This Asian Steak is outrageously good yet ridiculously simple. A magical 5 ingredient Asian Steak sauce inspired by the great Tetsuya that will have you doing the happy dance and licking the plate – possibly both at the same time!
This is the sort of dish that posh modern Asian restaurants charge a small fortune for. And it’s on the table in 15 minutes!
If you haven’t tried an Asian steak before, you’re missing out! Here in Australia, Asian steaks are often a signature dish at modern Asian restaurants. A small piece of high quality, juicy, super tasty Aussie beef steak served with a sauce loaded with umami*, Asian style steak sauces have become all the rage in the culinary world – with good reason. Because, quite simply, they are so darn good (and so darn easy to make). ☺️
Just like with Western steak sauces, you can get real fancy with Asian Steak sauces, using gourmet ingredients. But you can also make unbelievably fancy tasting Asian Steak sauces using just a handful of simple ingredients that you probably already have in the pantry if you regularly make Asian food. It’s just about knowing which ones to use and how to use them. When done right, the sauce is the perfect partner to the delicious flavours of steak – yumm!!
And today I have for you an Asian Steak served with a Japanese butter sauce which is inspired by Tetsuya, a famous Japanese-Australian Chef and a personal idol.☺️
*Food nerd alert: Umami is the 5th taste sensation along with sweet, salty, sour and bitterness, it means savouriness. So, for example, a stir fry sauce made with just soy sauce tastes flat and bland. Add oyster sauce, sugar and cooking wine and voila! We have a simple stir fry sauce that tastes fab with plenty of umami!
For me, weekends are about foods cooked loooong and sloooow, like Guinness Stew and Ragu. But during the week, I dig into my arsenal of fast recipes. And regular readers know that just because something is quick to cook, it doesn’t mean compromising on flavour and quality. You can make incredible meals in 15 minutes just by being clever with the cuts you pick – quick-cook cuts of beef (such as tenderloin, rump or sirloin) that benefit from just a few minutes on a hot pan are ideal!
And honestly, let’s face it. Steaks make people happy.
Certainly makes me happy. ❤️
Today’s recipe is all about the way both the sauce, served with a small but high quality piece of beef steak, perfectly compliment each other – that’s the Asian way! 🙂 I used a beautiful tenderloin from my local butcher. <– Smaller piece of a better steak!
And don’t forget great value secondary cuts like flank, skirt, bavette / sirloin tip (read more about that in my Steak Sandwich recipe, I’m obsessed!). These cuts are “all the rage” at the moment, prized for their flavour. For better value cuts like these, serve them in slices, cut across the grain, so every mouthful is incredibly tender.
I rang my mother earlier today to tell her about this recipe, and when I told her what was in the sauce, she immediately said “that’s a classic Japanese combination”. Soy sauce, Mirin and Japanese sake is the flavour base of this sauce which is like the holy trinity of Japanese cooking.
Just combine these with butter and watch in amazement as it transforms in less than 1 minute into a glossy thickened sauce. Add a touch of garlic and/or ginger, a bit of shallots or chives if you have it, pour it over the steak and be prepared to swoon at your first bite.
15 minutes.
5 ingredients.
Food so good, you’ll want to do the jiggy. <– Though you do not want to see me do that!!??????
I really hope you try this one day! – Nagi x
PS To serve a larger group, make this with a beef tenderloin instead of individual steaks and serve the sauce on the side. Just ensure you make the sauce using the same skillet the tenderloin is browned in and make it while it is resting. Full directions in the recipe!
PPS My mother “owns” the Japanese recipe space now that she has her blog RecipeTin Japan, but I’m still “permitted” to do modern Japanese recipes like this one!!
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Asian Steak
Ingredients
- 2 beef tenderloin steaks, around 150g/5oz each (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or other neutral cooking oil)
Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, all purpose (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp Mirin (Note 3)
- 3 tbsp cooking sake (Note 3)
- 45g/3tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp ginger, minced (can exclude)
- 3 tsp shallots/scallions (green part) or chives, finely chopped
Instructions
- Take the steak out of the fridge 20 minutes prior to cooking (or 10 minutes if it's a stinking hot summer day).
- Combine soy sauce, Mirin and sake in a small bowl.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat until smoking. Add steak and cook to your liking. Mine were 150g/5oz each and 3cm/1.25" thick and I cooked it 3 minutes on the 1st side and 2 minutes on the second side for medium rare.
- Transfer steak onto a plate and cover loosely with foil. Rest for 5 minutes.
- Let the skillet cool down a bit then return to the stove over medium high heat. Add Sauce and bring to simmer, then add butter. When the butter melts and is incorporated into the sauce, immediately remove it from the stove.
- Stir through garlic, ginger and 2 tsp of shallots (reserve rest for garnish), the sauce should be slightly thickened (if not, keep stirring, thickens more as it cools).
