian stores. I used king oyster mushrooms, oyster and shiitake mushrooms, pictured below left to right.

However, this recipe works just fine with any mushrooms at all! I would absolutely make this dish with regular white mushrooms.

We’re using a good amount of mushrooms today – 500g / 1 lb – because it’s the primary vegetable in this dish and we’re using the juice from the mushrooms to flavour the rice and also provide some of the cooking liquid for the rice (which is why the liquid-to-rice ratio is 1 : 1.33 instead of the usual 1 : 1.5)

3. Tasty drizzle sauce

Hong Kong claypot rice is typically cooked with just water and most of the flavour is reliant on a seasoned soy sauce mixture which is drizzled on at the end when serving. Ordinarily, the clay pot sauce calls for a handful of sauces but for this recipe (intended as a handy midweek-er), we’re taking a shortcut with 2 ingredients not traditionally used but delivers similar layers of flavour:

• Kecap manis (aka Ketjap Manis) – Indonesian sweet soy sauce with caramely flavour and a syrupy consistency. The flavour is so much more interesting than just using regular soy sauce plus sugar!

• Fish sauce – Umami shortcut. No, you won’t taste any fishiness because we don’t use much (we use more kecap manis than fish sauce) and it’s tossed through steaming hot rice which basically “cooks” it anyway.

• White pepper – the preferred pepper in Asian cooking. Substitute with black pepper.

How to cook Ginger Chicken and Rice

A key step here is to just sear the mushrooms on high heat so they just get a light colour on the surface rather than cooking them all the way through ie. when they go watery, then the water evaporates and the mushrooms end up floppy. In today’s dish, we want those mushroom juices to come out when they’re cooking with the rice so the rice can soak up all that flavour!

1. Double duty sauce

First up, we make the sauce as we use some to flavour the chicken and the rest for drizzling on the rice later.

1. Sauce – Just mix the ingredients in a bowl until combined. If your kecap manis was in the fridge, it will be quite thick like honey so be sure to mix well.

2. Flavour chicken – Toss the chicken in 1 1/2 tablespoons of the sauce. This is just to season it lightly. No need to marinate.

2. MAKE THE ONE-POT CHICKEN AND RICE

Tip of the day for one-pot rice cooking: Be sure to bring the liquid up to a very energetic simmer before putting the lid on and lowering the heat. You need to get enough heat going in the pot before turning the stove down else the rice will just be sitting there, wallowing in hot water, bloating rather than cooking = sticky gluey pot of rice instead of lovely soft, separate rice grains.

1. Sear mushrooms – Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Then sear half the mushrooms but do not cook them until soft, we want to finish cooking them with the rice. Aim for just a light hint of gold on most of the mushrooms which should only take around 2 minutes. Remove from the pot, heat more oil and repeat with the remaining mushrooms.

2. Seal chicken – Next, cook the chicken, just long enough to seal the surface which should take less than a minute.

3. Sauté and stock – Add the grated ginger, garlic and white part of the green onions. Stir for 30 seconds (the ginger will smell so good!). Add the rice, stir to coat in the flavour, then pour the stock in.

4. Mushrooms – Get the liquid up to a simmer then scatter the mushrooms across the surface (like a mushroom rice lid!) and add any mushroom juices accumulated in the bowl.

5. Cook then rest – Bring the liquid back up to a very energetic simmer, then put the lid on and lower the heat to medium low (or low, for large stronger burners). Cook 20 minutes – no peeking, no stirring! – or until the liquid has been absorbed. Take the pot off the stove and rest for 10 minutes (with the lid still on).

6. Sauce – Remove the lid and drizzle the sauce across the surface.

7. Green onion – Add the green part of the green onion.

8. Toss – Then gently toss the rice until most of the rice grains are coated in the sauce and the green onion is wilted. Minimise tossing – excessive tossing makes rice mushy. Then serve!

The sauce!

It’s really, really tasty. The notable step that makes this different to the usual Asian one-pot rice recipes is adding the sauce at the end rather than cooking the rice with it which is what I usually do – like in this One Pot Chinese Chicken and Rice. It makes it taste different, it’s fresher, and coats the rice grains rather than infusing into the rice grains.

And yes, one day I will share a proper claypot rice recipe! Crispy base of rice, actual claypot, proper drizzling sauce and all, one that will do Hong Kong proud! 🙂 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Ginger chicken and rice (one pot recipe!)

Recipe video above. This one-pot ginger chicken and rice is inspired by the flavours of Hong Kong claypot rice, steamed with a layer of mushrooms and finished with a drizzle of sauce. It's gone straight into my top 3 one-pot recipes!

I've used a mix of Asian mushrooms here which have more interesting textures and impart more flavour into the rice than regular white mushrooms. But I wouldn't hesitate to make this with any type of mushrooms!

Course Mains

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Keyword asian chicken and rice, chicken and mushroom rice, Chicken and Rice, hong kong chicken and rice

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Resting 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 5 people

Calories 520cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp oil
• 500g/ 1 lb chicken thighs , boneless, skinless, cut into small bite size pieces (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 cups long grain rice , NOT RINSED (Note 2)
• 2 cups chicken stock , low sodium
• 4 green onion stems , white part finely sliced, green flopped part cut into 5cm/2" lengths
• 1 1/2 tbsp ginger , grated
• 2 large garlic cloves , finely minced
• 4 – 5 slices ginger ~5mm / 0.2" thick (large enough to easily pick out later), no need to peel

Mushrooms (use any you want – Note 3):

• 150g / 5oz shiitake mushrooms , fresh (~2 heaped cups), small halved, large thickly sliced
• 150g / 5 oz oyster mushrooms (~2 heaped cups), small kept whole, large cut into 2 or 3
• 200g / 7 oz king mushrooms , halved then cut into thick slices 7mm thick
• 2 pinches salt and white pepper (each)

Simple claypot sauce:

• 3 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy) – Note 4
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/8 tsp white pepper (sub black)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• ABBREVIATED – Toss chicken with 1 1/2 tbsp sauce. Sear mushrooms in 2 batches, remove. SeaL chicken, add garlic, ginger and white part green onions towards end. Stir in rice, add stock and ginger slices, cover with mushrooms, steam 20 min. Rest 10 min, toss with sauce and green onion.

