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–+ servings

Hayashi Rice (Japanese Hashed Beef with Rice)

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 portions

Ingredients 
 

"Hayashi" Beef

  • 1 bell pepper red or green
  • 4 button mushrooms or mushroom of your choice
  • ½ yellow onions
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 200 g thinly sliced beef beef round, boneless beef short-rib, or similar, avoid extremely lean cuts
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • ½ tbsp all-purpose flour for light coating, or cake flour
  • 1 tsp cooking oil neutral

Sauce

  • 4 tbsp red wine dry type
  • ½ tbsp all-purpose flour to thicken hayashi sauce
  • 1½ tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
  • 300 ml beef bouillon or other bouillon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ tsp instant coffee powder
  • 1 pinch nutmeg powder
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter cold

Rice

Instructions 

  • Before you start, roughly cube 1 bell pepper, thinly slice 4 button mushrooms and ½ yellow onions, and mince 1 clove garlic .
    bell peppers, button mushrooms, garlic and onion cut on a wooden cutting board
  • Place 200 g thinly sliced beef in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with 1 pinch salt and pepper and ½ tbsp all-purpose flour, toss until evenly coated.
    thinly sliced beef in a steel mixing bowl
  • Preheat a large pan over medium/medium-low heat and add 1 tsp cooking oil. Once heated, add the beef and the sliced mushrooms.
    beef and sliced button mushrooms frying in a pan
  • Sear the beef on both sides and sauté the mushrooms until browned, then transfer to a heatproof container.
    browned beef and mushrooms in a steel container
  • In the same pan, add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt. Cook until golden and soft. If they start to stick, add a splash of water and mix occasionally to unstick them.
    sliced onions in a frying pan
  • Once softened, add the minced garlic and bell peppers. Fry for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
    bell pepper and browned onions in a frying pan
  • Pour 4 tbsp red wine into the pan and increase the heat to medium/medium-high. Scrape the pan to deglaze and simmer until the alcohol aroma softens and the texture appears syrupy.
    deglazing pan with onion and bell peppers
  • Add the beef and mushrooms back to the pan and sprinkle with ½ tbsp all-purpose flour. Mix until evenly distributed, then add 1½ tbsp tomato ketchup, 1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and ½ tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu). Stir fry for 1 minute.
    ketchup added to hayashi rice in a pan
  • Pour in 300 ml beef bouillon and add 1 bay leaf. Mix well and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens and thinly coats the back of a spoon. While you wait, prepare the rice.
    simmering beef hayashi with bayleaf in a pan
  • Heat a separate large pan or wok over medium and add 1 tsp butter and 1 clove garlic. Once fragrant, add 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice (cooled) and stir fry for a few minutes to warm the rice through and evenly distribute the ingredients. Sprinkle with 1 tsp fresh parsley and then turn off the heat.
    rice mixed in frying pan with dry parsley
  • Once the hayashi is thickened, turn off the heat and add ½ tsp instant coffee powder, 1 pinch nutmeg powder and 1 tbsp unsalted butter. Mix until the butter has melted into the sauce.
    beef hayashi in a pan with butter and dried parsley
  • Divide the rice between serving plates, then spoon the hayashi beef generously next to it. Finish with a pinch of parsley and enjoy!
    beef hayashi rice on a white plate

Notes

Get thinly sliced beef: Look for sukiyaki/shabu-shabu packs or "shaved beef" (butcher can thin-slice chuck or sirloin). Slightly thicker slices are fine for a silkier bite.
Swap protein if needed: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or pork belly works (milder, slightly sweeter) with the same method.
Use a dry red (Merlot/Cabernet) and avoid sweet reds to keep acidity/tannin in balance.
Adjust Worcestershire: British one is sharper/thinner than Japanese style, so use a little less. HP Sauce or a touch of A.1. can substitute.
Use day-old, cold rice for cleaner separation; if freshly cooked, spread to steam off surface moisture before sautéing.
Storage & meal prep: Chill fast and refrigerate hayashi (no rice) up to 3 days, freeze flat up to 1 month and keep rice separate (best frozen in portions). Reheat to 74℃ (165°F). Don't refreeze thawed portions.
Serving ideas: Corn Potage, Japanese Potato Salad, Coffee Jelly, Purin.