Hearty, spicy and with a slightly sweet note: Hayashi Raisu is a delicious beef stew with thinly sliced meat in a dark sauce, served on a bed of fluffy white rice. The combination of heavy red wine and fruity tomatoes, earthy mushrooms and a touch of sweet honey as a flavor carrier creates a wonderfully mild umami taste. Hayashi Raisu is particularly popular with families with children, but is a favorite for Japanese people of all ages!
How did Hayashi Raisu come about?
The beef stew is a Yoshoku - a Japanese dish in Western style. Other examples include Poteto Sarada (potato salad) and Korokke (croquettes). These dishes came about when the strict separation of the Japanese from the rest of the world was lifted in the mid-19th century and suddenly traders from all over, but especially from the USA, came to Japan. These travelers brought their own recipes with them - and the Japanese adapted and adapted them to the local taste and available ingredients.
Where does the name Hayashi Raisu come from?
This is not entirely clear. One theory says that a chef named Hayashi created the dish for a company canteen. Another suggests that the word "Hayashi" is based on the British dish "Hashed Beef" which is served on rice - Raisu.
What do I need for Hayashi Raisu?
You can definitely make this dish yourself. However, if you want to cook a really authentic version, it takes some time. Alternatively, you can also fall back on a ready-made sauce base for the sauce.
The Demi-Glace
The heart of Hayashi Raisu is the thick brown sauce. It is a French Demi-Glace. This consists of half a classic dark gravy and half a beef broth. It is not difficult to make the Demi-Glace. However, you need some patience for this. Tip: You can also use Demi-Glace for many Western dishes - or freeze it and then thaw it as needed. So make a little more of it. For the Demi-Glace you need:
Red wine
Passata
Root vegetables (onion, celery and carrots)
Beef broth
Roux (flour-oil mixture to thicken the sauce)
Tip: If you want to make it easier for yourself, replace the homemade one with a store-bought Demi-Glace!
The fillings
Thinly sliced beef, onions and mushrooms are classic ingredients for Hayashi Raisu. You can also add peas or other vegetables that you particularly like. Warning: Do not replace the meat with diced beef. That would distort the taste. To get thin slices of meat, you can either ask your butcher to cut the meat for you - or freeze the raw meat and then cut it yourself in the semi-frozen state with a sharp knife. Sometimes you can also get thinly sliced meat in Asian shops.
The rice
The hearty sauce is deliciously complemented by the mild, fluffy rice. So that you can prepare perfect Japanese rice, we have written a guide that we have linked below. Tip: If you cook rice frequently, a rice cooker may be very practical. Here we have compared some rice cookers for you.
Comments