Soboro Beef

I really like simple recipes. Especially ones that are also delicious. This Soboro Beef recipe by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat comes together in less than 10 minutes. What a terrific way to add a little Japanese variety to your weekday meals.

The basic ingredient is plain old ground beef. But the flavoring comes from a combo of Japan's big three: sake, mirin and soy sauce. Make sure to buy your sake at the liquor store. Supermarket sake has lots of additives that you do not want in your food. For mirin (rice wine), make sure it's made with real sugar and not glucose or corn syrup.

Soboro Beef is typically served over rice. But it can just as easily be served over a salad or rice noodles. In the land of the rising sun it's often folded into omelettes. However you decide to serve it, you'll find it simple and fast and so good that you will wish you had made a double batch.


Ingredients
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
8 ounces ground beef (80% lean)
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 chopped green onions


Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Cook beef, stirring and breaking into small pieces, until browned and nearly cooked through, about 3 minutes. 
2. Add sake and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add mirin and soy sauce and cook until pan is almost dry, about 1 minute longer. Add scallions and toss to combine. Serve.

Wine pairing: You only used two tablespoons from the bottle, so I would suggest sake to me.