Beef Teriyaki Tataki

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Try saying that three times fast! Well, the good news is this Beef Teriyaki Tataki recipe is a whole lot easier to make than to say. This delicious recipe combines two classic Japanese dishes into one harmonious and tasty dish. Beautiful, velvety and slightly sweet Teriyaki Sauce is carefully topped over thin slices of Beef Tenderloin that has been cooked rare and topped with some crunchy and vibrant toppings for the ultimate in Japanese inspired appetizers. This is definitely a show stopping dish! It looks beautiful and tastes so good, so it can be our little secret about just how easy it is to make!

The key to making a great Beef Teriyaki Tataki is all in a great Sauce

We’ve got a bunch of Teriyaki recipes on Dinnertime Somewhere using this wonderful Sauce recipe. The recipe itself yields about 1 cup of Teriyaki Sauce, which is more than enough to use in this Beef Teriyaki Tataki recipe. So, we recommend making this dish (or one of the following if you prefer) and saving the leftover sauce to prepare more Teriyaki Meals

So, in addition to this recipe, you can also use the sauce to make Chicken Teriyaki Skewers, or Teriyaki Salmon on Rice. Both recipes are amazing and, honestly, you could probably make enough sauce just by following the recipe below to cook all three dishes. So, why not make it a Teriyaki extravaganza at your house this week!

Trust us, this sauce is so delicious and yields such beautiful food that you will want to eat more Teriyaki Sauce inspired dishes!

How to make delicious Teriyaki Sauce

What may sound like an intimidating sauce to make is so far from that. In fact, Teriyaki Sauce is one of the easiest and most delicious sauces you can make at home! There is very little technique involved, all you need to do is add the right ingredients (and the right quantity of them) to a saucepan and heat for about 8 – 10 minutes until it has slightly thickened

The ingredients used in a Teriyaki Sauce are very common in Asian cooking. Some of the ingredients like Soy Sauce, Chinese Vinegar, and Honey are very common ingredients in most homes. However, there are some Asian-specific ingredients that are a little less common but are critical in a great Teriyaki Sauce. The inclusion of Cooking Sake and Mirin are what gives a Teriyaki its distinct flavor, and are critical in this Beef Teriyaki Tataki Sauce

If your local grocery store doesn’t stock all the ingredients required then you can just make a stop at an Asian grocery store, as they are guaranteed to stock all the items you need. Then, it’s simply a case of measuring out the right quantities of ingredients and you’re set!

The one addition to the sauce is a slurry, which is simply a combination of equal parts Corn Starch to Water. The slurry is mixed into the Sauce after it’s been cooking for a few minutes, and helps to thicken the consistency

The Beef in a classic Tataki dish is just barely cooked, for this recipe we will cook it rare

So, with the sauce done the other critical element of our Beef Teriyaki Tataki dish is, of course, the Beef! Traditionally a Beef Tataki is served with beef that is cooked very rare. For our recipe, we’re suggesting you cook the beef a little longer, but still cook it to a rare temperature – which means you pull the Steak from the heat at around 110F

When sliced into, the Beef will have a beautiful dark crust, and a lovely red colored interior. Because the Beef is served on the rarer side, the best cut to use for a Beef Tataki is Beef Tenderloin / Filet. The tenderness of the Filet is second to none, and it will be buttery smooth and tender in the dish. Other cuts of Beef may end up being a little bit tough when prepared rare, so always use the best quality Beef Tenderloin you can find

For big flavors, we’re coating the Beef in a Peppercorn crust

While tender and beautiful, Beef Tenderloin / Filet is not widely renowned for having the most amount of flavor. That’s totally ok for this dish, as the sweet and salty flavors in the Teriyaki Sauce are huge. However, for the Steak to stand out with it’s own flavor, we recommend making a delicious Peppercorn crust

To do so you will need a Mortar and Pestle to grind down the whole Peppercorns (about 2 tbsp. of them) into a smooth consistency. We then add Salt, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder and mix it all through. This creates a beautifully spiced and flavorful rub which we liberally cover the Steaks with

It may seem like too much Pepper once you’ve coated the Beef, but remember, this is just the outside of the Steak that is being seasoned. A good 8 oz. piece of Beef Tenderloin is going to need a lot of seasoning, and all that Beef inside the Steak isn’t seasoned. The aggressive seasoning on the outside will ensure enough seasoning for the whole Steak

Enjoy this dish as a beautiful appetizer, or a light lunch

Surprisingly this is quite a light dish to enjoy eating. It will comfortably serve 4 people as a generous appetizer at the start of a meal. It will work great to kick off a Japanese themed meal, along with some fresh Sashimi. In fact, the Teriyaki Sauce is so good we highly recommend dipping some freshly sliced pieces of Salmon or Tuna into the sauce, it’s delicious!

You can also enjoy our Beef Teriyaki Tataki as a light lunch. It makes for the perfect dish to include in our Lunching on Leftovers section, especially if you’ve made some of that delicious Teriyaki Sauce earlier. Enjoy it as is, or with a bowl of fresh Sushi Rice for a hearty and healthy meal

Beef Teriyaki Tataki Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 Beef Tenderloin Filets (8 oz. each)
• 2 tbsp. Black Peppercorns
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp. Salt
• ½ tsp. Vegetable Oil
• ¼ cup Scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Peanuts, roughly chopped
  
  

For the Teriyaki Sauce

• 1/3 cup Soy Sauce
• ¼ cup Mirin
• ¼ cup Cooking Sake
• 1 tbsp. Honey
• 1 tbsp. Brown Sugar
• ½ tsp. Sesame Oil
• 1 tsp. Corn Starch
• 1 tsp. Water
  
  

Equipment needed: Mortar and Pestle

Instructions

1. Mix the Soy Sauce, Mirin, Cooking Sake, Honey, Brown Sugar, and Sesame Oil together in a small bowl or mug, and then pour into a saucepan set on the stovetop over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly
2. Create a slurry by mixing the Corn Starch and Water in a small bowl, then pour into the Saucepan and mix well to combine. Cook for a further 7 – 8 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken and coat the back of a spoon. Set aside
3. Place the Peppercorns in a Mortar and Pestle and grind until smooth then add the Salt, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder. Mix well then lay the mixture out on a plate
4. Place the Beef Tenderloin Filets on the Peppercorn mixture and coat well on all sides, then place them in a large frying pan set over medium high heat with a little bit of Vegetable Oil added
5. Cook the Steaks for 2 minutes on each side, then rotate and repeat for all 6 sides until cooked rare with an internal temperature of 110F. Remove from heat and set aside to rest
6. Once the Steak has rested, cut thin slices and lay out on a serving plate. Re-heat the Teriyaki Sauce and pour over the top of the Steak. Serve more sauce on the side. Top the dish with Scallions and Peanuts and serve
   
   

Recipe Notes

• This recipe will yield about 1 cup of Teriyaki Sauce, which is more than you will need for serving 4 people this dish. You can refrigerate the Sauce any use it to make Teriyaki Salmon or Chicken the next day
• If you prefer your Steak a little bit more cooked, just continue to cook on the frying pan until your desired temperature is reached
  
  

We just know you’re going to love the flavors and presentation of this delicious beef Teriyaki Tataki dish. It’s a fun twist on two classic Japanese dishes that just works so well together

If you’ve made this dish then please feel free to let us know in the comments below how it went. For more delicious Asian inspired appetizers, why not try out some of these favorite recipes of ours:

• Peking Duck Breast
• Crispy Rice Salmon Bites
• Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps
• Crispy Scallion Pancakes with Crispy Duck
  
  

Happy Cooking!