Sesame beef with lettuce on rice

I first shared this sesame beef recipe 10 years ago, but the photo was awful so I don’t blame anyone for never trying this dish. It’s too bad though, because it is very tasty! I did a reshoot to make it a bit more appetising for you.

For the marinade and sauce I use gomadare a Japanese creamy sesame sauce or dressing. The sesame flavor is pretty mild, for a slightly more intense flavor you can add a teaspoon of sesame oil while searing the meat.

My original recipe was inspired by a dish I had at a Japanese restaurant, but I can’t really remember which restaurant. I’m guessing somewhere in The Hague, because we often used to eat Japanese food there.

How to make sesame beef with lettuce on rice

Freeze beefsteak for an hour to firm up, then cut into thin slices. Thicker steaks will take longer to firm up. Check the firmness after half an hour if you are unsure and check back every 15 minutes. You don’t want the meat frozen solid.

Marinate the slices of beef in a mixture of gomadare or sesame dressing and soy sauce. Mix well so every piece of meat is covered. Cover the bowl or seal in a ziplock bag. Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.

Clean and chop the lettuce, carrot and cucumber. Mix with (Kewpie) mayonaise to taste just before serving.

Heat oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Remove the meat from the marinade and sear the strips of beef. Don’t let the pieces overlap and give them a good caramelisation before flipping the pieces over.

Sear in batches if your skillet isn’t very large. This way you prevent the beef from steaming instead of searing.

To plate, begin with a layer of rice, the vegetables dressed with Kewpie mayo and top with the sesame beef. Finish with a little extra sesame dressing, toasted sesame seeds and green onion.

Materials used

• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Mixing bowls
• Large skillet

Tips and tricks for making sesame beef

Freezing the beef makes the meat firmer and easier to slice. You can make your life easier if you buy presliced beef. It’s not that readily available here so my solution is the freezer. Just make sure you don’t freeze it solid or you won’t be able to slice it at all. If this does happen, let it thaw gently at room temperature until you are able to cut it.

Don’t overcrowd the pan while searing the meat. It will steam before you get a nice sear on the outside making the meat tough and overcooked.

Sesame dressing or gomadare is available at Asian grocery stores. Some supermarkets also stock Kewpie roasted sesame dressing.

To keep the vegetables nice and crunchy, dress them at the last minute before serving.

More Japanese recipes

• Okonomiyaki
• Tori katsu with rice and coleslaw
• Zucchini fritters
• Miso glazed eggplant and onigiri
• Karaage rice burger
• Chicken teriyaki with braised bok choy

Sesame beef with lettuce on rice

Serves: 2 Prep Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 10 min 10 min

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

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Ingredients

• 300g beefsteak, thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp gomadare or sesame dressing + extra
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3-4 leaves little gem lettuce, in strips
• 6 cm carrot, julienne strips
• 6 cm cucumber, peeled and cut into thin strips
• 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds, white and/or black
• 1-2 green onions, sliced
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1-2 tbsp (Japanese) mayonnaise, Kewpie
• 2 bowls of steamed rice

Instructions

Place the 300 grams of beefsteak in the freezer for about an hour to firm up and cut into thin slices. Mix 4 tablespoons of sesame dressing with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and pour this over the sliced steak in a bowl or ziplock bag. Mix well and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Prepare the vegetables. Wash and chop the lettuce into strips, cut the carrot into julienne strips and cut the cucumber into similar size strips.  You can finish the vegetables just before serving. Put the chopped lettuce , carrot and cucumber in a bowl and mix with 1 to 2 tablespoons mayonnaise to taste.

Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Remove the meat from the marinade and sear the strips of beef. Don’t let the pieces overlap and give them a good caramelisation before flipping the pieces over.

Sear in batches if your skillet isn’t very large. This way you prevent the beef from steaming instead of searing.

To plate, begin with a layer of rice, the vegetables dressed with mayo and top with the sesame beef. Finish with a little extra sesame dressing, toasted sesame seeds and green onion.

Notes

Allow the steak to set in the freezer for about an hour for easy slicing. Thicker steaks will take longer to firm up. Check the firmness after half an hour if you are unsure and check back every 15 minutes. You don’t want the meat frozen solid.

Do not fry too many strips of meat in the pan at once. Too much moisture stays trapped and the meat will first steam before it sears well. The extended cooking time can make the meat tough.

For a more intense sesame taste, you can add a teaspoon of sesame oil when the meat has finished cooking.

You can buy carrot julienne pre-sliced ​​at the supermarket. Kewpie gomadare or sesame dressing can be bought at Asian grocery stores and some supermarkets.

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