WAFU JAPANESE STEAK (SOUS VIDE), WITH JAPANESE GARLIC RICE

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 
1 1-thick (2.5 cm) steak (NY or any cut you like)
  • 
kosher/sea salt (I use JAVARA PYRAMID CRYSTAL SALT; or any pink coarse salt will do) as needed
  • freshly ground black pepper as needed
  • 
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil for sous vide cooking
  • 1 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc) for searing
  • 
1 green onion/scallion
  • 
1 inch daikon radish (1 inch = 2.5 cm)
  • 
1-2 Tbsp ponzu

GARLIC FRIED RICE

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 rice cooker cups uncooked Japanese short-grain rice
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (30 ml)
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (15 g)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce (5 ml)
  • ¼ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (or more for taste)
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 stalks parsley
 

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METHOD

  • Fill your pot with water (with Nomiku, fill water past the line).
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  • Preheat water to your desired temperature. For medium rare steak, set to 135°F/ 57°C.
  • Slice the garlic clove. Trim off the excess fat around the steak.
  • 



Season both sides of the steak with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Seal the bottom end of the food saver pack.
  • Place the steak in the bag and add the garlic slices and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Then seal the top of the bag. Make sure you pick “moisture” option as we have olive oil inside.
  • Place the bag into the preheated water. A one-inch-thick steak will be ready to eat in 1 hour, the general rule is 1 inch per hour of cooking. The best part about sous vide is that it’ll never overcook, so it can be in the water for much longer (as long as water stays at the same temperature).
  • When the steak is almost done with sous vide cooking, slice the green onion thinly and grate the daikon. Set aside.
  • When 1 hour has passed, pick up the bag and cut open the vacuum package. If you have more than 1 bag in the pot and plan on searing the meat separately, you can leave the rest of bags inside the pot.
  • Remove the excess moisture on the steak with paper towel. It’s important to do this step so that steak will have nice sear. The excess moisture will “steam” the steak in the pan.
  • To get nice sear marks on the steak, remove the garlic slices. Don’t worry, the steak already has nice flavor and aroma from the garlic while cooking in sous vide. If you like, you can cook the garlic on the side of the pan. Keep in mind when you cook sous vide, do not over season the meat. It cooks for hours with the seasoning inside and the seasoning is completely absorbed.
  • Preheat the cast iron skillet (or any frying pan) over high heat and add the grapeseed oil. When you see the smoke coming off from the side of the pan, add the steak. Sear each side of the steak for about 1 minute until it develops a golden-grown crust. Press down the steak once in a while to get nice sear mark, but don’t move it around. Flip and repeat on other side. You can also finish the steak on the grill.
  •  Transfer to a plate (no need to rest with sous vide!). If you serve the steak in traditional Japanese way (with chopsticks), transfer to a cutting board and cut into ½ inch slices.
  • Gently squeeze grated daikon (liquid should not drip down) and place generous amount on top of the steak. Sprinkle green onion and pour the ponzu on top. Serve with extra ponzu on the side.
  • If you are not planning to eat the steak immediately after sous vide cooking. Soak in iced water (½ ice and ½ water) for 30 minutes to chill, and then transfer to the refrigerator to store and enjoy later.
METHOD COOKING JAPANESE FRIED RICE
  1. Cook the rice (stovetop, rice cooker, or Instant Pot). Transfer to a large bowl or baking sheet (more surface) and set aside uncovered to remove moisture. Roughly 60 minutes should be added to the total cook time. You can also reheat the frozen rice to save time as well.
  2. Cut half of the garlic cloves in thin rounds widthwise (so you see a hole in the center) and mince the other half.
  3. Remove the parsley leaves from the stems and mince them.
TO COOK GARLIC FRIED RICE:
  1. Add the olive oil to the large frying pan over medium-high heat (or medium heat on a professional stove). Slowly fry the thinly sliced garlic pieces until golden brown. If you add the garlic slices in hot oil, they would burn too fast and you may end up with burnt garlic slices. Transfer to a dish lined with paper towel and keep the garlic infused oil in the pan.
  2. Add the minced garlic in the same pan and stir fry until golden brown and fragrant.
  3. Add in butter and swirl around to coat the pan. Then add warm steamed rice. Cold rice would take too long to warm up and the garlic would get too dark (and may burn).
  4. Break the chunk of rice to separate. The Japanese short grain rice is stickier than other types of rice, so it’s normal that rice is stick to each other, but should not be in huge chunks. Once the garlic oil is coated with the rice, add the soy sauce and toss the fried rice.
  5. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste the rice and make sure it is seasoned to your liking.
  6. Lastly add the chopped parsley and mix all together.
TO SERVE:
  1. Put the garlic fried rice in a rice bowl, pressing gently to make sure there is no space in the bowl, and invert the rice on a serving plate.

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