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Truffle Sirloin Steak Don with Caviar

  • Writer: Chelsea Ho
    Chelsea Ho
  • Jun 12, 2020
  • 4 min read

In this don (rice bowl), you get mouthfuls of short-grain rice, coated with tare sauce and truffle oil/furikake butter, generous cuts of perfectly cooked sirloin steak, and an egg yolk that you can break into for a touch of creaminess to bring it altogether.


For this recipe, feel free to skip the truffle oil and caviar if you don't have them on hand –this is a don that tastes amazing on its own, without the added embellishments. And if you do skip them, this is a gourmet dinner to make for two at half the price. One sirloin steak (approx. 200-250g) is enough for 2 dons, and costs just $7 - $10. With every other ingredient factored in, one steak don like this, made at home, will set you back only $5 - $7 (without the fancy embellishments). That's considerably less than the $20 that most restaurants will ask you for.


For a version of this recipe that replaces truffle oil with furikake butter, look for the bolded-italics below for alternative ingredients and steps.


(Also to be very honest, the Korean drama The King: Eternal Monarch inspired this! So if you're watching along too, this is the perfect meal to make for your dinner + drama evening)

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 2, Cooking Time: 20 minutes, excluding cooking of rice


Seasoned Rice

  • 1 cup of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice, washed

  • Water to cook the rice

  • 3-4 tablespoons of choice of seaweed furikake (I used 1 packet of Marumiya's Uma Aji Sake furikake)

  • 2 tablespoons of truffle oil (olive oil, real truffle) / 2.5 tablespoons of unsalted butter

    • 1 teaspoon of finishing salt/sea salt

Tare Sauce

  • A very small knob of ginger, peeled and sliced (about 3 slices is enough)

  • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons of mirin / 1 tablespoon of sugar if you don't have mirin

  • 1 tablespoon of sake/rice wine

  • 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar

  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed

  • 1 teaspoon of brown sugar (optional)

Steak

  • A 200-250g piece of sirloin

  • 1 tablespoon of freshly cracked black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon of sea salt

  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Garnishes/Others

  • 2 egg yolks (must be absolutely fresh)

  • 1 stalk of large green onion

  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced thinly

  • 2 teaspoons of caviar (optional)


METHOD:

  1. Cook the rice in a rice cooker (with amount of water specified according to your rice cooker) and leave it to a 'keep warm' setting when it's done. If you're cooking with a pot instead, cover with a lid when done to keep the rice warm.

  2. Cut a 1-inch portion of the white stem of the green onion, and another 1-inch portion of the green part of it. Then, slice thinly lengthways into strips. Set aside.

  3. Season the steak with black pepper and sea salt. Set aside.

  4. Put a pan on low heat, and pour in the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Then, gently infuse the garlic slices in the oil by tilting the pan to one side and letting the garlic slices swim in the oil for about 2 minutes, until lightly golden. The oil should only be gently sizzling.

  5. Remove from heat once done, and place the garlic slices on a kitchen towel to dry. Leave the oil in the pan.

  6. Now put the same pan on high heat. Ensure that the pan is searing hot, then using a pair of tongs or your hand, sear the sirloin's side where the fat is for about 1 minute. Then sear it on each side for about 2 minutes. (How to check for doneness) Once cooked, leave the steak to rest on a rack or clean cutting board. Reserve the oil if you want.

  7. Combine all the ingredients for the tare sauce in a microwave-safe bowl and mix well. Cover the bowl with a folded piece of kitchen towel, and set it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside.

  8. Let the butter sit in room temperature until soft, but not melted. In a bowl, mix in the furikake and finishing salt to make a compound butter.

  9. Transfer the rice into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the truffle oil and furikake / cut the furikake butter into tiny knobs and stir, letting the warm rice slowly melt it to coat your rice.

  10. You can also stir into the rice a bit of the reserved oil for added flavour.

  11. After your steak has rested for 5-10 minutes, slice it across the grain, with the knife placed at a 45-degree angle to the top of your steak, and cut diagonally to reveal a larger cross-section.

Assembly

Place half of the seasoned rice into each of the medium-sized bowls of your choice. Arrange steak slices in a fan-shape to one side. Gently place the egg yolk on the rice. Then, place a small serving of green onions in the middle of the bowl, before topping the rice bowl with caviar and garlic slices. Finally, drizzle with a few teaspoons of tare sauce to taste. Serve immediately.







Chelsea Ho

The Ordinary Gourmet

Follow us on Instagram @chelseahyy



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