Summer Recipe 2023

Pepper Steak with Garlic Soy sauce butter

This is a great dish either on your bbq or on a griddle pan if the weather doesn’t hold. I made it for 2 but you can easily double the dish. It is from a lovely recipe book about Izakaya the small drinking dens of Japan which serve delicious bites along side beer or sake.

1 tbsp oil

1 300g – 400g rib eye steak at least 1in thick. (Don’t get one from the supermarket they are too thin, go to your local butcher and get him/her to cut it for you)

A very generous amount of freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp of water

2tbsp good soy sauce (I use Kikkoman –t does make a difference)

1tbsp of sake (drink the rest chilled with your guest of choice)

1tbsp runny honey

20g butter

3 garlic cloves thinly sliced

Get your bbq really really hot (white coals and all that) or your griddle pan really hot

If using a bbq brush the oil on the steak, if your using the griddle pour the oil in.

Season the steak all over with the pepper – be very generous. Lay the steak on the heat and cook it on one side until it is nicely browned (2 – 3 mins) Turn over and cook again til browned (2mins). The steak should be rare but if you like it a bit more done cook for another 2 mins flipping the steak so it cooks evenly. When it is to your liking remove from the heat and let it rest on a chopping board.

If using the pan – remove it from the heat and add the water. If you’ve used the bbq you’ll need to heat up a pan at this stage and then add the water. Add the soy sauce, sake, honey, butter and the garlic and put back on the heat and simmer for 4- 5 minutes unitl the liquid reduces and the garlic infuses into the gravy then remove from the heat. Slice the steak into bite sized cubes about 2cm wide and toss through the pan sauce and serve with some rice and steamed greens.

Sake is quite strong so make sure you drink it slowly whilst enjoying your steak!