The construction of this meal, for me, is often a two-pan operation, I fry the steak in one, and mushrooms in another. I have recently embarked on a single pan approach and indeed it is what follows. It calls for a little kitchen-towel action, so if that figures as a setback to you, fetch two pans from your culinary armoury instead.
I used white shimeji, kakinokitake and more common shiitake mushrooms for the photo.The first two are more exotic and smell as beautiful as they look. The white shimeji have an ethereal bouquet while the egg-washed kakinokitake remind me a little of port corks. But use any fungi you want.
In place of the rib-eye, a slab hewn off a cow's rump would be lovely. Tenderloin's great, of course, but on the pricey side. Also, if you don't have mirin, a sweet Japanese wine, just replace with sake and a little more sugar. The sauce will lack a certain subtle, sweet perfume, but delicious it will most certainly still be.
Ingredients
Two 250g healthy-looking rib-eye steaks
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
For the mushrooms:
Two generous handfuls of mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
A knob of unsalted butter
Salt and black pepper
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake or rice wine
a teaspoon of soft brown sugar
scant tablespoon soy sauce
a few drops of black vinegar and sesame oil
1 heaped teaspoon unsalted butter
Never wash mushrooms. You rid them of their flavour, their purpose in life. Instead, brush them with a damp cloth or tea towel. If you use mushrooms with tough stems, amputate them. Try not to slice mushrooms when you can. If they come clusters, gently separate them and if they come whole, tear them into smaller pieces. They just look more charismatic this way.
Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium flame. Do not be trammelled by measurements, you want just enough oil to serve as lubrication. Lower the steak onto what should be a livid, smoking surface. Press it all over gently with your fingers or a spoon's backside. This helps the steak's exterior adopt a rich caramel crust. As for cooking times, I do adore steak medium which translates into about 2.5 minutes per side. If you want it rare, I'd stick to 2 and if you want it well-done, a desire beyond my comprehension, then just under 6. As you wait, concoct the sauce. This takes but a trice: put everything but the butter in a jug or teeny bowl and stir or swirl. Done.
Once the meat's been turned and cooked to your liking, convey to your serving dish without extinguishing the hob's flame. Wipe the pan clean. Add the butter, garlic and then the prepared mushrooms. Fry. Keep in mind you only want the fungi to soften and glisten, not rob it of all its glorious colour or identity. A minute or two should do the trick. Shuffle them off the pan onto and around the steak.
Return your pan to the heat and pour the sauce-mix in. Tip in any juice the steak has leaked out now. I don't mind a messy serving plate if I'm feeding just myself. Wipe up if you can't take the sight. Anyway, watch the sauce go insane and volcanic. You want something malevolent but not too sticky. It will take just under a minute, I reckon. Stir in the butter to impart lustre and mellowness. Nap the steak and mushrooms with this deep, savoury liquor.
Sometimes I forget to put the butter into the sauce, hence recompense by sitting a tiny quenelle or formless blob (if it's soft) onto the finished article, as depicted in the photo. Finely-chopped flat-leaf parsley and ground black pepper is an intelligent way to end things off. And a bowl of steaming white rice, if you please.
Ingredients
