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Serves 4 | Start to finish: 20 minutes
from Edible Seattle November/December 2009
This is a traditional dish made by matsutake hunters while in the woods. A cast iron dutch oven is perfect for cooking it, whether indoors or out. I adapted the recipe from one by Hsiao-Ching Chou in the October 13, 2004 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Despite the long list of ingredients, this is a nearly fool-proof dish and fast.
3 cups beef stock
3/4 cup sake
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1 bunch green onions
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 small yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 cup Napa cabbage, shredded
1 cup bok choy, shredded
8 ounces matsutake mushrooms, brushed clean, trimmed, and thinly sliced
8 ounces bean thread noodles
1 package (about 14 ounces) firm tofu, cubed
1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced beef
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
Combine the stock, sake, mirin, and soy sauce in a pot or kettle and warm over medium heat. Thinly slice enough of the green onion tops to make 1/4 cup; set aside for garnish. Cut the remaining green onions in half.
Heat peanut oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green onions (minus the garnish), yellow onion, cabbage, bok choy, and matsutakes and stir-fry until they begin to soften, 3-5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables and fungi to the broth along with tofu cubes, and keep warm over low heat.
Cook the beef quickly in batches, just until nicely browned, 30-60 seconds on each side, drizzling about 2 tablespoons of the warm broth and 1 teaspoon of the sugar over when you turn the meat. Bunch these pieces to one side of the wok/skillet and continue with the remaining meat.
Just before serving, add the noodles to the broth. When the noodles are soft, ladle the hot broth, mushrooms, tofu, vegetables, and noodles into individual bowls, then top with beef slices and drizzle some of the cooking liquids over. Sprinkle with a garnish of green onion.
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