Beef Shigureni (Simmered Wagyu with Ginger and Burdock Root)

Peel 150 g burdock root (gobo) and diagonally slice about 2mm thick. Submerge in a bowl of cold water with 1 dash rice vinegar and set aside for later.

Peel 20 g ginger root and julienne. Submerge in a separate bowl of cold water and set aside for later.

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. While you wait, cut 250 g thinly sliced beef into 2cm (1 inch) pieces and prepare a bowl of ice-cold water.

Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat and blanch the beef by submerging for about 30 seconds or until lightly cooked (it should still be a little pink).

Use a sieve to drain the hot water and quickly transfer the beef to the bowl of ice-cold water to halt the cooking process and cool for a few minutes. Once cooled, drain and set aside for later.

Heat a frying pan on medium and add ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil. Once hot, drain the burdock root and add it to the pan. Fry for 2 minutes.

Drain the ginger and add it to the pan along with 4 tbsp white wine, 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 2 tbsp light brown sugar and 1 tbsp mirin. Mix well and simmer over a medium heat until reduced by two-thirds.

Add the blanched beef to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high.

Stir fry everything together until the liquid has almost gone and the beef is coated in the sauce, then turn off the heat.

Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with finely chopped green onions and toasted white sesame seeds (optional).

Enjoy!