Wagyu

Before writing this post, I struggled for a little while trying to compose an opener for this blog. I gave up, and thought that it’s best to just let the ingredients do the talking.

Here goes...

Beef would make an auspicious first for this blog. The blog’s name: Gyuto, translates literally to Cow Sword or, more appropriately, Chef’s Knife. And to drive home the theme, let’s start with the king of beef, Wagyu. I am sure most are familiar with Kobe Beef. Kobe is a location, and over there they breed Wagyu (和牛). Now, the Wagyu breed is not bred exclusively in Japan. Outside of Japan, the most successful breeding programs are in Australia. To find out more, surf: Vicsmeat and Kawamura Steakhouse.

Here, I have a sirloin from Master Kobe with Marble Score 9+ from Vicsmeat, Sydney. You cannot serve a piece of MBS 9+ beef as a steak, it is simply too rich (read oily). Thus, a 200+ g piece actually goes a long way to serve 3 to 4 people.


For this piece of beef, I was inclined to fire up some charcoals and do it properly. Good charcoal imparts a heady smokiness and a sweet aroma to the meat. All it needs is just a minute on each side until the beef fat bubbles and crisps. Slow roasted cauliflowers, carrots, shiitakes and asparagus make up the accompaniments.


To cut into the richness, grated ginger goes into the ponzu dipping sauce.