Beef & Tofu Donburi

This is one of my favorite donburi dish – beef and tofu.  It is just like beef donburi (gyu-don), with tofu.  Normally, firm tofu is used in cooking as it’s more likely to hold its shape than soft silken tofu, but I love the silky smooth texture of silken tofu and I used it in this recipe.

Donburi is like Japanese version of fast food.  Make it in one pot, and eat it all together with rice.

Mix them up and eat it like a man!

<Recipe> serves 2

• 200g beef, thinly sliced
• 1/4 brown onion, small
• 100g silken tofu (Japanese)
• 1/4 tsp dashi stock powder
• 1 cup water
• 1.5 tbs sake (cooking wine)
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1.5 tbs soy sauce
• red ginger, chopped spring onion, steamed rice to serve

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1. Slice onion.  Place beef, onion, water and dashi stock in a sauce pan, and bring to gentle simmer.
2. Place tofu on your left palm, and drop into the pan as you slice.  Add sake, sugar and soy sauce.  Turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Pour the beef mixture over steamed rice.  Garnish with red ginger and spring onion.

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Oroshi Steak

When I go grocery shopping in winter and find a good daikon radish, this is one of the dishes it comes to my head – steak with daikon oroshi (grated daikon radish).  I love daikon – normally I cook it in soup or stew, but also love when it’s grated and accompanied with something such as karaage, tempura or steak.  The freshness, coldness and a bit of hotness milds the oily dishes.

When I cook steak with daikon oroshi I normally eat it with steamed rice, so I cut the steak into cubes because it’s easy to pick with chopsticks.

This is best when eaten freshly made – fresh grilled steak with cold daikon oroshi and crispy garlic chips – you can go lots of rice with it.

<Recipe>  serves 2

• 2 fillets beef (steak cut)
• 10cm daikon radish
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbs sake (cooking wine)
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1/2 lemon
• olive oil to cook a

1. Cut steak into cubes.  Slice garlic.  Grate daikon radish, and chill in the fridge.
2. Place 1 tbs of olive oil in a frying pan.  Turn on the heat, and cook garlic chips until golden and crispy.  Take them out from the pan and set aside.
3. Sear the steaks in the pan.  Pour soy sauce and sake over the steak and sizzle.  Squeeze lemon juice into the sauce, and turn off the heat.
4. Arrange steak cubes on a serving plate.  Take out daikon oroshi from the fridge, and drain the liquid.  Scatter over the steak.  Top with garlic chips then drizzle sauce over the dish.

Serve immediately!

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Basil Meatball Pasta

The basil we sow about few months ago is growing big now!

I had a pack of beef mince in the freezer, so I decided to make meatballs using the basil leaves.

I chopped up the leaves finely and added to the meatballs along with onions.  Although I like meatballs with half pork half beef, this time it’s 100% beef.  It was still good, the delicious sizzling smell hit my nose as soon as I started grilling the meatballs.

Fresh basil is so great for tomato based sauce.

I added about 15 leaves to the mince, but I could add more, actually. I was bit stingy!

<Basil Meatballs>

• 300g beef mince
• 15 (or more) basil leaves
• 1 onion (large)
• 1/2 celery stalk
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 450g chopped tomato (tin)
• 3 garlic cloves

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1. Chop up the onion and celery finely.  Place half of the onion into a mixing bowl with beef mince.
2. Chop up basil leaves.  Add to the bowl.  Season with salt and pepper, and mix well.
3. Slice garlic thinly.  Heat 1 table spoon of olive oil in a sauce pan, and fry garlic until fragrant.  Add the rest of the onion and the celery to the pan, and saute for about 3 minutes.
4. Add tomato paste, and fry for few minutes, then add chopped tomatoes.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat 1 table spoon of olive oil in a frying pan.  Shape the mince mixture into little balls, and place onto the frying pan.  Grill over medium-high heat until the bottom is coloured, then flip it around.  Turn down the heat and cook further 3 minutes.
6. Pour the tomato sauce into the frying pan over the meatballs.  Simmer for few minutes.
7. Enjoy with pasta or bread!  

Quick Beef Bowl

Beef donburi, gyu-don, is one of Japanese popular donburi dish.  I’m sure you sometimes order this  at Japanese restaurants (if you like beef).

Normally, gyu-don is simmered beef and onion dish in sweet soy sauce flavoured dashi broth. This recipe, however, doesn’t require dashi broth and simmering process. It’s more like a stir-fried dish (with plenty of sauce/broth/juice from the beef and onions).  It’s a quick meal, and taste great

<Quick Beef Bowl>  serves 4~8

• 500g beef, thinly sliced
• 2 onions (medium size)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs sake (cooking wine)
• 2 tbs mirin
• 2 tbs soy sauce

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1. Slice the onions and garlic thinly.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a sauce pan.  Add garlic and onion, and stir-fry until the onions are almost transparent.
3. Add beef, and cook for 2~3 minutes.  Add sugar, sake, mirin and soy sauce.
4. Turn down the heat to low, and cook further 5 minutes.

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Enjoy with steamed rice and some vegetables!

Yakiniku

I need red meat!! Great source of protein and iron.  Craving for chunks of meat sometimes happen to me, especially on Friday/Saturday evenings when I smell BBQ from neighbors houses.

I went to out to a restaurant the other day and ordered steak.  I told waitstaff to make sure the meat is cooked well-done.  But, when I cut the steak the meat inside was slightly pink.  It may be just because of the lighting at the restaurant (the lights were red-ish color which made everything look red).  I wasn’t sure if I should eat it – it maybe ok, but it maybe not.  In the end I asked waitstaff to cook the meat more.  I should have ordered chicken or pork instead of beef, so that I know the meat is fully cooked at least.  From the experience, I only eat steak at home now.

Last night I made yakiniku at home.  It’s one of the easiest meal because what I need to do is prepare meat (and some vegetables, rice and soup to accompany).  This time I marinated the beef with grated pear to give additional fruity taste.  It also softened the meat.

Cook meat in front of you while watching tv, and enjoy the freshly cooked meat with sauce and rice!  Yum.

In Japan, beef and port for yakiniku is normally sliced into about 5mm thick.  You can buy a bulk of meat and slice by yourself too.  It is more economical.  After slicing the meat, marinate in the home-made sauce, and keep in the fridge until you  start your feast.  Don’t forget to cook rice too!

<Yakiniku>  for 2 people

• 500g beef
• 40ml soy sauce
• 10ml sake (cooking wine)
• 40g pear, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger

• cabbage, capsicum, pumpkin, onion etc 
• steamed rice / soup
• sauce (ponzu, yuzu juice with salt, or try making this sauce ↓↓)