- Place steak on plates and spoon over sauce. I served the steaks with finely shredded cabbage without dressing (very typical Japanese side) and white rice, plus some edamame on the side.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Asian Steak recipe video!
LIFE OF DOZER
Can you just imagine the thoughts running through that furry head seeing those juicy beef steaks…..???
IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE, TRY THIS!
15 Minute Japanese Beef and Soba Bowls with Green Beans
Today’s recipe is brought to you in partnership with You’re Better on Beef, celebrating Australian beef. Because Aussie beef rocks, it’s perfect for super quick dinners and we should eat more of it!!
I just made this! Soooo yummy! Thank you!
I also used the sauce as a marinade, super good.
Thank you!
Fantastic to hear Katherine ! Thank you for leaving a review. N x ❤️
Brisket is slow cooking as I type, so what to do…plan Sundays meal. Japanese steak. This looks amazing. After eating last nights honey garlic Salmon, I’m on an Asian kick. I have checked your moms website out, but that’s so beyond my capacity in cooking.
Oooooh! I really REALLY hope you like this one Steven 🙂 Honestly is like what you get at posh modern Asian restaurants!!!
Is there a mistake in the recipe above? Note 2 says if using a different soy sauce to decrease the amount to 1Tbs, but there’s only 1Tbs in the recipe anyway. My sauce definitely didn’t come out as dark in the photos so interested to know the right quantity!
Hi Kirk! I’m sorry, I should have said 2 1/2 teaspoons. 🙂 Light soy sauce is saltier so should be just under 1 tablespoon used!
I made this tonight as promised (posting anew so I can rate the recipe). We didn’t cook it sous vide as planned because I forgot to thaw the steaks in time. Normally the grill is my fallback (mostly because it means I don’t have to cook or clean a pan), but I wanted those wonderful sucs for the sauce, so I followed your example and pan-fried them.
The sauce was SO delicious, truly succulent and decadent. The butter helped mellow it out, taming the soy sauce so it wasn’t the only thing we tasted. And of course, the butter made the sauce just glisten. Served with jasmine rice, the sauce flowed under the rice and lent some extra flavor to it, too. Great recipe, an absolute keeper, and one that we’ll make often, thanks!
OOOOH!!!! I am so pleased to hear that Sandy, thank you for letting me know! I’m especially happy to hear you liked the sauce as much as I do! 🙂 N xx
Nagi, more ideas, but sorry about spelling this thing has mind of its own just Like shopping troly . Cauliflower cut into smaller Pieces and roasted, halfway throug prepard breadcrums with greated Chesee put over cauliflower and cont, to roast until golden and Chesee is melted. With soup no FUSS cut IT up Inc. Inside leaves add onion garlic, chicken stock Cook 15 min. add small Cream Cook another10 min. add herbs, coriander Or parsly and in Food procerser, Done. Optimalno top up with crisp bacon and crutons.
Ooooh! I love the idea of breadcrumbs and cheese, YUM! You’re a wealth of inspiration Vera, thank you!! n xx
Nagi, with cauliflower make soup and freeze IT. Also sliče IT Blanche IT make pankacke batter and try IT. Or take small Carrols, half cauliflower, broccoli, onion, Allen Food procerser add bread crumbs one egg make patties. Or Gentle Cook with sliče of lemon only halfway strani, Cool Down and make salad. Be brave, use your imagination and go for IT. Good luck!
Or roast it!!! Roasted cauliflower is so delish….and cauliflower pasta! I have one on my site. It’s so good, SO SO GOOD!
Nagi, I am soooo greatfull to you for your recipes and blog. OMG this Asian steak!!!! Swooooon !!!! I just made this it is absolutely amazing!!!!! Outstanding!!! I can’t wait to make this for friends. I have tried several of your recipes and they are all amazing. This year my goal is to perfect Asian recipes. You have helped me so much . The Charlie stir fry sauce is phenomenal!! Thank you , thank you for all that you do. And I love Dozer!!
WOO HOO!!! I am so thrilled you enjoyed this Regina – and that you’re a fan of Charlie too! 🙂 Hope you have a fantastic weekend – N xx
These look so tender and flavorful! I’m going to sub Tamari for the soy sauce to make them gluten free. I also don’t do dairy, what do you think of replacing the butter with coconut oil or olive oil? I’ve got tonnnnns of ginger to use right now so I may make them extra gingery as well ?
Hi Ailsa! I think it would work with a neutral flavoured oil like vegetable or grapeseed and I think that adding extra ginger would compensate for losing that buttery flavour 🙂 YUM!