FULL RECIPE:

• Sauce – Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Toss chicken with 1 1/2 tbsp of the sauce, set the rest aside for drizzling.
• Lightly sear mushrooms – Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot on high heat. Cook half the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper until some of the mushrooms have a light tinge of golden on the surface, but don't try to cook them all the way through (we want to do that in the rice). Remove into bowl. Repeat with remaining mushrooms.
• Seal chicken – Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil until hot. Add the chicken and stir for 1 minute, just until the surface is sealed but inside still raw. Add white part of green onion, garlic and ginger, stir 30 seconds. Add rice, stir briefly just to coat in oil.
• Simmer liquid – Add stock and ginger slices. Bring to a rapid simmer. Scatter mushrooms across surface (add any pooled liquid too), then let it come to a rapid simmer again.
• Steam 20 minutes – Put the lid on, reduce stove to low (or medium low, for weak burners). Cook for 20 minutes (do not stir) until the liquid is fully absorbed.
• Rest 10 minutes – Remove pot from the stove with the lid still on and rest for 10 minutes.
• Drizzle and toss – Drizzle remaining sauce all over, add green part of green onions. Gently toss until the green onion is mostly wilted. Serve!

Notes

1. Chicken – Because it’s cooked with the rice, thighs will stay juicier than breast though you can use breast or tenderloin if you want.

2. Long grain rice works best for these types of one-pot recipes as the rice grains are less sticky than medium grain, jasmine and sushi rice which have a tendency to get a bit too sticky for my taste. Basmati will also work. Medium grain will also work quite well. Brown rice, risotto, paella and sushi rice are not suitable for the recipe as written.

Don’t rinse. It’s not required to avoid gluey rice because we use the right liquid-rice ratio. If you rinse, it will be mushy and overly soft.

3. Mushrooms – Exact weight and mix of types doesn’t matter here, use about 6 heaped cups in total. Just cut them into similar thickness so they cook in the same time.

4. Kecap Manis (aka Ketjap Manis) – Indonesian sweet soy sauce with caramely flavour, has a syrupy consistency. Find it at most supermarkets in Australia (Woolworths, Coles, Harris Farms). Excellent shortcut ingredient when combined with fish sauce, makes a brilliant sauce.

Make your own: simmer 1/4 cup ordinary or light soy sauce and 1/4 cup brown sugar over medium heat until syrupy.

Leftovers keeps 3 days, or freezer 3 months.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 520cal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 897mg | Potassium: 831mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 154IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg

Life of Dozer

Everything Dozer eats in a day:

His homemade food – blitzed, baked in a sheet pan, cut into “Dozer safe” cubes:

• chicken mince (easy to digest)

• chicken liver (for vitamins)

• sardines in water, no added salt (rich in omega-3s, good for joints)

• egg (binding and protein)

• sweet potato (the starch)

• zucchini, kale and carrot (veg)

I live in perpetual fear of running out of homemade food because there’s no shop-bought dog food in a form safe for him to eat (he is at risk of inhaling things into his lungs, due to his laryngeal paralysis, which can be fatal).

His supplements:

• spinal repair and joint protect – special mix by Dozer’s magic dog doctor, Neil Barnsley of Animal Holistic Therapies that replaces a laundry list of pills and supplements Dozer would otherwise be on to make his golden years more comfortable. I can’t speak highly enough of Neil.

• meal completer supplement Complete Me – extra important these days to ensure Dozer gets all the nutrition he needs now that Dozer can’t eat things he used to, like bones and raw offal, which were an important part of his diet in his pre laryngeal paralysis days.

Treats – critical these days to keep him moving, especially when he’s a bit creaky or sore:

• Everything I eat and cook, as long as I can put it into Dozer-safe form!

• Cheese sticks and cheese cubes

• Nossi! (Mini cabanossi sticks) – handy snack that’s easy to transport. I keep finding random ones in the pocket of jackets, pants, the car, handbag – you name it!

I know, he’s soooo spoilt isn’t he. But, as I constantly remind people, he’s a very important company asset!! 😂

The post Ginger chicken and rice appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This is a copycat of the spicy edamame you get at modern Japanese restaurants, a standard order for pre-dinner snacking. The final recipe to complete the fusion Japanese menu I shared earlier this week, just in time for the weekend!

Spicy edamame

No outing to a fusion Japanese restaurant happens without a bowl of edamame to start. While I wouldn’t turn down a bowl of regular plain salted edamame, if Spicy Edamame is on offer, I will pounce on it. Which should surprise no one, given my love of big, bold flavoured food!

But – I always cringe when I see the price. It’s usually over $10 for a small bowl while it costs just over $3 for a whole bag of frozen edamame and less than $1 to make the sauce!

So, here is my copycat of Spicy Edamame, the sort that you see on the menu of modern Asian restaurants. Serve it as a snack – it goes with everything: sake, wine, beer, cocktails!

