Executive Chef Tadashi Ono owned and ran Chelsea's iconic Japanese restaurant, Matsuri, for many years, after honing his skills for almost a decade as Executive Chef of the famed French fine dining institution, La Caravelle. We chose this recipe to debut a new recipe category, called Crossings, where Chefs create dishes that cross borders. In this artful creation, the Chef uses a Japanese style beef, crossbred in America, and marries it with Japanese flavors and powers it with a hint of french dijon mustard punch. Cut the servings in half and you have an extra-special appetizer that can be made ahead until the very last minute. This recipe is truly quick. Searing the American Kobe beef takes two minutes. It marinates for a minute.The sauce takes about three minutes. You can use one knife and one pan. Now that's fast, easy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. American Kobe beef strip loin, cut into 2 pieces (see note)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (approximately the juice of one fat lemon)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons sake (see note)
- 2 tablespoons mirin (see note)
- 1 sheet (2 inch square) Kombu ( see note)
- ¼ cup bonito flakes (Katsuobushi, see note)
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 4 shiso leaves ( see note)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
- 1 radish, sliced very thin or julienne
Instructions
Make the quick marinade
Mix soy sauce , garlic, olive oil, grated ginger and black pepper well. Marinate beef for about 2 minutes, making sure to turn midway through to coat both sides.
Make the sauce
In a medium saucepot, over medium heat combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice, water, sake, mirin , kombu and bonito flakes and until it just reaches a boil. Set it aside and allow it to cool completely. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer , china cap and/ or chinoise. Whisk in the mustard until well incorporated. Refrigerate or keep the sauce over an ice bath .
Sear the beef
Preheat a saute pan. It must be very hot. Brown the beef for twenty seconds on each side. Cover and cool immediately in the refrigerator to stop the cooking.
To serve
Slice the beef very thin and place it on a plate in a fan shaped pattern. There will be about ten slices per person. Spoon sauce over the edge of the meat . You will need about 2 tablespoons per serving. Garnish decoratively with shiso, scallions and red radish.
Notes
This recipe is full of wondrous Japanese ingredients. Asian markets that cater specifically to a Japanese population will be your best bet for finding fresh items like shiso leaves, but you can try at a small Korean groceries, Thai shops, Chinese markets and Filipino stores. You can source the dry ingredients online. The beef is available, by request, from some butchers. It can be purchased and overnighted on line. There is no substitute for this cut of beef, but in a pinch you could use a boneless rib eye. Tami Ganeles-Weiser, recipe editor