My wife it’s complete vegan she supplements with smart balance
Thank YOU Nagi. Do Not have lots of Or often Speaks so this will be My Special meal. Dozers eyes Are firmly fixed on meat….. PS Re: weather its becoming enough is enough. The Heat, humiditi Not easying off, very dry, nights Are uncomfortable. Regards, Vera.
It is POURING up here Vera! Seriously horizontal rain all day every day!
Oh yes we doooo! (…want to see you do the jiggy!)
My husband reckons Australian steak is so much better,not to mention cheaper,than British steak.
This recipe is one for our return. I’m amazed at the Asian-butter combo!
Woah! I thought you would be buried under a pile of nappies and wouldn’t surface for MONTHS! How are you still so active?? 🙂
Hope you gave Dozer one of those steaks! Who can resist those brown eyes!
They were TENDERLOINS!!! TOO PRECIOUS!!! (OK I lie, he got a small bite 🙂 Damn those brown eyes!)
Dear Nagi, what a great recipe I am trying it tomorrow evening, could you please recommend some greens to go with this, my partner does not like rice or cabbage alas! I thought I would as your expert opinion that would match the recipe.
many thanks love to Dozer
Hi Lilly! I’m so glad you like the look of this! To be honest, because it’s a Western style Japanese dish, this goes really well with any greens that go with Western meals. I love it with buttery steamed green beans, even with peas! And I love serving it with baby boiled potatoes lightly coated in melted butter with parsley or other herbs, or even mashed potato. Though the elements of the sauce are distinctly Asian, if someone were to taste it without knowing what’s in it, I don’t think they would guess it’s Asian. They would just think it is a buttery savoury sauce that suits steak perfectly! Hope that helps – and I really hope you both love it! N xx
This looks WONDERFUL…..Now that we here in the Californian desert are coming into our HOT season we tend to grill a lot….If I grilled beef and served sauce on side would I be losing Umami????
Hi Lyn! There is definitely extra flavour by making the sauce in the same skillet as the beef but having said that, when I was testing the sauce to get the flavours just right, I made a few batches in a clean fry pan and it is still so SO tasty. So I would happily make the sauce separately and use it on grilled beef! 🙂 N xx
Huh lady, you mean you would bother cook a steak any other way:) !! You have printed out an absolute classic, but looking at a pantryful of other Asian ingredients, the permutations and combinations, ad hoc often, are multitudinous 🙂 ! ‘Asian steak’ – I would just call it ‘steak’!!!!! Yum!!!! Dozer: if I visited and ‘distracted’ the lady at the right time – you are fast enough to filch it all for the two of us, aren’t you 🙂 ? Even shares!!!!
So glad to hear you’re a fan of Asian steaks too Eha!!! And I shudder to think of the antics you and Dozer would get up to together…. ha ha ha!!
Nagi,
you are a food wizard. I do not know how many recipes of yours I have tried and it has always been a success.
Now when I prepared a meal I ask myself »what would Nagi do tonight for dinner?» You are always my first site I go to for recipes …
Many thank you from me and my family
Nicolego (Canada)
I’m so flattered Nicolego! Thank you so much for trying my recipes and I’m glad you enjoy them! N xx
I’ve always “been meaning” to find a recipe for the Japanese beef that I’ve had at restaurants!!! But I never knew what to search for. 🙂 It’s like you were reading my mind, thank you!
Just received your newsletter. To be honest, what brought me here was not the steak (which looks so delicious and juicy). It was the edamame! I miss them. Will have a look if I can find some in the UK. If yes I’ll create a recipe! Thank you for the inspiration Nagi!
Gosh REALLY??? Here in Australia it’s sold even at supermarkets nowadays!!!
Haha! Just had a check. It’s available in British supermarkets too (frozen). Will grab some tomorrow! I’m still discovering the local life (moved from Switzerland a year ago. Edamame was kind of rare over there). Have a great day!
Please give Dozer a bite 🙂
(I’m in love with your dog)
You know perfectly well he got a bite….you think I can resist that furry golden sweet (cheeky) face?? 🙂 N xx
I was planning to cook steaks sous vide this weekend. Now I know how I’m going to finish them! This sauce sounds perfectly delicious and I can hardly wait to try it. I’m sure it will be a hit. Do you have a recipe for that lovely vinaigrette they serve with the side salad at Asian Steakhouses?
Sous vide – woo hoo! What a way to prepare steaks!!! Here are a bunch of Japanese salad dressings from my mothers site. http://japan.recipetineats.com/?s=dressing Otherwise, try the dressing in this salad – it’s a classic Japanese style dressing used in Western countries: https://www.recipetineats.com/chinese-chicken-salad/
Delicious looking and seems to be a complete meal. Got to know more about the recipe. Dozer looks cute
Thank you Smitha! Dozer uses his cuteness as a weapon for forgiveness for all the naughty things he does / to get free FOOD.