For a traditional Japanese version, the plain salted variety, here is the recipe on my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan.

Ingredients in spicy edamame

Here’s what you need to make this spicy edamame.

Frozen edamame

These days, frozen edamame is easily found in the frozen vegetable or Asian section of regular grocery stores. Look for packets that are not brined (ie pre salted) as it’s better to control salt levels yourself. Also, be sure to get edamame that is in the pods (rather than shelled ie soy beans removed from the pods) because the whole point of this dish is to suck the soy beans out of the sauce coated pods!

For more tips on selecting the best edamame and background information, see my mother’s traditional Japanese salted Edamame recipe here.

spicy garlic sauce for edamame

It took a few goes to get the balance of flavours right. I found that using a basic mix of soy + chilli paste + sesame oil was just a bit flat and boring. A touch of mirin and miso paste went a long way to solve this. But don’t worry, there are easy substitutes for both of these.

• Sambal oelak – a chilli paste that is made from fresh chillies with a bit of salt and vinegar. It’s mildly spicy. Even though it’s not Japanese, I like to use this for spicy edamame for the colour and flavour it adds. Substitute with any chilli paste you have, or sriracha – just start with a bit and add more at the end to get the spiciness to the level you want.

• Japanese soy is a little more delicate in flavour than Chinese soy but it’s fine to use any all-purpose or light soy soy sauce. Don’t use dark soy (too strong, it will ruin the dish) or sweet soy (too sweet). See here for more about different types of soy sauces.

• Mirin – syrupy sweet Japanese cooking wine made from rice that adds depth of flavour into the sauce. Essential ingredients in Japanese cooking (literally used in every second dish). Find it in the Asian section of grocery stores or Asian stores. Substitute with: 2 teaspoons honey plus 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock, and simmer sauce for longer.

• Grapeseed oil – This is a very flavourless oil which makes it an ideal choice when you want other flavours to shine through. Substitute with other natural flavoured oil – canola, rapeseed, vegetable or peanut oil.

• Garlic – finely minced with a knife (not a crusher, it’s too wet and pasty to be sautéed)

• Miso paste – Just 1/4 tsp provides flavour and salt into the sauce and also thickens it so the sauce clings to the edamame. Any type is fine – white, red, saikyo miso etc. Substitute: add an extra pinch of salt.

Non spicy version – See recipe notes for a Honey Soy kid-friendly alternative.

How to make spicy edamame

1. Cook the edamame from frozen in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. NOTE: Many packets will instruct to boil for 5 minutes. That’s not necessary as the edamame is already pre-cooked, and it also dulls the green colour. Also, some packets will include microwave or steaming directions which you can also use. I prefer to boil in lightly salted water for a little extra seasoning on the skin.

2. Drain well and shake the excess water off.

3. Sauce – Sauté the garlic gently in the oil until it is light golden. Then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for just 1 minute until syrupy.

4. Pour over the edamame then toss well to coat. Transfer into a serving bowl and serve!

Now, onto the most important matter – how to eat Spicy Edamame (seriously, for first timers, instruction is required!).

How to eat spicy edamame

How you eat spicy edamame matters!!! Because, uniquely, the part you eat is inside the pods (ie the soy beans) but the part that’s sauced is the outside (which is discarded).

And it’s deliberate! Because this is how to eat edamame:

• Pick up a sauce slathered pod;

• Use your front teeth to semi-bite / semi-suck the soy beans out of the pods while simultaneously sucking all the sauce off the skin of the pod;

• You end up with a mouthful of the slippery soy beans and the tasty sauce;

• Discard the sauce-less, empty pod; and

• Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Wash it down with a cold beer, warm sake, cold sake, a cocktail or your favourite glass of wine. There’s no better way to kick off a meal….or finish a Friday! – Nagi x

PS Edamame is rich in protein, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals. And there’s not much oil in the sauce, making this dish a much better-for-you option that other snacking alternatives! So I like to think it offsets the wine.😈

Watch how to make it

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Spicy edamame

Recipe video above. This is a copycat of the spicy edamame you get at modern Japanese restaurants! Every meal starts with a bowl of these! Great pre-dinner snacking.

Getting the right balance of flavours in the sauce is key. A bit of mirin and miso paste gave it a nice depth of flavour rather than tasting flat, and I like the colour and spiciness using sambal oelak.

Course Snack

Cuisine Asian, Modern Asian, Modern Japanese

Keyword edamame

Servings 4 – 6 as a starter

Calories 156cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

EDAMAME

• 300g/10oz frozen edamame in the pods (ie not shelled), preferably not brined (Note 1)
• 2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

SPICY GARLIC SAUCE

• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (or other plain flavoured oil)
• 2 tsp garlic , finely minced
• 1 tbsp sambal oelek , adjust/omit to taste (Note 2)
• 2 tsp sesame oil , toasted
• 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (sub light soy or all-purpose soy, NOT dark soy – Note 3)
• 1 tbsp mirin (Note 4)
• 1/4 tsp miso paste (any type, not critical if you omit)
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Instructions

• Spicy garlic sauce – Heat the oil in a small pan over medium low heat. Cook the garlic until very light golden, then add everything else. Stir, then simmer on low for 1 minute. Remove from stove.
• Edamame – Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the salt. Put the frozen edamame in the water. Bring it back up to the boil then cook for 2 minutes (Note 5 – ignore the packet times, they always say too long!). Drain well, shaking off excess water.
• Toss – Transfer edamame into a bowl, pour over sauce, toss. Transfer into a serving bowl – scrape out every drop of sauce! Serve warm or at room temperature.
• To eat, pick up a sauce-slathered pod. Bite the pod so the soybeans pop out into your mouth, and suck all the sauce off the skin. Discard the skin, repeat and repeat!

