Teriyaki Steak

June: National Steak Month

Islander’s Daddy served in Japan while he was in the U.S. Navy and liked to cook like the locals. As a chef on the ship, he cooked teriyaki steak and chicken for his fellow sailors. Likewise, while on shore duty, Daddy would occasionally grill teriyaki steak on his outdoor mini hibachi for the family’s Sunday supper. If there were any leftover meat, we would pack them for the next day’s lunch with a little rice for our very own bento boxes.

Teriyaki steak is terrific, especially during National Steak Month in June.

Recipe

(Adapted from Simply Recipes)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ – 2 pound steak (flank or skirt; we used ribeye), around ½ inch thick
• 1/3 cup mirin (sweet rice cooking wine)
• 1/3 cup sake
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar, granulated white or brown
• 1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
• olive or canola oil
• sesame seeds or chopped green onions (optional garnish)

Directions

In a large, shallow bowl, combine the mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar.

Mix in the grated ginger. Marinate the steak in this mixture for at least an hour (overnight is better) in the refrigerator. Remove the steak from the marinade, letting the sauce drip back to the bowl. Set aside. Use the marinade to make the teriyaki sauce by placing it in a small pot. Boil it down until it is reduced by half and becomes a thin glaze. Strain out any ginger pieces (optional).

While heating up the grill, rub a little oil on the steak to prevent sticking to the grates. Sear on one side until browned (3-5 minutes) then turn it over and brown for another few minutes to desired doneness (medium rare to well done). Baste with a little teriyaki sauce. When cooked, transfer the steak to a plate, cover it with foil to steam-lock the flavor while it is resting for 10 minutes. Uncover and slice the steak across the grain, slightly diagonal, in ¼-inch pieces. Arrange the slices on a serving platter or plate. Drizzle teriyaki sauce on top and sprinkle some sesame seeds or chopped green onions on top (optional).

Notes

• This teriyaki steak may be pan fried with a little oil in a cast-iron or non-stick skillet. Sear on one side until browned (3-5 minutes) then turn it over and brown for another few minutes to desired doneness (medium rare to well done). Baste with a little teriyaki sauce after turning each side over.
• Anyone concerned about using the same sauce in which the steak was marinated can rest assured that any bacteria will be killed during the boiling down process.
• Serve teriyaki steak with a bowl or hot steamed, sticky white rice. We recommended as a side dish teppanyaki-style zucchini, onions and yellow squash.
• Search our blog for more Japanese recipes under Theme Menus.