Beef Kushiyaki is Japanese beef skewers that have been marinated in soy sauce, ginger, garlic, lemon, sake and oyster sauce, and then grilled over a charcoal BBQ or Hibachi. The beef ends up nice and tender with great flavour that doesn't overpower the beef.
Category
Dinner
Servings
4
Prep time
45 minutes
Cook time
15 minutes
Beef Kushiyaki is Japanese beef skewers that have been marinated in soy sauce, ginger, garlic, lemon, sake and oyster sauce, and then grilled over a charcoal BBQ or Hibachi and brushed with a sticky glaze. The beef ends up nice and tender with great flavour that doesn't overpower the beef.
The longest part of this recipe is the marination time (30 mins - 2 hours), the rest is quick and easy.
Ingredients
- 750g beef fillet, silverskin trimmed, 3cm dice
- 110g (½ cup) caster sugar
- 160ml (⅔ cup) soy sauce
- 40ml (2 tbsp) sake
- thumb sized piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 20ml (1tbsp) oyster sauce
- 4 green onions, sliced 3cm lengths
- steamed short grain rice, pickled baby cucumbers, finely shredded wombok, to serve
- toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
Directions
Prep the beef
Place the beef in a large bowl. Mix the sugar, soy, sake, ginger, garlic, lemon zest and juice and oyster sauce in a bowl and stir until well combined.
- Stir the marinade through the beef to evenly coat, then set aside for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
Prep the skewers
Thread 3 pieces of meat onto pairs of skewers, spaced 2cm apart, finishing with 2 pieces of green onion on the end. Repeat with the remaining meat and onions.
- Pour the remaining marinade through a sieve into a medium saucepan. Place over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by one third and thickens slightly to make a glaze. Set aside.
Cook the skewers
Preheat a charcoal BBQ or Hibachi to high heat. Suspend the skewers directly over the coals.
- Cook skewers, turning every 2-3 minutes, brushing with the glaze when they are halfway through cooking time. This will take between 6-8 minutes, for medium-rare.
Place a pile of steamed rice onto serving plates, then top with the skewers, pickled cucumbers, some wombok on the side and garnished with sesame seeds.
Recipe notes
Origins
Beef Kushiyaki is a Japanese street food that is believed to have evolved from the Yakitori grilling technique for chicken, then being applied to beef, once beef became more available in the 19th Century. These days it can be found sold by street vendors to high-end restaurants with varying cuts of beef and seasonings.
Cook support
Allow the time for your coals to heat up sufficiently and for even distribution of heat between the coals to ensure even cooking.
Substitutions
You can use any thick cut steak that can be cubed for this recipe, ideally a cut for quick grilling (flank, striploin, rump).
Serving ideas
You can serve this with whatever sides you prefer, such as steamed Asian greens, rice noodles, Asian style slaw, grilled potatoes.
Cooking method
If you do not have a Hibachi or coal BBQ, you can cook this recipe on a gas BBQ grill, but it will lose that smokiness to the end result.