Notes

1. Edamame – These days you can find edamame at regular grocery stores, in the frozen vegetables or Asian section. Look for plain rather than brined (pre-salted). If you get brined, skip the salt in both the cooking water and the sauce. Be sure to get the edamame IN the pods, not shelled, because sucking the soybeans out of the pods is the whole point!

2. Asian chilli paste, find it in the Asian section of grocery stores or Asian stores, medium level spiciness. Substitute with another chilli paste or sauce, starting with less and adding more at the end if you can handle the heat.

For a non-spicy version, substitute with 1 tbsp and 1 tsp white vinegar for a kid friendly Honey Soy Edamame.

3. Japanese soy is a little more delicate in flavour than Chinese soy but it’s fine to use any all-purpose or light soy soy sauce. Don’t use dark soy (too strong, it will ruin the dish) or sweet soy (too sweet).

4. Mirin – Japanese cooking wine that is syrupy and sweet, adds depth of flavour into sauces. Find it in the Asian section of grocery stores or Asian stores. Substitute with: 2 teaspoons honey plus 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock, and simmer sauce for longer.

5. Cooking edamame – Frozen edamame is pre-cooked so it only takes a couple of minutes. Some packets say 5 minutes which is way too long and dulls the green colour. You can also steam or microwave, per packet directions, but I like to boil to get a little seasoning on the surface (tastier!).

Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Great snacking! Best at room temperature or slightly warm.

Nutrition per serving assuming 4 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 156cal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 444mg | Potassium: 370mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

Today – filming Play School. He’s peaked!

He did me proud. Never barked when the cameras were rolling and when it came to his time to shine in front of the cameras, he nailed it in one take!!

And there I am, frantically learning my lines while getting a blow-out (Dozer was up next).

What a life Dozer leads!! Still can’t believe I picked him up for 50% off. Bargain of my life!

The post Spicy edamame appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Here’s a Beef Tataki recipe, a modern Japanese favorite with thinly sliced beef in a citrusy dressing. Choose a deluxe restaurant version with beef tenderloin, crispy potato straws, and garlic oil for entertaining, or a quick meal with steak and packet crispy shallots for Monday nights. Impressive either way!

This recipe is one of the mains in the fusion Japanese banquet menu I shared yesterday, pictured below.

Beef tataki

Tataki is a Japanese dish where a protein (usually fish or beef) is briefly seared on the outside, thinly sliced then served with a citrusy sauce. It’s a popular starter at modern Asian restaurants, the sort of food that appeals to everyone – meat lovers as well as those who enjoy the more refined Asian fusion dishes (think: Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Cakes, that sort of thing!).

But it’s dish you pay dearly for, around $30 for a small serving (6 to 8 slices) at higher end restaurants. So the plate pictured in this post would cost around $80 at a restaurant (plus parking plus wine plus everything else!), compared to around $20 – $28 for the ingredients (the price of beef is a big variable).

My mother is quick to point out that beef tataki is not traditional, you only find fish tataki in Japan (here’s her Tuna Tataki recipe). So beef tataki recipe falls outside the domain of RecipeTin Japan (“authentic Japanese recipes”) which gives me the rare opportunity to post a Japanese recipe. Albeit a modern one. I’ll take that!

Ingredients for Beef Tataki

As noted above, I’m offering two recipe options here – restaurant version vs and easy Monday night option. So take your pick!

BEEF TENDERLOIN

Beef tenderloin is a lean, tender cut of beef which makes it ideal for serving in a delicate dish like tataki. Because of the shape, you get a larger area of beautiful rare cooked red meat which makes this tataki extra-luxurious to eat.

Choosing the best beef tenderloin piece for tataki

• Shape – Choose a piece that is thinner and longer (250g/8oz that is 13 – 15cm / 5-6″ long) as it is easier to slice thinly than large thick blocks.

• Short and fat – If yours is shorter than 11.5cm / 4.5″ (which means it is wider), cut it in half horizontally to form 2 thinner pieces. It takes a very skilled knife master to cut a thick piece of beef like that into thin slices. (Partially freezing doesn’t work for such a thick piece either, you end up with solid outsides before the inside is semi-frozen).

• Trim to uniform thickness so the beef cooks through evenly.

• Weight – The recipe is written for a 250g/8oz piece but you can use a larger piece if you wish, there is enough sauce.

• Quality – Because this is cooked to rare, I recommend getting a good quality piece from your local butcher. But there’s no need to get premium quality like I would (strongly) recommend if making raw beef dishes like beef tartare or carpaccio. If you use an economical piece, I’d recommend cooking the beef to at least medium rare and be prepared to cut thicker slices (more well done = meat breaks more easily when finely sliced). Also, use a bigger piece because thicker slices = less slices!

steak option for tataki

In theory, you can make tataki with any cut of steak, but my personal preferences are:

• beef tenderloin steaks (filet mignon)

• sirloin/porterhouse (known as New York Strip in the US. Not to be confused with what the US call porterhouse steaks which is the equivalent of T-bones here in Australia). This is pictured below (fat trimmed). It’s a good option because it has a more beefy flavour than tenderloin.

