Beef Hayashi Rice

Ingredients

• 300 g short-grain Japanese rice
• 390 ml water
• 500 g hot pot beef or thinly sliced strip steak
• 350 g yellow onions
• 200 g fresh white button mushrooms
• 40 g unsalted butter
• 15 ml canola oil
• 30 g wheat flour
• 150 ml dry red wine
• 450 ml beef broth
• 30 g tomato paste
• 60 g ketchup
• 30 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 15 ml Japanese soy sauce
• 5 g granulated sugar
• 1 leaf bay leaf
• 6 g fine salt
• 2 g ground black pepper

Method

1. Rinse the rice several times in cold water, gently swishing it with your hand, until the water runs almost clear. Drain it carefully, then let it rest for about twenty minutes.
2. Place the rice and water in a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil covered, immediately reduce the heat to very low, and cook for about twelve minutes without lifting the lid. Turn off the heat, let it steam for another ten minutes, then gently fluff the rice with a spatula.
3. Peel the onions, halve them, then slice them evenly with the grain. Clean the mushrooms and cut them into slices. Pat the beef dry and, if necessary, cut it into thin strips that are easy to eat with a spoon.
4. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat with the oil. Sear the beef in multiple batches so it browns without releasing too much water. Keep it still slightly pink in the center, remove it from the pan, and set it aside with its juices.
5. Return the sauté pan to medium heat, add a portion of the butter, then the onions. Salt them very lightly and cook, stirring regularly, until they are soft, dark blonde, and distinctly sweet, without burning them.
6. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking over medium-high heat until their water has evaporated and they have taken on a little color.
7. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan. Add the remaining butter to the center, then stir in the flour. Mix and cook this roux until it takes on a light hazelnut color and loses its raw flour smell.
8. Add the tomato paste and cook it briefly in the roux. Then mix with the onions and mushrooms to evenly distribute the aromatic base.
9. Gradually pour in the red wine, carefully scraping up the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Mix with a whisk or spatula to prevent lumps, then let reduce until the smell of alcohol is gone.
10. Gradually stir in the beef broth, then add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer.
11. Let simmer uncovered over low to medium heat, stirring frequently, until you have a glossy, brown, coating sauce. It should coat the back of a spoon while remaining fluid enough to mingle with the rice.
12. Return the beef and its juices to the sauce. Continue cooking for only a few minutes at a very gentle simmer to warm the meat without toughening it. Remove the bay leaf, add pepper, taste, and adjust the salt.
13. Divide the hot rice onto one side of four shallow bowls. Generously ladle the beef hayashi onto the other side, leaving the characteristic separation between the white rice and the sauce visible.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

688.2 kcal

Protein

35.53 g

Carbohydrate

82.96 g

Fat

20.28 g

Fibre

4.43 g

Calcium

31.2 mg

Iron

0.95 mg

Magnesium

24.17 mg