← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 350 g boneless beef short rib or sirloin, very thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Sake
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 1 clove Garlic, grated
• 1 tsp Ginger, grated
• ¼ Apple, finely grated (optional)
• 1 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds, toasted
• ½ tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 bowls of hot cooked Japanese short-grain rice
• 1 Spring onion, finely sliced
• 2 lettuce leaves, shredded (optional)

Method

1. Mix all the sauce ingredients. Toss the beef with half of the sauce and leave for 15 min.
2. Heat a large frying pan or griddle over high heat until very hot, then add the oil.
3. Lay in the beef in a single layer, in batches if needed. Sear for about 1 minute per side until browned with charred edges.
4. Return all the beef to the pan, pour in the rest of the sauce and let it bubble for 30 seconds until it coats the meat.
5. Line the bowls with rice (and lettuce, if using), pile on the beef with the pan juices and finish with spring onion and more sesame seeds.

Tips

• Grated apple or pear tenderises the beef and gives the sauce its fruity yakiniku character.
• Pork belly or chicken thigh slices work the same way.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Just One Cookbook Japanese Cooking 101