Monday, February 22, 2010

Beef Teriyaki


Beef Teriyaki - made February 22, 2010 from Quick Recipe magazine

Despite my plethora of baking posts lately, I'm actually still doing "real cooking". Matter of fact, I haven't had to fall back on a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner even once so far this year. That must be a record for me. Even if I am doing cooking a bit half-assed lately. For instance, I meant to stop off at the grocery store on my way home and get fresh ginger, garlic and scallions since I had everything but those for this recipe. Except I'd already put in a 12-hour day, I was tired, it was late and I couldn't face doing even one errand on the way home.

So I substituted instead - garlic powder and ground ginger instead of fresh ginger and garlic. Did without the scallions entirely and skipped the sesame seeds too. Sliced up the beef I'd had thawing in the fridge for the past couple of days, whacked the pieces with the meat mallet, fried them and threw the sauce in the pan. After a long Monday, it was good enough. This is a pretty simple recipe which means it suited my cooking skills, such as they are.

2 pounds top blade steaks, 1 inch thick, sliced against the grain into ¼”-thick strips, gristle discarded
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated fine
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a press
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon cornstarch
½ cup water
2 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil
Sticky White Rice
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 medium scallions, sliced thin on the bias

1. Toss the meat slices with the ginger, garlic and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a medium bowl and marinate for at least 10 minutes. Whisk together the remaining ¼ cup soy sauce, mirin, sugar, cornstarch and ½ cup water in a small bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Using tongs, place the meat in a single layer in the pan (using the sloping sides, if necessary); cook without moving until browned, 2 to 2 ½ minutes. Starting with the first strips placed in the pan, flip the meat and cook until the second side is browned, about 2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the meat to a clean bowl.
3. Add the sauce mixture to the skillet, scraping with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits. Cook until the sauce reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and return the meat to the pan. Cook, stirring continuously, until the sauce reduces to a syrupy glaze and the meal is well coated, about 2 minutes.
4. Divide the rice among individual plates. Place the meat and sauce over the rice and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve immediately.

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