Batayaki

One of my favorite Japanese dishes is Batayaki.  It's a fun and easy recipe you can enjoy at home.  I love it because you can eat all the pieces of this meal plainly or have fun and dip it in the sauce.  It's a really good dish for entertaining. Your company will surely be impressed.  This 'ono meal is totally meant to be shared with family and friends.

Batayaki:

1 & 1/2 lbs.  tender thinly sliced beef

1 & 1/2 lbs.  shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 & 1/2 lbs.  vegetables (any green such as asparagus, watercress, eggplant or available in season), sliced    into 2" lengths

1 tray of mushrooms( white, shiitake, portabella or whatevers available), sliced 1/8" thick

1 & 1/2 blocks of butter

garlic salt, to taste

Dipping Sauce:

1 c. Shoyu

1/4 c. Mirin (Japanese cooking wine)

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. water

garlic salt, to taste

1/4 c. green onions, finely sliced

1/2 c. grated daikon

1 lime cut into quartered wedges

To get started, have a serving platter ready to set aside cooked items.  Prepare sauce ahead of time.

To make dipping sauce, in sauce pan, mix shoyu, mirin, sugar, water and garlic salt.  Bring sauce to a quick boil.  Remove from heat.  Let sauce cool.  Chop green onions and place on garnish dish.  Grate daikon and place on garnish dish.  Cut lime into quartered wedges and place on garnish dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill.

When ready to start serving, in a hot skillet, melt 1/3 block of butter. To melted butter, add garlic salt to taste.  Add green vegetables.  Saute vegetables until firmly cooked.  About 4-5 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside on serving platter.  Melt 1/3 block of butter and add garlic salt, to taste.  Add mushrooms.  Saute mushrooms until firmly cooked.  About 3-4 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside on serving platter.  Melt 1/3 block of butter. Add shrimp.  Cook until translucent. Remove from pan and set aside on serving platter.  Add 1/2 block of butter and beef to skillet.  Lightly season beef with garlic salt.  Cook until done.  Remove from pan and set aside on serving platter.  Take cooled down dipping sauce and place in individual dishes. 

Serve immediately with dipping sauce. Add Hot rice and EnJOY!

***While cooking meat and vegetables with butter, never let the butter get brown.