It is no secret that I love Japanese food. There is cleanliness about it that makes it so unique to other Asian cuisines and this Sesame Beef salad is the perfect example. Using a lean cut of meat, fresh greens, organic soba noodles and a light, zesty, ponzu style dressing, this dish represented the one thing I adore most about Japanese cuisine. Simplicity.
Prep time: 25 Minutes Cooking time: Approximately 20 minutes $$ Medium Budget
Serves 4
600gm of whole beef fillet (have your butcher string it for you so it is nice and round)
1 tbs of peanut oil
2 tsp of sesame oil
Sea salt and Cracked pepper
270gm packet of Soba Noodles (I use Hakubaku organic available at Coles or Woolies), cooked according to packet instructions
100gm of sugar snap peas, strings removed and some halved (for presentation, so entirely optional)
100gm of snow peas, strings removed and sliced diagonally
3 large radish, thinly sliced
1 small lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
A handful of snow pea shoots, chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbs of toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish
1 tbs of black sesame seeds (optional), for garnish
Kewpie mayonnaise, pickled ginger & wasabi to serve
For the Dressing:
1/2 cup of light soy sauce
1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup of Mirin
Grated zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1/2 an orange
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 tsp of sesame oil
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Heat a heavy based pan to nice and hot. Rub the beef tenderloin with the peanut and sesame oil and season well with salt and pepper. Sear the beef on all sides until lovely and golden. Transfer to the oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes for medium rare. Once cooked to your liking, remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
While the beef is cooking, place the snow peas and snap peas in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until bright green in colour but still nice and crunchy. Drain and rinse under cold water and then combine with about half of the spring onion and all of the radish and cucumber slices. You could also place these in ice cold water for extra crunch if you like. Drain before serving.
Place the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
To plate the dish, divide the cooked soba noodles between four plates. Use your fingers to toss the salad and drizzle over some of the dressing. Place a nice pile next to the noodles. Fan the beef slices on the noodles and top with the remaining spring onion, snow pea shoots and sesame seeds. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and make nice little dollops of mayonnaise and wasabi on the side of the plate, along with the pickled ginger. Enjoy!
Leftover Pickled Ginger? You may want to cook this one……https://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/wasabi-pea-pork-with-pea-radish-salad/