Both of these cuts are tender enough to serve for a dish like tataki and also they are relatively lean so you won’t have large chunks of cold white fat.

yuzu dressing for tataki

Tataki is typically served with a citrusy dressing. I’ve opted for a homemade ponzu-style sauce with the addition of Yuzu, a Japanese citrus which tastes like a combination of lime and lemons (excellent subs!). The Yuzu gives this a touch of special (restaurants love it!) and distinct Japanese flavour.

However, Beef Tataki is the sort of dish that will work with various Japanese/Asian style sauces so I’ve listed some alternative sauce options below.

• Cooking sake and mirin – two essential sauces in Japanese cooking that can be found in the Asian aisle of large grocery stores these days, as well as Asian stores. They add depth of flavour into this sauce. If you can’t consume alcohol or find them, suggest using one of the alternate sauces listed below.

• Rice vinegar – substitute apple cider vinegar

• Japanese soy sauce – or Chinese light soy sauce or all purpose soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce (too intense, it will ruin the dressing).

• Yuzu – a distinctly Japanese citrus. Chefs go through phases when they’re obsessed with this, with menus everywhere filled with Yuzu this and Yuzu that! Find it in Asian and Japanese grocery stores, they are sold in small bottles like pictured below. Substitute with equal parts lemon and lime juice (it’s actually not far off).

alternative sauces

In case you can’t consume alcohol or can’t get all the ingredients for the Yuzu Dressing, here are alternative sauces/dressings that will also be terrific with beef tataki. If you use any of these, do not use the garlic oil as these dressings already have oil in them.

• Asian Sesame Dressing

• The ginger garlic dressing from Beef Soba Noodles

• Dressing for the Tuna Poke Bowl

something crunchy!

A crunchy garnish always works well with these sort of dishes, to add texture contrast. For the restaurant-style beef tataki option, I’m using Crispy Potato Straws (blatant copycat from tataki I’ve had at restaurants). These superfine fries are the perfect garnish because they are delicately crisp and you can pile them up high so they add visual interest.

I’ve posted them as a separate recipe because they’re worthy! See Crisp Potato Straws (Pommes Paille).

Easy alternative – Rip open a packet of crispy fried shallots and sprinkle! They’re a perfect alternative – salty, crispy little pops of goodness. Pantry staple in my world – I use them so often, I even wrote a post about them!

Garlic infused oil

To get some lovely garlic flavour into this dish, I’ve opted for garlic infused oil. I prefer this to, say, mixing garlic into the dressing (which can be a little too harsh for delicate dishes like this). Garlic chips are a popular garnish option at restaurants, but again, I also find that the flavour can be a little too strong for this dish. But you do end up with crispy garlic chips, so feel free to use them!

Here’s what you need to make the garlic infused oil:

• Grapeseed oil is a neutral clean flavoured oil that is ideal to use for this sort of purpose. Substitute with rapeseed oil or any other neutral flavoured oil.

How to make beef tataki

Don’t be daunted by the step photos, it’s not hard. I’m just being generous with explanations because it’s a special dish! And remember, in its simplest form: cook a steak, slice it, and serve with one of the simple Asian dressings listed above. Monday Night Tataki is so good!

1. How to cook the beef for tataki

You will find that typical recipes call for beef tenderloin just to be pan seared briefly, which leaves the centre entirely raw. I prefer rare rather than raw beef for tataki, and to minimise the overcooked band of beef, I use a slow-roasted-reverse-seared method (main recipe) though you can also sous vide (extra directions provided). See FAQ for more information on rare vs raw, and this method of cooking.

1. Slow roast beef – Rub the beef with a little oil and sprinkle of salt. Then roast* for around 20 minutes at a low temperature (130°C / 275°F^) or until the internal temperature is 41°C / 105°F. To be safe, check first after 15 minutes. The internal temperature will rise to 49-51°C/120-124°F as it rests, which is rare.
   

2. Sear – As soon as the beef is ready, sear it for just 10 seconds on four sides in a smoking hot skillet. This seals the outside and gives it some nice colour.

* Use a rack set on a tray to allow the heat to circulate evenly around the beef so it cooks through more evenly.
^ Typically, oven temperatures for fan-forced ovens is 20°C lower than standard ovens. However, at lower temperatures, this adjustment is not always necessary.

3. Cool – Transfer the beef to a rack set over a tray. Cool on the counter for 30 minutes then refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 hours (up to 8 hours). Cold beef = easier to slice thinly.

4. Slice – When you are ready to serve, finely slice the beef. Aim for 3mm / 1/16″ thick slices but up to 5mm / 1/8″ is fine. Don’t fret if you tear or the edges crumble. Once it’s plated up, sauced and garnished, you can’t tell!

2. Garlic infused oil

Here is now to make the garlic infused oil. There’s a good amount of garlic for just a bit of oil, so you get really good but smooth garlic flavour that complements without overwhelming the dish. Raw garlic in any form is a little harsh for a delicate dish like tataki, I find.

1. Simmer & infuse – Place the garlic and oil in a tiny saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes until the garlic is pale golden. Then turn the stove off and leave the oil to infuse for 15 minutes (the garlic will get a little more golden).

2. Strain oil into a small bowl. Reserve garlic chips for another use (salad, poke bowl, noodles, fried rice!).

3. Yuzu dressing

The dressing has mirin and sake in it, so they need to be simmered briefly to remove the alcohol (else they taste a little too “winey”).

