In all respects, marbled meat surpasses ordinary beef breeds, differing in tenderness and useful properties. The name itself appeared due to the external similarity of uniform fat layers and a pattern on the marble surface. Marbled beef contains substances that prevent the formation of cholesterol and even has anticarcinogenic properties. Wagyu is the finest marbled beef and the rarest variety. Though, not many people know what to eat and drink with Wagyu steak. Let’s find out.
What is the best way to cook a Wagyu steak? The best way to cook a Wagyu steak is to fry it. Fry it in a pan or grill for 2-5 minutes with the addition of pepper and spices, and the gourmet dish is ready. Wagyu beef goes best with fresh or grilled vegetables. To fully experience the taste, Wagyu should be cut into very thin strips.
What Goes Well With Wagyu Beef — Ultimate Guide
What goes well with Wagyu beef? Light, crisp, chilled salad greens go well with Japanese Wagyu. When it comes to drinks, there are no strict rules. Pick up what you like, like sake, wine, beer, or whatever. Depending on which drink will make the Wagyu making experience more enjoyable for you.
If you are preparing a Wagyu steak, then you need to forget all the principles of preparing a classic steak. Due to easily melting fat, Wagyu steaks are cut thinner than classic ones, no more than a finger thick. Such pieces are fried very quickly. To make a great steak, fry it for about 90 seconds on each side. When frying in a grill pan or cast-iron skillet, there is no need to add oil at all. The fat will melt and will be more than enough to cook the steak.
What sauce to serve with Wagyu beef? Wagyu steak is complemented with traditional sauces: teriyaki, chirashu, ponzu, soy sauce and others. And also vegetables: local cabbage, carrots, soy sprouts. Chefs do not recommend using a lot of sauces if you want to experience the real taste of this tender meat and not the sauces.
Oil mixed with grated herbs, demi-glace sauce, and smoked sea salt are the best sauces and seasoning to serve with Wagyu beef. The butter melts on the hot meat, and the herbal mixture begins to smell. Chefs do not recommend using a lot of sauces if you want to experience the real taste of this tender meat and not the sauces.
What to Serve With Wagyu Beef?
How do you serve Wagyu steak? Wagyu steak can be served with potatoes (fried, baked, mashed, etc.), fresh vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers), and grilled vegetables (zucchini, eggplants). These side dishes will bring out the true taste of Wagyu beef and increase the production of digestive enzymes to digest the beef better. Wagyu steak is served with sake, wine, or beer.
True connoisseurs of steaks will say that good Wagyu beef does not need additional side dishes, and they are absolutely right! The right steak can please even the most capricious gourmets. And the whole secret lies not so much in spices and culinary skills but in high-quality meat.
- Potatoes
The first and most versatile type of garnish for Wagyu beef is potatoes. Moreover, it can be served in any form — fried, baked, mashed potatoes, etc. It has a fairly mild flavor so that it won’t fade the taste of the Wagyu steak. The main thing is not to overdo it with seasonings. It is better to limit yourself altogether with salt and olive oil.
- Fresh Vegetables
Both professional chefs and ordinary barbecue lovers agree that the best side dish for Wagyu meat is a salad of fresh vegetables and herbs. Firstly, this is due to their unobtrusive taste, and secondly, the ability to increase the production of digestive enzymes that make it easier for the body to assimilate beef.
- Grilled Vegetables
Another equally popular type of side dish for Wagyu beef is grilled vegetables. They are easy and quick to prepare, do not require any special preparation and perfectly complement the steak’s taste. It is enough to grease the ingredients with oil, salt and place them on the grill.
What do you drink with Wagyu beef? You can drink sake, beer and wine with Wagyu beef. Cabernet Sauvignon with the rich fruity and strong aroma is a great choice for Wagyu beef. Zinfandel, with its high acidity and moderate tannins, is another choice for Wagyu beef. Malbec with a tart taste and high tannin content is perfect for Wagyu steak and is one of the best representatives of dry red wines.
Merlot also is an excellent red wine with a low tannin content. Pinot Noir is also a fine, light red wine that perfectly matches a wide range of Wagyu meat dishes.
Wagyu is an elite beef variety that is particularly soft and tender. You can find restaurants in almost every corner of Japan that specialize in Wagyu beef.
If you prefer a meal with rich, versatile flavors, try sukiyaki. This is perhaps the best Japanese meat dish. The West and East of the country have their own cooking tricks, but the recipe’s basis is the same: thinly sliced pieces of Wagyu beef are put in the soy sauce, sugar and rice wine, and then stewed in a saucepan along with vegetables. Turn it over with tongs so as not to compromise the integrity of the steak.
Inside Wagyu steak, there are many valuable fat veins, which have already begun to melt and turn into juice. After the meat is fried, leave it for 10 minutes. To emphasize the taste and aroma of meat, a raw egg sauce is offered to the dish.
To reveal the great taste of Wagyu, Wagyu beef needs to be cooked just a little bit. For example, in a traditional sukiyaki recipe, Wagyu is boiled in broth for 3 minutes. Sometimes raw strips are dipped in boiling water for a few seconds and immediately sent to their plate. Traditionally, Wagyu pieces are dipped in a raw egg (yolk) after being processed in broth. However, Wagyu beef is never served raw. Like any meat, it needs some heating treatment.
If you prefer light and healthy food, be sure to try shabu-shabu. This is not just a dish, it is a whole ritual. A pot of boiling water and plates of thinly sliced vegetables and meat are placed on the table in front of you. Sometimes noodles and tofu are also served. You need to put vegetables in a saucepan to make a broth. Then you take the thinly sliced pieces of meat and dip them briefly in the broth. This way of cooking helps to reveal all the tenderness and unique taste of Wagyu beef. The sauce is essential, and you can choose citrus or sesame seeds.
Wagyu beef steaks are familiar to Europeans but no less tasty and exotic. The grilling meat method is not unique, but it helps to reveal the rich taste of tender Wagyu beef. It is better to try this dish in specialized restaurants.
And finally, a delight for sushi lovers and fans. Usually, sushi is made from fish, but you can find nigiri-sushi and Wagyu beef in some restaurants. Thanks to the unique properties of Wagyu beef, this dish will melt in your mouth.
