Torched Wagyu Donburi (with Yuzu Sansho Sukiyaki sauce and Quail Egg)
My sister bought 12lbs of A5 Wagyu for a pretty and decadent penny and then gave me a hunk of it after we had a barbecue. This level of marbling in the wagyu makes it a slightly difficult ingredient to work with–heat it for too long and it renders the fat and shrinks to nothing, and you can’t eat too much of it because of how rich it can be (between the 8 of us, we ate just a few bites each and was full for the rest of the day!) So eating it as “steak” can be a bit overwhelming.
I decided to go traditional with it and this is still my favorite method of eating a nice marbled piece of beef–Adam had some and said it’s like the toro of red meat. I made a small bento of it for Hagihara-sensei, who, like Adam, compared it to eating really amazing sushi. This particular dish is why I decided to bite the bullet and get a kitchen torch–something I saw as a useless extra, but torching ingredients really does make it better, with a slightly smokey flavor reminiscent of having done it over charcoal.
Yuzu sansho is a condiment I keep, a little jar goes a long way. It’s a delicious condiment made by using yuzu, chilis, and sansho peppercorn (sometimes the leaves) and salt. It really provides an extra tang that cuts through the richness of the wagyu. A dab of it in sukiyaki sauce provides a surprising burst of freshness that makes me miss my sansho pepper tree at my old place, and has reminded me I need to plant some here.
The quail egg yolk is from my quails, of course.
Ingredients
- 4oz wagyu beef (or marbled short rib), sliced thin
- 1 bowl hot white rice
- 1 quail egg, yolk only
- Minced spring onion, for garnish
- Sauce: 1/4 teaspoon yuzu sansho, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon mirin, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon sake, 1 tablespoon water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, sake, and water together, microwave for 15 seconds and then allow to cool. Add yuzu sansho and mix well.
- Place raw wagyu slices over white rice, sprinkle a little salt and pepper, and then torch until desired done-ness (should really be kept rare if possible.)
- Drizzle with sauce and garnish with spring onions and quail egg yolk.
