I had a blast at the Macy’s Culinary Council cooking demo with Chef Takashi of Top Chef Masters yesterday…and absolutely loved the food he created.

Of course, because I just seem to have that face, I was asked to come up to help make one of the dishes. While Asian cuisine is obviously not my forte, I tried my best and was able to get some laughs out of myself. It definitely inspired me to experiment more with Asian cooking.

Photo by fellow blogger Still Blonde After All of These Years

The recipes Chef made were awesome. My favorite was the Beef Harumaki. It was presented as an appetizer, but to be honest, I think I will make these a meal for us some day soon. They were delish!

Here’s the recipe:

BEEF HARUMAKI

Marinated Beef:

• 1 tbsp Sake
• 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 8 oz. beef tenderloin, skirt, or strip steak thinly slices and cut into 2″ pieces

Stiry-Fry Sauce:

• 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp water

Mustard Sauce:

• 1 tbsp mustard powder
• 1 tbsp cold water

Filling:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup stemmed shiitake mushrooms (about 6), thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup canned bamboo shoots, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, peeled, thinly slices and cut into 2″ pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
• 10 stalks broccolini, ends trimmed and halved
• 10 spring roll sheets, thawed (found in frozen section)
• 1 tbsp flour mixed with 1 tsp of water (to make a flour paste)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, Japanese soy sauce, salt and pepper

To make the beef: In a large bowl, combine the sake, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and salt. Add the beef and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

To make the stir-fry sauce: Combine the soy sauce, sake hoisin, sesame oil and stock in a bowl. In another bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water.

To make the mustard sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the mustard powder and water. Set aside.

To make the filling: Heat a large pan over high heat. Add 2 tbsp oil of the oil. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, carefully add the beef and stir. Continue stirring for 1 minute, then transfer to a bowl.

Using the same pan, heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil over high heat, then add the mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, then add the celery and both peppers. Continue cooking stirring occasionally, until peppers begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the beef back to the pan and mix in the stir-fry sauce; cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1 minute, or until the sauce thickens.

Remove the pan from heat and transfer filling to a bowl. Refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.

Prepare an ice bath and place a medium pot of salted water over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the broccolini, and cook for 1 minute, then transfer to the ice bath for 10 seconds. Quickly place on paper towels to dry. Set aside at room temperature.

Separate the spring roll sheets and stack them. On an angle, cut off one corner of the sheets, about 1 1/2″ and discard the corner. Set 1 sheet in front of you with the cut side closest to you (the pointed end should be the farthest away). Cover the remaining sheets with a slightly damp towel to keep them from drying out.

Measure 1/3 cup of the filling and place it on the spring roll sheet, about 1″ from the bottom. Carefully spread hte mix so the ingredients lie in the same direction. Keep the filling at least 1″ from the sides. Begin rolling, keeping it tight. After two turns, press down on the side to secure the filling and tuck the unfilled edges in. Continue rolling and secure the top with a small dab of flour paste. Repeat. **

Heat a pan and add oil. Heat for one minute, making sure it doesn’t get too hot. Add the spring rolls one at a time and cook until the bottoms of golden brown, about 2 minutes. Then, using tongs, carefully turn the rolls and brown remaining sides. When done, transfer rolls to a paper towel-lined plate and allow to cool slightly, then cut in half diagnolly.

To serve, arrange 4 pieces of broccolini at the end of each of 5 long plates, along with 1 tsp of the mustard sauce, followed by 4 spring roll pieces. Serve with the soy sauce and mixture of salt and pepper on the side.

Yields 20 pieces, serves 5

** These can also be frozen after composing, before frying! **

My cell phone photo below does not do it justice!!!

As I mentioned before, if you get an opportunity to see a fabulous chef cook, GO! It’s fun, and inspirational! To see if a chef is coming to a Macy’s near you, visit here.

This is a sponsored post brought to you by the Macy’s Culinary Council. All opinions expressed are my own. The recipe belongs to Chef Takashi.

What are your favorite dishes that inspire you to experiment? Since we can’t afford to go overseas anytime soon, I’d love to play more with unique ingredients in the kitchen!