1. Yakiniku

Grilling with family and friends is one of the best ways to enjoy the summer, but sometimes grilling the same way can get boring. Add a Japanese flair to your grilling next time by cooking your meat Yakiniku-style, with a tasty dipping sauce to pair.  Yakiniku (焼肉), literally meaning "grilled meat," is a Japanese style of barbecuing beef and can be compared to Korean BBQ, except rather than marinating meat beforehand, a dipping sauce is paired to complement the flavors. Since the meat isn't marinated, the quality of the meat must be taken into consideration to ensure optimal tenderness. Japanese wagyu from Maxim Farm comes from hormone-free, stress-free wagyu cows, carefully tended by farmers for years to protect the vitality of the cows, and is recommended for a delicious meal. 

Traditionally, yakiniku is grilled by Shichirin, a small charcoal grill, or by Hibachi, a Japanese heating device. For modern chefs, a gas/electric grill can produce a similar result. Cut meat into bite size pieces and grill to desired perfection. Add any vegetables and/or seafood if desired.

 

Dipping sauce:

• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp miso paste
• 1/2 tsp garlic paste
• ⅛ medium apple grated
• 2 tsp white sesame seeds roasted

Directions:

1.Add mirin, sake, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, miso, dried bonito flakes to a pot and simmer for about 1½ minutes.

2.Once that time has passed, strain the sauce so it’s nice and smooth.

3.Add roasted white sesame seeds and the grated apple, and you’ll be ready to start dipping yakiniku in it.

4.The best way to enjoy it is to let the sauce sit for about half a day or even better overnight in the fridge so all the flavors can meld together.

 

2. Sukiyaki  

 

One of the most popular Japanese hot pot dishes, sukiyaki (すき焼き) is great for get-together with friends and family. Sukiyaki is so easy to prepare and tasty. Cooking thinly sliced beef, tofu and vegetables in sweet soy sauce flavor over a portable cook top on the table is so much fun.

Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)

Warishita (sukiyaki sauce)

1. 90ml (3oz) each of sake, mirin and soy sauce
2. 3 tbsp sugar
3. 50ml (1.7oz) dashi stock (note 1)

Sukiyaki 
1. 250g (0.6lb) beef, very thinly sliced (note 2)
2. 2-3 stems of shallots (scallions), about 140g (4.9oz)
3. 4 shiitake mushrooms
4. 1 pack of shirataki (konyaku yum noodles), 350g (12.3oz) (note 3)
5. 150g (5.3oz) shungiku (edible chrysanthemum leaves, note 4)
6. ½ pack of firm tofu , 150g (5.3oz)

Serving
1. 1 tbsp cooking oil (note 5)
2. 50ml (1.7oz) dashi stock (note 1) or water to adjust flavor if required
3. 2 row eggs

Instructions:

Warishita
1. Add all the Warishita ingredients in a small pot and boil over high heat.
2. After letting it boil for 5 seconds or so, turn the heat off and put aside until required.
Preparing the Ingredients
1. Beef: If each slice of beef is very large, cut it into two. A slice larger than your palm
might be too big to handle when eating.
2. Shallots: discard the roots and slice shallots diagonally into about 5cm (2”) lengths.
3. Shiitake mushrooms: Chop off the stems of shiitake mushrooms. To decorate shiitake
head (optional), make a shallow v-shape cut in the middle of the head, then another v-
shape cut perpendicular to the first cut, making a cross (see the photo in the post).
4. Shirataki: Rinse shirataki in water. Spread the noodles on the cutting board, about 20cm
(8’) wide, and cut them in half. This is to shorten the noodles so that you can pick them
up easily when eating.

5. Shungiku: Trim the end of the stem. Cut shungiku into about 10cm (4”). If the stems are
extremely thick, like 1-1.5cm (½”) thickness, cut the stem vertically in half.
6. Tofu: Cut the tofu block into two, then cut again perpendicular to the first cut making 4
small blocks.

Cooking and Serving:
1. Group each ingredient together on a large plate.
2. Place each egg in a small bowl in which the individual can beat the egg and dip sukiyaki.
3. Heat a large fry pan with heavy base or shallow cast iron pot/casserole over high heat
and add oil.
4. Sauté beef slices to lightly brown on each side, about 30 seconds. Add shallots and sauté
for 15 seconds.
5. Add warishita and the remaining ingredients except shungiku, clustering each ingredient
together for better presentation (if you wish).
6. Once the sauce starts boiling, turn the heat down to simmer and cook for a couple of
minutes, then add shungiku.
7. Cook for another couple of minutes or until vegetables are cooked through, occasionally
turning over the ingredients so that they will be cooked evenly.
8. Leave on low heat while eating sukiyaki directly from the pot. If the sauce is condensed
too much to your liking, add some dashi stock or water to adjust and bring to simmer.

 

3.　Strip Steak  

 

 

A simple and a perfectly cooked pink and juicy sirloin steak or Rib Eye Steak is a best option in most cases. Steak is an expensive choice both in a restaurant and when cooked at home, and lacking the know-how of the trained chef to decide when it is done can make the whole process quite daunting. It's important to find a good sirloin steak recipe first and foremost but there's a wealth of handy hints and tips out there that will help you nail that perfect steak

 

 Steak Ingredient:

Instructions:

1. Before you begin, remove the steaks from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature for at least 1 hour.

2. Heat a cast iron skillet (or heaviest pan you have) over very high heat.

3. Add a good dash of oil. Season the steaks liberally with flaky sea salt.

4. When the oil is hot, add the steaks carefully to the pan and cook　for 1 and an half minutes each side, or until beautifully golden on the undersides. 　The length of time you cook your steak completely depends on personal preference.　The most important thing is to get a good sear on the exterior without overcooking the inside.

5. Remove to individual plates, rest 5 minutes.

6. The final thing to remember when cooking sirloin steak is the importance of resting time. When the steak is cooked it needs time for the muscle fibers to relax – cutting into it straight away will result in those delicious meat juices bleeding onto the plate. Rest the steak for about five minutes and the meat will relax and reabsorb all those juices, giving you a tender, juicy steak.