Beef tataki with simple ponzu sauce is a great Japanese dish to share with friends. If you like Japanese, you are going to love this.

Tataki is anything that is flash seared and thinly sliced. You can do it with fish but here it’s beef. It’s great any way you do it though.

Traditionally I think it’s supposed to be served with ginger. So this isn’t super authentic. I went for maximum flavour here instead.

Ponzu sauce is this magic citrus soy sauce stuff. Super simple to make and super delicious. Japanese food is like that. Understated but so nuanced.

beef tataki in a pool of ponzu sauce. - 1 beef tataki in a pool of ponzu sauce. - 2 Sous vide beef tataki is how the pros make your steak perfect every time. - 3

beef tataki

Ingredients

Steaks

  • 12-14 oz good quality top sirloin - cut 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. You don’t want your sear to cook the steak too much.
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2-3 green onions

Simple ponzu sauce

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp sake
  • 2 tsp mirin
  • 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice - good or a combination of lemon and lime juice (better), strained

Instructions

Sous vide the steak and cook the steaks

  • Salt the steaks liberally.
  • Use a food saver to shrink wrap the steaks.
  • Pre-heat your sous vide to 116 degrees. See below for guidelines on temperature vs. level of doneness.
  • Immerse the shrink wrapped steaks in the water and let it cook for about 90-110 minutes.
  • Remove the steaks from the water bath.
  • Heat a sturdy skillet large enough to hold the steak in a single layer over medium high heat.
  • Add about 1 Tbsp of vegetable or peanut oil.
  • Sprinkle the steaks with black pepper to taste. A nice crust of butcher’s grind pepper is nice. Not particularly Japanese but nice.
  • Sear the steaks one one side for about 20 seconds. Flip and cook on the other side for 20 seconds. Repeat on each side for a total of about 80 seconds.
  • Sear the sides (stand the steaks up) about 20 seconds on each of the long sides.
  • Let rest 5 minutes.

Make the simple ponzu sauce

  • Combine the sake and mirin in a small sauce pan and simmer for 1 minute.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and stir.

Prep the green onions

  • Here’s a trick that food bloggers don’t advertise. If you want those nifty curled green onions it’s easy.
  • Julienne the green part of a couple green onions.
  • Immerse the julienned green onion in a small bowl of ice and water.
  • Stir them around a bit with your finger to get them unstuck from each other.
  • Let stand about 20 minutes.
  • Drain and blot on paper towel.
  • That’s it. Now you know.

Serve the beef tataki

  • Slice the beef thinly. Try to get as close to across the grain as you can. If you have a nice Japanese knife this is a good place to use it.
  • Fan the beef out. Garnish with thin slices of the white portion of a green onion along with the curled green onion.
  • Drizzle with ponzu sauce.
  • Serve with additional ponzu sauce.

Notes

Nutrition

Curried carrot soup is a simple, yet elegant and absolutely delicious. It’s carrot with a hint of curry so will work nicely with just about any entree you pair it with.

I love soups. Really love soups. They are perfect for dinner parties. Because they are pretty much done by the time your guests walk through the door.

One course down. Before the doorbell rings. How can you not want that? No fiddling. No last minute timing. Easy. Let’s you focus on the rest of the meal. Or maybe even your guests? Crazy idea.

Really cook the carrots for creamy curried carrot soup

The secret to great carrot soup is to really cook the carrots. So simple. Want carrots that puree perfectly? Cook the carrots until they are soft. Really soft.

I see a lot of recipes that suggest you cook the carrots for 20-25 minutes. That might work. If you cut the carrots really small. Or you like lumpy carrot soup.

If you like lumps stick with 20 minutes. If you want silky smooth an hour is better. Soft carrots. Good soup.

Curried carrot soup for when you want a little bit of exotic at your dinner party. - 4 Curried carrot soup for when you want a little bit of exotic at your dinner party. - 5

This is a really pretty soup. Perfect for that elegant dinner party. You get real pop from the combination of the carrots and the turmeric in the curry powder.

A little finely julienned cilantro adds a bit of contrast. Looks great against a white bowl. They say you eat first with your eyes. That’s a bit flowery a description but it’s true. The little things count.

Try curried carrot soup for a dinner party when you need a soup that’s just a little bit flashy. And crazy delicious.

Curried carrot soup for when you want a little bit of exotic at your dinner party. - 6

curried carrot soup

Ingredients

  • 1.75 lbs carrots – after trimming/peeling
  • 1 large onion – diced
  • 2 cloves garlic – minced
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • cilantro – minced, to garnish

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients. Add the onion and cook over low heat until translucent. Now add the garlic and cook for another minute. Finally, add the carrots, stock, curry powder and salt. Simmer until carrots are quite tender, about one hour.
  • Remove from heat and puree in batches. Remember hot liquid in a blender is explosive – make sure you have it set up to relieve pressure. If you are using an immersion blender make sure you don’t leave any bits of carrot in the soup.
  • Wipe out the pot and return pureed soup to pot. When ready to serve, reheat the soup, if needed, and add the cream off heat. Adjust seasoning to taste.
  • Garnish with minced cilantro and serve.

Nutrition