Featured Comment:
“Made this tonight for dinner, and it was delicious! The wasabi really brings out the flavor of the dish, and I love the pairing of cabbage with rice as it adds a satisfying crunch to each bite. We’ll definitely be making this one again!”
– Adam
What is Teriyaki Beef?
Teriyaki (照り焼き) is a unique cooking method from Japan that involves seasoning fish or meat with a glaze made from a combination of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar.
It’s worth noting that teriyaki is not a sauce but a cooking method that produces a sweet and savory flavor with a glossy finish in Japanese cuisine. Although fish and chicken are common for making teriyaki dishes in Japan, this time, I will introduce a teriyaki recipe that uses beef with a twist.
How I Developed This Recipe
In Japan, teriyaki is usually thought of as a chicken and fish dish, not beef. I was curious about this, so I gave it a try and found that beef can be really tasty with a teriyaki glaze.
To give it a special touch, I added wasabi, a classic pairing with beef, creating Wasabi-Flavored Teriyaki Beef.
This recipe is really one of a kind and offers a fantastic blend of flavors. If you’re looking to expand your horizons when it comes to teriyaki dishes, this is an absolute must-try!
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Beef Steak: Go for a thick-cut steak like Spencer Roll, Sirloin, Chuck Eye Roll, or Rib Eye. I went with the flavorful Chuck Eye Roll.
- Wasabi Paste: For a convenient yet authentic touch, use a high-quality store-bought wasabi paste. Grating fresh wasabi root is not necessary for this dish.
- Potato starch: This key thickening agent gives the sauce a silky texture. If you can’t get this ingredient, you can use cornstarch or tapioca starch instead.
- Soy Sauce: For more detailed brand recommendations, check out my full soy sauce guide on the blog.
- Sake: Go for unsalted drinking sake to give your dish a clean, pure flavor. If you can’t find it, cooking sake is a good substitute, but remember to cut back on other salt in the recipe a little bit to keep the flavors balanced.
- Mirin: If you want to give your dish an authentic Japanese touch, go for Hon Mirin.
- Sugar & Honey: Your everyday granulated sugar and favorite honey work perfectly in this recipe.
- Toppings: Garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds for added flavor and texture.
- Cooked Japanese Short-Grain Rice: For recommendations on rice brands available in the US and foolproof stovetop cooking instructions, check out our ‘How to Cook Japanese Rice Recipe‘ on the blog.
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Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Teriyaki Beef Don at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Mix wasabi paste, soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and honey in a bowl. Make sure it’s thoroughly combined. Preparing this in advance really helps to manage the steps after a lot better.
Perhaps you’re wondering why I use so much wasabi paste.
But wasabi is a volatile ingredient. So, when heated, the spiciness almost disappears, leaving only a slight aroma. If cooked for too long, even the aroma will disappear.
That’s why it’s important to cook everything as quick as possible in this recipe, for the sake of the beef and the wasabi.
If you want the unique spiciness of wasabi, you can add an additional fresh, unheated wasabi at the end as a topping.
Normally, the traditional Japanese teriyaki recipe consists of a combination of soy sauce, sake, and mirin in equal quantities, with half a portion of sugar added for those who prefer a sweeter taste. This time, I included honey in the sugar mixture to create a thicker teriyaki glaze, similar to why I used starch.
Take your steak meat, preferably about 2cm thick and cut it into large, bite-sized pieces. This size is perfect for getting a good sear while keeping the inside juicy and tender.
Once it’s cut, start heating your pan on a high setting.
While you wait, season the beef. Sprinkle salt and pepper over it to give it a nice flavor base.
Next, lightly coat each piece with potato starch.
Starch is used not only for the beef’s texture but also to make the teriyaki sauce that will be added afterward thicker. I’ve found a thicker glaze works better with beef.
Time to cook the beef.
Once your pan is nice and hot, add a drizzle of oil. Cook the beef pieces until they’re browned and sealed on one side.
Given that we’re using beef steaks instead of chicken or pork, it’s worth taking advantage of this characteristic and avoiding overcooking. We should aim for a slight redness in the center at the end, enhancing the meat’s taste and juiciness. Therefore, using the highest heat to brown the steaks quickly is recommended.
As soon as the beef is browned underneath, pour in the teriyaki mixture we made earlier and stir-fry everything together until the beef is coated and cooked to your liking.
Tip: If you prefer your beef well done, flip and seal on the other side before adding the sauce.
As soon as the sauce turns glossy and slightly thick, immediately turn off the heat. This step is crucial to avoid overcooking.
Arrange the cooked rice and cabbage in serving bowls.
Place the teriyaki beef on top, pouring over any extra sauce that might remain in the pan.
Garnish with chopped green onions and white sesame seeds for a burst of color and extra flavor.
If you want to really appreciate the spiciness of wasabi, you can add extra fresh wasabi paste here!
Enjoy!
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I hope you enjoy this Teriyaki Beef Rice Bowl recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Delicious Teriyaki Recipes
Wasabi Teriyaki Beef Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp wasabi paste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp honey
- 450 g beef steak approx 2cm thick
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- ½ tbsp potato starch
- ½ tbsp cooking oil
- 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- 50 g shredded cabbage
- finely chopped green onions
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Take a small bowl and add 1 tbsp wasabi paste, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp honey. Mix until well combined and set it by the stove ready for later.
- Cut 450 g beef steak into bitesize pieces and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 pinch salt and pepper and mix until evenly distributed. Start heating a frying pan on high.
- Add ½ tbsp potato starch to the beef and mix until lightly coated all over.
- Once the pan is hot, add ½ tbsp cooking oil and swirl around before adding the beef and searing on one side.
- Once browned underneath, add the sauce and stir-fry everything together until slightly thickened and glossy. As soon as it reaches that point, turn off the heat. (Tip: If you prefer beef well done, seal on the other side before you add the sauce.)
- Divide 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice and 50 g shredded cabbage into serving bowls.
- Add the beef, including any leftover sauce from the pan. Garnish with finely chopped green onions and sesame seeds. Add more wasabi for a fiery kick if desired.
- Enjoy!
Made this tonight for dinner, and it was delicious! The wasabi really brings out the flavor of the dish, and I love the pairing of cabbage with rice as it adds a satisfying crunch to each bite. We’ll definitely be making this one again!
Hi Adam,
Thank you for trying this recipe and sharing your experience! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the combination of the dish! 🙂
Yuto