1. Simmer the mirin and sake for 1 minute in a tiny saucepan.

2. Mix – Let it cool for a few minutes, then mix with the remaining Dressing ingredients.

4. Crispy potato straws (pommes paille)

See the separate recipe for the full Crispy Potato Straws steps. In summary:

1. Julienne potato – Use a julienne mandolin to cut the potato. it extra crisp)

2. Fry – Then fry for just 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until golden and crispy. How easy it that!

Storage: This stays 100% crispy for 5 days. Make a big batch and munch on them like french fry crisps!

Plating up

OK, ready to assemble!

1. Beef slices – Use a knife to carefully transfer the beef slices onto a plate. Lay them so they are overlapping slightly in any pattern you want. Don’t worry if they look a bit scruffy! Once it’s dressed, you can’t tell!

2. Drizzle about 3 to 4 tablespoons of dressing over, getting some on every slice of beef with excess pooling around the edges. Don’t skimp on sauce! Then drizzle over about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the garlic oil.

3. Pile a mound of the crispy potato straws in the middle. Pile high! Serve leftover potato straws on the side. They will disappear fast!

4. Eat! Serve immediately, don’t leave it sitting around once dressed as the beef will weep and dilute the sauce.

how to make monday-night steak tataki

If you don’t have time to wait for the steak to cool, serve it warm. It’s still soooo good!

1. Cook steak – Cook the steak to your liking in a screaming hot cast iron pan. Restaurants typically cook it to rare (sometimes raw!) but you can cook it to your liking. (Note: The more well done the steak is, the harder it is to cut into fine slices as the meat is more prone to breaking). See the cooked temperature of steak in the recipe notes.

2. Slice – Rest then cool the steak for at least 1 hour, if time permits. Cool steak = easier to cut thinly. Though having said that, warm beef tataki is lovely!

3. Plate up – Lay the steak in a line, overlapping slightly or just lined up next to each other.

4. Sauce and garnish – Drizzle with sauce and oil of choice (see Ingredients section above for easy Monday night options). Sprinkle with crispy fried shallots and green onion. Then serve!

How to eat and serve Beef Tataki

Typically, you’ll see Beef Tataki as a starter on restaurant menus or as part of a multi-course banquet. And while it’s too pricey to consider as a main when dining out, it’s within reach when eating in! Serve it alongside a leafy Asian Salad or Slaw with fried rice or garlic rice, and you have yourself a lovely modern Asian meal.

As for how to eat it? (And yes, I totally realise how odd it sounds to include directions for how to eat beef tataki but I feel it is my duty to ensure that with every piece of beef, you get a bit of the toppings (especially if you’ve made the crispy potato straws!) and you squidge each piece of beef in the sauce before putting it in your mouth.

Squidging is key! Promise me you won’t forget! – Nagi x

PS Reminder – this recipe features as part of my special fusion Japanese menu! Designed especially with practicality in mind with much of it make-head.

Watch how to make it

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Beef Tataki

Recipe video above. Here's a Beef Tataki recipe, a fusion Japanese restaurant favorite with thinly sliced beef in a citrusy dressing. Making it at home costs a fraction of eating out!

I make the deluxe restaurant version with beef tenderloin, crispy potato straws, and garlic oil for entertaining. Whereas the steak version with Asian Sesame Dressing and a sprinkle of crispy fried shallots with a side of Smashed Cucumbers and Garlic Pot-Steamed Rice is my sort of Monday night meal!

Serves 2 as a main with sides or 4 as a starter as part of a larger banquet (see my new fusion Japanese menu here).

Course Main, Starter

Cuisine fusion japanese, Modern Asian

Keyword beef tataki, tataki

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Chilling / resting 3 hours hours

Servings 2 – 4 people

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Beef – choose ONE:

• 250g / 8 oz beef tenderloin/fillet (PREMIUM option) – thin piece 13-15cm long (5-6"), cut to even thickness (Note 1)
• 300g /10 oz sirloin steak (aka Porterhouse in Australia, US: New York strip) (Note 2) – EASIER

Cooking:

• 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other neutral flavoured oil)
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Yuzu Dressing (Note 3 other options):

• 1 tbsp cooking sake (Note 4)
• 2 tsp mirin (Note 4)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar (substitute apple cider vinegar)
• 1 1/2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce , regular (Note 5)
• 1 tbsp yuzu , or 1/2 tbsp each lime and lemon juice (Note 6)

Garlic oil (optional, Note 7)

• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil (rapeseed oil or light olive oil)
• 3 garlic cloves , sliced 2 mm thick

Crispy topping options – CHOOSE ONE

• Crispy potato straws (Pommes Paille, pictured, "fancier" option!)
• Crispy fried shallots (store bought, easy option)

Garnish:

• 1 green onion , finely sliced (optional curling, Note 8)

Instructions

Beef tenderloin:

• Prep – Preheat the oven to 130°C / 275°F (all oven types). Rub the beef with the oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on a rack set on a tray.
• Roast for 18 – 20 minutes or until the internal temperature in the middle is 41°C / 105°F (check first at 15 minutes, Note 9).
• Sear – Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat until it is smoking. Sear each side of the beef for just 10 seconds, no longer (I do 4 sides).
• Cool – Transfer the beef onto a rack on a tray. Cool for 30 minutes on the counter then refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours.
• Thinly slice – When ready to serve, slice it as thinly as you can without tearing the beef, aiming for 3mm / 1/16" but up to 5mm / 1/8" thick is fine. (Note 10 for tips)

Yuzu dressing:

• Place the sake and mini in a tiny saucepan on low heat. Bring to a simmer, then simmer for 1 minute. Pour into a bowl, let it cool. Then stir in remaining dressing ingredients.

