Photo and recipe by Matthew Lau
During my time as a professional chef working in yakitori and izakaya style restaurants, one of my all-time favourite dishes to serve has to be Beef Tataki. The technique of quickly searing the meat at extremely high heat locks in the eye fillet’s juiciness – the steak is best “done” extra rare to celebrate the most tender cut of beef. The ponzu sauce packs a punch, making Tataki a tantalising entrée.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
- 200g beef eye fillet
- 1 dash of sesame oil
- 25ml soy sauce
- 30ml rice wine vinegar
- 30ml mirin
- 15ml lemon juice
- Flaky sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Spring onions, thinly sliced to garnish
- Toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
Method:
- Pre-heat pan till scorching hot. In the meantime, season the beef thoroughly with sea salt, black pepper, and sesame oil. Prepare an ice bath.
- Seal all sides of the fillet in the smoking pan till coloured but still rare. Plunge into the ice bath to halt the cooking process – allow to cool.
- Whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, mirin, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl to form the ponzu sauce.
- Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the steak across the grain. Lay the slices on serving dishes and drizzle with half the ponzu-style dressing. Lightly scatter over a garnish of spring onions, drizzle with more of the dressing, and then top with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
Serving suggestion: Complete the Japanese appetiser experience by serving your Beef Tataki with sliced pickled daikon radish, Japanese-style cabbage salad, and salted edamame beans.
From page 32 of Issue 24: Soul: ‘Nurturing the Spiritual Principle in Us’ of The Record Magazine