Wagyu beef is known for its tender, juicy texture and beautiful marbling of fat and meat that gives the cut a rich flavour and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Steak connoisseurs look at it as a piece of art that should be prepared only with the best ingredients.
It’s no wonder that even the lowest grade of Wagyu beef can cost hundreds of ringgit per kilogramme.
Butterkicap’s own culinary extraordinaire, celebrity chef Nik Michael Imran, has his own three golden rules to guide you when cooking with Wagyu.
- Ensure you get a nice crispy, seared crust.
- Maximise juiciness in the flesh by heating the insides gently. This can be achieved by flipping the meat often.
- Cook the meat to medium rare (or as low as you enjoy it).
Below is a recipe for Padprik Wagyu – a Thai dish that has gained much popularity among Malaysians for its wholesome appeal and out-of-this-world flavours – sweet, sour and spicy all rolled into one.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 200g Wagyu steak, salted and refrigerated
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 3 tablespoons cili giling/boh
- 1 lemongrass, bashed
- 2 Kaffir lime leaves
- 2 cili padi sliced lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons tom yam paste
- 200ml water
- 2 tablespoons chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons gula Melaka
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 carrot, cut into batons
- 2 long beans, cut into batons
- 1/4 cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1/2 shucked Japanese sweet corn
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
Method
- Heat a wok at high flame. Then pour in some oil.
- Place the steak in the wok. Flip the steak every 20-30 seconds.
- Remove the steak when the top is well-seared with a good-looking crust all over. Then, remove the steak and leave to rest on a wire rack.
- Next, lower the flame and in the same wok, add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Let it cook for about one minute till brown.
- Now, add in the cili boh and let it cook for about two minutes until the oil starts to separate.
- Add in the lemongrass, kaffir leaves and cili padi. Stir for one to two minutes.
- Next, add the tom yam paste and cook for one minute.
- Pour in the 100ml of water. You may need to add more water as the sauce thickens.
- Add in the chili sauce, oyster sauce and Thai fish sauce.
- Moving on, add in the Gula Melaka. Stir to combine.
- Add salt to taste.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and add in the long beans, carrots and cauliflower florets.
- Toss well and cook for one minute just to ever so slightly soften.
- Lastly, add in the corn and sliced onions. Stir to combine and turn off the fire.
- Before plating, remove the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves from the sauce.
- Next, slice the steak you’ve set aside to rest.
- Lastly, pour some of the sauce in a deep-bottomed plate and place the sliced steak on top.
This article first appeared in butterkicap.com
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