Japanese raw wagyu beef bowl (yukke gyudon)

Gyudon is a salary-man’s favourite. Workers looking for a cheap lunch or dinner can be found sitting at counters of any of the hundreds of gyudon cafeterias all over Japan, wolfing down bowls of rice topped with beef and onions for just a few dollars per serve. Tokyo-based Australian chef Matthew Crabbe creates this fine-dining version of the humble beef bowl with top-quality wagyu rump, a wasabi jus and a fresh apple tare.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  2 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked short-grain koshihikari rice
• 12 nanohana blossoms, blanched  
• herbs, such as benitade, micro chives, baby mitsuba or shiso cress, to garnish

Shizuoka wasabi jus

• 1 litre (4 cups) brown chicken stock
• 1 tsp grated Shizuoka wasabi
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar

Apple and ginger tare

• 200 g Fuji apples, core removed and skin on
• 15 g ginger, peeled
• 10 g garlic
• 50 ml soy sauce
• 50 ml mirin
• 15 g glucose

Butter-fried shallots

• 2 red Asian shallots, peeled
• ¼ cup ghee

Wagyu yukke

• 340 g wagyu beef rump, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 1 tbsp dried capers (see Note)
• 2 tsp shio kombu, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp pink salt
• pinch of ground white pepper

Instructions

To make the Shizuoka wasabi jus, heat the brown chicken stock in a saucepan until simmering. Reduce for about 2 hours or until thick and glossy. Just before serving, whisk in the wasabi and sherry vinegar just.

To make the apple and ginger tare, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend to a fine puree.

To make the butter-fried shallots, slice the shallots in half lengthways and keep the root attached. Very thinly slice the centre part of the shallot to preserve a flower-like shape (a mandoline is useful for this task). Heat the ghee to about 140°C and cook until browned and very crisp. Drain well and season with salt.

To make the wagyu yukke, combine all the ingredients and stir until well combined. Season with salt to taste.

To serve, mould the rice onto a plate or bowl and top with the wagyu yukke. Garnish with the butter-fried shallots, nanohana blossoms and herbs. Pour around the Shizuoka wasabi jus and top with apple and ginger tare to serve.

Note

• To dry the capers, rinse brined capers in cold water and drain well. Place on a tray and dry in a warm (about 50°C) oven for 3–4 hours.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.