Wagyu yuke tartare

This dish draws inspiration from Korea's yukhoe, reimagined here as a delicate wagyu beef tartare, and Japan's bright, citrusy yuzu ponzu sauce, affectionately known as yuzupon for its beloved place in Japanese cuisine. This recipe comes from chef Matthew Crabbe.

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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Ingredients

• 200 g A5 wagyu sirloin or tenderloin, trimmed
• 1 tsp white soy sauce
• 1 tsp finely chopped eschallots
• Sea salt flakes
• Egoma (sesame) leaves, to serve
• 4 small free-range egg yolks, chilled
• 1 tsp roasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp toasted black sesame powder (see Note)
• 8 tongues fresh uni
• 1 tbsp yuzu ponzu (see below)
• 16 pieces toasted nori (approximately 4 x 6 cm rectangles)
• Micro shiso, wasabi flowers, shiso flower stem (see Note), to serve

For the yuzu ponzu glaze (makes extra)

• 180 ml yuzu juice
• 40 g soy sauce
• 40 g mirin
• ¼ tsp xanthan gum

Freezing time: 20 minutes

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the yuzu juice, soy sauce and mirin to make the ponzu glaze. Pour 180 mls of the mixture (reserve the rest for later!) into a measuring jug, then slowly sprinkle xanthan gum into the yuzu ponzu while blending with a stick blender. To emulsify, blend thoroughly for 30-60 seconds until fully hydrated and smooth. Allow the mixture to rest for 5-10 minutes to eliminate any air bubbles and complete hydration. If too thick, add a small amount of water or unthickened ponzu to your desired consistency. If too thin, add an additional 0.05-0.1 g of xanthan gum, blending thoroughly after each addition. Pass the glaze through a fine chinois for an ultra-smooth finish (this is optional!). Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. To prepare the wagyu, place the beef in the freezer to chill until firm but not frozen. Using a very sharp knife, thinly cut into thin strips, around 5 mm x 3 cm. In a chilled bowl, lightly toss the strips with the white soy sauce and eschallots. Season with sea salt.
3. To plate, neatly twirl or layer ¼ of the tartare onto the centre of a chilled serving plate atop an egoma (sesame) leaf. Make a slight indentation in the centre, then nestle an egg yolk in the centre of the tartare. Sprinkle a little of the roasted sesame oil on the yolk and tartare, then lightly dust black sesame powder over the yolk. Carefully position a lobe or 2 of uni atop the yolk. Season the uni with the yuzu ponzu. Serve with 4 nori rectangles on the side. Garnish with micro herbs or edible flowers.

Note

• To make your own black sesame surigoma powder, toast black sesame seeds gently until fragrant. Grind coarsely in a suribachi (Japanese mortar) or spice grinder. Set aside.
• If egoma is not available, shiso leaves or bamboo leaves can be used.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.