(Credit : I first read of this recipe from the book “The Japanese Grill” by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat)
The idea is so simple and elegant, I loved it straight away. Take a tough but flavourful steak cut, smear a dark miso all over it. Wait. One day. Two, or maybe three. Grill it. You will find it has been transformed!
The miso needs time, but given time, it will transform the steak into a tender beauty with a wonderful mouthfeel!
Ingredients and Prep
I started with a skirt steak. This is a under-rated (read under-priced) and beautiful cut. I got it from Huber’s Butchery in Singapore.
The only other essential ingredient is a dark miso, and, some form of smoky heat (the original recipe asked for Japanese hot bean paste). I used some Korean chilli paste (it was what I had).
I didn’t worry too much about the quantities. Just be sure you have enough miso to rub a thin layer all over the steak. The amount of chilli paste you use really depends on you. I added some sesame oil, and some black pepper.
Rub it evenly all over, and wrapped it up tight.
Now, you wait (of course you chuck it back into the fridge). An hour will be ok, but if you can, wait. Overnight, or longer.
Cook
Tightly wrapped, the steak sat in my fridge for two nights. I unwrapped it with eager anticipation. With a spatula, I scraped off the excess miso.
From here, you need to cook it. The original recipe was intended for a charcoal grill. I used a cast iron grill pan, well oiled and heated to about 200 degree C. It cannot be super-hot as the miso will burn.
The cooking time – it really depends . My steak was about an inch at its thickest, and I wanted medium-rare. I cooked it for 6 minutes, flipping every one and half minutes.
I made sure to rotate so that I got nice criss-cross lines. The miso will almost definitely stick, so do have a spatula on hand, as well as a pair of tongs.
Like all steaks, make sure you rest it.
And from here, there is only one thing left to do.
Plate and eat!
I find that this steak goes best with rice. I can be a tad salty, from the miso.
And I find that an assertive sake (instead of red wine) is the best drink.
It really helps if you slice the beef thin, across the grain.
Your friends will love this! It should work well with mashed potatoes too, or maybe even pasta.
Try it! Your friends will be converted!
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