Hayashi Beef Stew
Inspired by Ivan Orkin - New York, NY
There was a time when I thought Japanese food was just sushi, teriyaki, and ramen. Thanks to Ivan Orkin, I now know differently and count it as one of my favorite cuisines with a abundance of variety. This stew comes from what has easily become my favorite cookbook on my shelf. Please enjoy.
Parts of this recipe were adapted by Ivan Orkin’s recipe for “Hayashi Rice” in his cookbook, “The Gaijin Cookbook”. Ivan also own a ramen shop in New York City called Ivan Ramen. In my opinion, it’s the best ramen in the city.
INGREDIENTS
HAYASHI BEEF STEW (Serves 4 to 6):
2 lbs beef chuck steak, cut into 2 in cubes
3 TBS flour
2 TBS canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, thick sliced
½ cup dry red wine
1 TBS tomato paste
¾ cup diced tomatoes
2 TBS ketchup
2 TBS tonkatsu sauce (see below)
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp pepper, plus more to taste
2 TBS honey
TONKATSU SAUCE:
½ cup ketchup
¼ Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ TBS soy sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
GO FOR IT
HAYASHI BEEF STEW:
In a bowl, toss beef cubes with flour
Heat 1 TBS of oil in a cast iron or large skillet over medium-high heat
Working in batches so you don’t overcrowd your skillet, brown your beef on all sides until well seared (this may take 10 to 15 minutes), the remove from pan
Add remaining 1 TBS of oil and then sauté onions until soft (about 3 minutes)
Add in red wine and cook with onions, scrapping up bits on the bottom of pan, until the wine is almost completed reduced
Add tomato paste and stir in for 2 minutes
Return meat to pan, then add diced tomatoes, ketchup, tonkatsu sauce, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of water
Reduce heat to a low simmer, then cover and cook for 2 hours, stirring each half hour
When meat is done (should be fork tender), remove it from skillet, leaving everything else behind
Add honey
Using an immersion blender, blend remaining ingredients until smooth (you can transfer this to a blender if need be but having an immersion blender will make this much easier)
Once sauce is smooth, return meat to pan, then taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary
Serve hayashi beef stew over fresh rice
NOTES:
Like with any stew you simply want to braise this to tender perfection. However, feel free to check your meat every half hour and pull early if need be. Once while making this I went for a half portion and wasn’t paying attention. Since there was not as much liquid, it burned off much sooner and left behind a dry mess of overcooked meat. Don’t be dumb like me. You can let this sit but just be sure to check things.