Beet Tataki

Ingredients

• 200g beef fillet, trimmed to equal thickness
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tbsp vegetable oil
• PONZU-STYLE SAUCE
• 1/2 cup Obento Ponzu sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• Toppings for Beef Tataki can be anything that you like. Suggestion to have a combination soft and crunchy texture.
• In this recipe, I used Sliced cucumberMatchsctick nashi pear Seaweed saladQuick pickled sliced red onion Korean pickled radish (Danmuji), usually used for Gimbap - sliced into small diceCrunchy fried lotus rotNurungji - Korean scorched riceRoasted sesame seed

Method

1. Pat beef dry, sprinkle with salt. Leave overnight on a rack, uncovered, in the fridge. This step is optional if you are short of time.
2. Sear the beef: Remove the beef from the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Heat a non stick frying pan until smoking. Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced. Add the oil and sear the beef all over, then transfer the beef (and pan) to the oven for 7-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 45C. Transfer the beef to a rack and cool on the counter (about 1 hour).
3. Ponzu-style sauce: Combine the Obento ponzu sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar and sesame oil in a clean jar. Shake until well combined, set aside. You can also mix it ahead of time and keep the sauce in the fridge
4. To make nurungji ; 1 cup of short grain rice and water
5. Put the rice into a heavy bottomed pot. Rinse in cold water and drain, then scrub the wet rice with your hand.Rinse and drain until the drained water is clear, then drain out the last of the water by tilting the pot as much as you can. Add 1 cup of water to the pot and soak for 30 minutes with the lid closed.Bring to a boil over medium high heat and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Open the lid and turn over the rice with a spoon.If you want to make nurungji, then let it simmer for another 10 minutes, long enough for some rice to get burnt on the bottom.
6. To get the nurungji out of the pot:Scoop all the cooked rice out of the pot and leave the scorched rice in the bottom.Simmer the pot for 2 minutes with the lid closed over low heat.Open the lid and sprinkle some drops of water over the rice with your fingertips. Cover it again and let it cook for 1 more minute.Then scrape out the nurungji from the outside in with a spoon, you’ll see it comes out a lot easier.
7. Assembly Time:
8. Cut the beef into really thin slices. Place the slices on a plate, overlapping slightly or however you would like.
9. Arrange the prepared/sliced onion, cucumber, nashi pear, radish, seaweed salad as per your own preference.
10. Dress the beef with the chilled ponzu sauce and sprinkle with roasted sesame seed. Crunchy nurungji and fried lotus root on the side. You can use the nurungji as the 'spoon' when eating the beef tataki. This dish is so easy to make and so refreshing for hot summer weather.

Product used in recipe

• Obento - Ponzu Sauce