Garlic infused oil:

• Put the garlic and oil in a tiny saucepan on low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring a few times, until the garlic is light golden. Cool for 15 minutes then strain (reserve crispy garlic for another use)

Assemble:

• Plate up – Lay the beef slices on a plate, overlapping slightly. Drizzle with 3-4 tbsp of the Dressing, then 1 1/2 tbsp of the garlic oil. Pile the crispy potato in a heap in the middle, sprinkle with green onion. (Or use the easy steak garnish options above instead).
• To eat – Serve straight away. Make sure you get some crispy potato in every bite, and squidge the beef around in the tasty sauce.

Easy steak option:

• Cook – Rub the steak with the oil then sprinkle with the salt. Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat until it is smoking. Cook the steak to rare (1 1/2 – 2 minutes on each side, but it will depend on thickness of steak), or to your taste (Note 11 for doneness). Cool & thinly slice steak per beef tenderloin steps above.
• Assemble – Place the slices in a line, slightly overlapping. Drizzle over Dressing and oil (or alternative Sauce of choice). Sprinkle crispy fried shallots down the centre then green onion. Serve!

Notes

Note on rare beef: See FAQ for commentary on eating rare beef. As a precaution, I recommend pregnant and women, babies, young children, the elderly, or anyone whose health is compromised use the steak version and cook to at least medium rare.

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1. Beef tenderloin shape – Thinner easier to slice thinly, aim for ~13 – 15cm/5-6″ long, 250g/8oz. If  yours is quite thick, cut in half lengthwise to form 2 thinner pieces, trust me, thick = super hard to slice thinly! Also, cut your piece to even thickness so it cooks evenly.

2. Steak option – Easier to get, easier to slice! Thicker cut is better, for more rare beef.

3. Other Asian sauces that will work well here (skip the garlic oil, these already have oil in them):

• Asian Sesame Dressing
• Ginger garlic dressing from Beef Soba Noodles
• Dressing for the Tuna Poke Bowl

4. Cooking sake and mirin – essential cooking wines in Japanese cooking! Find them in the Asian aisle of large grocery stores, as well as Asian stores. If you can’t consume alcohol or find them, use a sauces in Note 3.

5. Soy sauce – sub any all-purpose or light soy sauce, NOT dark soy (too strong, will ruin!)

6. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus that is sold in Japanese stores and some Asian grocery stores. Substitute with equal parts lemon and lime, fairly similar.

7. Garlic oil – Infused with lovely hint of garlic flavour. But optional! Substitute with 2 tsp sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil (totally works here).

8. Curled green onion – finely slice on the diagonal then place in cold water and put in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes until it curls (fresher = curls faster, floppy and old = takes longer!). Then drain, dry and use.

9. Cook times – exact cook times will vary due to many factors so check early. For rare beef, aim for 41°C / 105°F which will rise to 49-51°C/120-124°F (rare). 

I use a safe slow-roasting method here for the tenderloin (read in post for why) but you can also sous-vide. Set it to 51°C/124°F (1 1/2 hours), sear briefly straight away, then chill per recipe.

10. Slicing beef – Use a sharp knife and hold the sides firmly as you slice (stops edges crumbling). Slice as thinly as you can without tearing the beef. Don’t fret if you do, once the plate is all dressed up, you can’t see tears! If your slices are on the thicker side, don’t worry, it is still really tasty, you just end up with less slices.

11. Steak doneness:

Make ahead – The Dressing can be made 12 hours ahead (yuzu loses freshness with time), Crispy Potato Straws stays crisp 3 – 4 days, garlic oil keeps 3 days. Beef can be made the morning of to serve that night (if left overnight, meat does lose some juiciness).

Life of Dozer

Always reminding me that he’s ready and willing!

The post Beef tataki appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

For lovers of modern Asian food, here is a fusion Japanese menu that is do-able by any home cook, along with my tips for how to prepare ahead so dinner time is a breeze! It’s a menu I made with practicality and cost in mind. The pictured banquet would cost well over $200 at a restaurant. Make it at home for a fraction of the cost!

I adore modern fusion Japanese food!

Ask me where I’d like to go for dinner tonight, and my answer will probably be Asian! And typically, for a Saturday night out with the girls, a modern Asian place will be a likely pick. The flavours are right up my alley – I love how Asian food balances sweet/salty/savoury, the balance of textural contrast with juicy flesh combined with crunch. I love how simple things can be made extraordinary (crispy rice cakes!), the extensive use of seafood, the transformation of watery and plain vegetables into flavour explosions, marinades and sauces to-die-for and nobody, nobody fries chicken like Asians!

So today, I’m doing something a little different. Rather than a single recipe, I’m sharing a menu for a modern fusion Japanese banquet at home, along with a guide for how to prepare ahead so it’s a breeze when your best pals come round for this feast!

Are you ready? Here we go!

This spread would cost at least $200 at a restaurant. Make it at home for a fraction of the price!

About this menu

This is a banquet style Japanese menu. The dishes are either traditional Japanese or fusion Japanese, a nice mix to keep things interesting!

As mentioned above, the combination was chosen with practicality of making in mind, so much of it can be prepared ahead, as well as variety.

There’s no need to put everything out at the same time. Bring out a few dishes at a time, and linger leisurely over them. Just like you would eating out! There’s also no need to make everything. Pick and choose your favourites, or what works for you!

Modern fusion Japanese menu

Bigger things

• Gyoza – Pork and cabbage dumplings. My mother’s recipe, the best in the world!

