Japanese

Hayashi Rice (Japanese Hashed Beef Stew)

Name: Hayashi Rice (Japanese Hashed Beef Stew)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese

Thin slices of beef, onion and mushroom simmered in a glossy tomato and red wine demi-glace sauce, served over rice. Japanese diner comfort food, ready in 40 minutes.

Serves

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Ingredients

Pantry bits

Soy Sauce

Mirin (Japanese Sweet Rice Wine)

400g thinly sliced beef (shabu-shabu or sukiyaki beef, or rump sliced very thinly)
2 onions, thinly sliced
200g button mushrooms, sliced
30g butter
2 tbsp plain flour
150ml red wine
400g tinned crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
300ml beef stock
3 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 tsp sugar
4 cups hot steamed short-grain rice
Frozen peas or chopped parsley, to serve

Instructions

Melt half the butter in a large frying pan or wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden brown.
Add the mushrooms and the remaining butter and cook for 3 minutes until they soften.
Turn the heat up to high, add the beef and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until it is just brown. Sprinkle over the flour and stir for 1 minute.
Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Stir well and simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes until the sauce is thick, glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
If using peas, add them for the last 2 minutes.
Spoon rice onto one side of each plate and ladle the hayashi sauce beside it.

About this dish

Hayashi rice (ハヤシライス) is a staple of Japanese yoshoku, the Western-style dishes served in family diners and department store restaurants. It sits on the plate like Japanese curry, but the sauce is a rich, slightly sweet beef and tomato demi-glace instead of a spiced roux.

This version builds the sauce from scratch with red wine, tomato and a splash of soy sauce, so there is no need for boxed hayashi roux. It uses thinly sliced beef, the same cut as gyudon, so it cooks in minutes. Serve it with a simple side like Japanese potato salad or sunomono.

Tips for the best result

Take your time browning the onions. Their sweetness is the backbone of the sauce.
Cook the beef quickly on high heat and don't stew it before the sauce goes in, or it toughens.
The sauce should be thick enough to sit beside the rice, not run under it. Simmer a few minutes longer if needed.

Substitutions

Red wine: use extra beef stock plus 1 tsp red wine vinegar.
Hayashi roux: if you have a box, skip the flour, Worcestershire and ketchup and stir in 4 cubes at the end.
Beef: thinly sliced pork shoulder works too.