“Aburi,” the technique applied to this aburi steak, means flame-seared in Japanese. The technique is often applied to raw fish, but it works well for tender, marbled beef cuts, too. A butane torch lets you customize the doneness. Torch less or more depending on how charred you like it.
Ingredients
- (12 to 16 ounce) boneless rib eye steak: 1 piece
- short grain white rice: 0.5 cup
- water: 0.75 cup
- rice vinegar: 2 tsp
- white sugar: 1 tsp
- salt: 0.5 tsp
- less-sodium soy sauce: 0.25 cup
- pure maple syrup: 1 Tbsp
- Asian-style chili paste (such as sambal oelek): 1 Tbsp
- vegetable oil: 1 Tbsp
- sour cream: 0.33333 cup
- lime zest: 0.25 tsp
- lime juice: 2 tsp (fresh)
- wasabi paste: 2 tsp (to taste)
- furikake seasoning or toasted sesame seeds: 2 tsp
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Put steak on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze until just firm, about 1 hour.
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Meanwhile, for sushi rice, rinse rice under cold running water, rubbing grains together with your fingers. Combine rice and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until tender and sticky, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir together vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Stir into rice. Cover; let cool about 45 minutes.
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Meanwhile, thinly slice steak across the grain into 24 (1/4-inch-thick) slices. Transfer steak to a zip-top bag set in a shallow dish.
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Whisk together soy sauce, maple syrup, chili paste, and oil in a small bowl. Pour over steak in bag; seal bag. Chill at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.
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For sauce, whisk together sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, and wasabi paste.
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Shape rice with wet hands into 24 (1-tablespoon) oval-shaped portions. Drain steak; discard marinade. Put steak on a foil-lined baking sheet set on a wire rack. Char steak with a kitchen torch, turning once, until desired doneness, about 5 minutes for entire recipe. Put 1 steak piece on each rice portion. Sprinkle with furikake seasoning and serve with sauce. Recipe Tip: When using a torch, set a foil-lined pan on a wire rack to protect your work surface from the heat.