• Beef tataki – Finely sliced seared beef with yuzu dressing and crispy potato straws. Alternative: tuna tataki on my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan.

• Chicken karaage – Ginger marinated crispy fried chicken. A firm family favourite, this recipe is on RecipeTin Japan.

• Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice – Blatant Nobu knock off, for a fraction of the price. Crispy squares of rice cakes topped with raw or canned tuna in a spicy mayonnaise-based sauce. SO GOOD.

• Sashimi – In all honesty, I buy a selection of pre sliced sashimi pieces from the fish markets or fish mongers. It’s cheaper than getting it from a sushi shop. Or, learn how to cut your own sashimi here on RecipeTin Japan. (My typical selection: salmon, tuna, kingfish. Special additions: scallops, prawn, snapper, other sashimi-grade fish).

SIDES

• Spicy edamame – Just like the ones you get at your favourite fusion Japanese restaurants! I could happily eat an entire bowl of these by myself.

• Spinach gom-ae – Japanese spinach salad with sesame dressing. A recipe on my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan.

• Asian side salad – Accidentally omitted from the picture above (OK, intentionally left out cause this is the most “boring” of all the dishes! 😂), a fresh leafy salad is always a nice addition to any meal. 🙂

• A starchy side to fill out the meal. Suggestions:

  • Japanese Potato Salad

  • Japanese Fried Rice Chahan (both these first two are on RecipeTin Japan)

  • Chinese Fried Rice (sauce is a more accessible than Chahan)

  • Garlic Pot Steamed Rice

  • Any other fried rice

How to prepare ahead and serve this banquet

In this section, I’m sharing some tips for how I prepare ahead and get organised for this menu so I’m not a frazzled stressed out sweaty mess on the day of. And if things don’t go to plan? Don’t beat yourself up or get upset! Laugh it off (you’re with your favourite people, remember!), get everyone to help and move the party into the kitchen. Make it an interactive event – you want to eat, you gotta help cook! 😇

gyoza

Gyoza can be wrapped the day before, laid out on a tray, covered in cling wrap then refrigerated. Cook just before serving as they are best served warm.

Though in all honesty they are 90% as good cooked a few hours before then reheated in the microwave. (I would do this when serving company if I wanted to really make the dinner low-effort). In fact, gyoza is a common pre-prepared food item in shops all over Japan that you buy already cooked, take home and reheat!

Gyoza recipe here

Beef tataki

The beef actually needs to be cooked a few hours beforehand (or the morning of) and can be sliced and laid out ahead of time. The crispy potato straws can be made up to 5 days ahead (they stay 100% crispy, and I guarantee you will be eating these by the fistful), the sauce can be made the morning of and the garlic oil can be made up to 3 days prior.

Alternative: Tuna tataki (on RecipeTin Japan). This too can be prepared ahead like Beef Tataki above.

Beef Tataki recipe here

Chicken karaage

Hand on heart, in Japan, it is very common to eat karaage at room temperature because it is a regular in bento boxes! So in Japan, it would be entirely acceptable to make this ahead and served to at room temperature.

Though I must confess, there’s nothing like serving karaage piping hot, freshly made. The good news is, karaage needs to be fried twice for optimum crispiness (also makes them remarkably less-greasy). So do Fry 1 ahead of time, cool the chicken then do Fry 2 just prior to serving.

If I had to choose out of cooking gyoza just before serving or frying up karaage, I would do karaage over the gyoza.

Chicken karaage recipe here

Spicy tuna crispy rice

This recipe offers two topping options: one with raw tuna or salmon, and the other with canned tuna. The canned tuna version is really, really good! Like a much tastier version of the canned tuna filling in takeaway sushi rolls.

This is a good one for making ahead because it’s served at room temperature, not warm. The crispy rice squares can be cooked the morning of then stored in an airtight container until required, they will stay crisp. Then the topping can be mixed up and kept in the fridge, ready to go. To serve, all you need to do is scoop the topping onto the rice cake, sprinkle with garnishes then serve!

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice here

Sashimi

Whether you buy pre-sliced or cut your own, it can be plated and assembled, in the fridge. Just cover with cling wrap and pull it out about 30 minutes prior to serving so it’s not icy-fridge-cold.

Spicy edamame

This can be made the morning of. Then just prior to serving, microwave to warm it up slightly, give it a good toss, pour into a bowl and serve!

Spicy Edamame recipe

Spinach gom-ae

The spinach and dressing can be made the morning of then tossed a couple of hours before serving so you can do this before your guests arrive. It does actually keep pretty well for 24 hours but it can go a bit watery, so I prefer to do this closer to serving time.

Spinach gom-ae recipe (on my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan)

Asian side salad

Put the leafy greens in a bowl, container or ziplock bag and keep it in the fridge. Make the dressing in a jar and keep that in the fridge too. Then when you’re ready to serve, pour over the dressing, toss, then transfer into a serving bowl. Done!

Asian side salad recipe

There you go! I hope you find it useful. If you have any other tips you’d like me to add to this post, pop the questions into the comments section below. I’ll monitor closely for the next couple of days while I’m working on the two recipes yet to come (Beef Tataki and Spicy Edamame).

I hope this inspires you to make your own Japanese fusion banquet! It’s so much cheaper than eating out, and honestly, there’s nothing like homemade. 🙂 – Nagi x

PS Also, no restaurant in the world, not in the best gyoza shop in Japan, makes gyoza as good as my mum’s! 😈

Life of Dozer

Chef Dozer, reporting for duty! (He promoted himself from Taste-tester?)

The post Modern fusion Japanese Menu appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.